Day 65 22/08/2013 Kalkutkatjara Camp to Yulara (Ayers Rock) Resort.
Because of the time change we were not on the road until 8.30am. Despite all reports to the contrary, the road was no better on the NT side of the border! Maybe it just felt better because it was shorter! Only 227 km to Yulara, and 50km of that was on a sealed road! Our first stop was 40km to the east, at Lasseter's Cave. Harold Lasseter reportedly found gold in the area in 1897. In the 1930's he set off to re-find the 'reef of gold' he said he had previously discovered. Unfortunately during the search, his camels bolted, leaving him stranded and without food. He sheltered in a cave from the harsh summer heat for around 3 weeks in January 1931, before setting off on foot to attempt to travel 140km to Mt Olga hoping to meet up with his relief party. He had 1.7L of water with him. Unfortunately he perished only 55km into his journey. Many people to this day, hope to find 'Lasseter's Reef'.
The road we will take when we leave here, which links up with the Stuart Highway.....(the main road linking Adelaide to Darwin)....is called the Lasseter Highway, in his honour.
On our approach to Yulara (the small township/resort in the Kata Tjuta NP) we had good views of the rocky domes which make up the Olgas. Kata Tjuta means 'many heads' in the local language, and when viewing the domes it is easy to see why. Both Kata Tjuta and Uluru are sacred places to the local Indigenous people, which is why we will respect their wishes and not climb Uluru.
Once at the campground we booked in and set up camp....taking longer than usual because the site was quite sloping. We got there in the end! Although busy, the campground is not too full and we have lots of space. We did some laundry, had showers and then enjoyed lunch in a cafe! Bliss. The afternoon was spent doing some chores, then we set off to the sunset viewing area for Uluru. What a popular spot! After enjoying the colour changes on the rock as the sun went down, and taking LOTS of photos, we drove back to the resort and had dinner in the 5* Hotel! Luxury. Then we drove back to our campsite and went to bed very late......in camping terms!!