It was a VERY cold morning as the alarm went off at 6:00 am. We wanted to wake up to see the sun rise over Ayers Rock before we left. We all bundled up (rugged up) as best we could and trundled off to the viewing point at the campground to join all of the other crazy tourists in this once-in-a-lifetime experience. The view was amazing and the colors were stunning as the sun rose over the desert. Ayers Rock and the Olgas were brilliant but we couldn't stand to be out there in the cold much longer so we left to pack up camp and get on the highway to arrive in Coober Pedy in the daylight.

The dashboard temperature read 0.5 degrees at 8:00 as we left the campground and headed toward the Stuart highway and the South Australian Border for our 800km drive to Coober Pedy. We arrived to 18 degrees, sun, and wind in the Big 4 Campground at 3:30. We booked our tour for the next day and relaxed for the rest of the night. It was great to be back in 'civilization'!