Monday

Still the same day I left Perth. The pilot had pointed out Ayres Rock as we had flown over it, I was shocked quite how big it was, but got me more excited about seeing it. Alice Springs airport was very small and it was a nice leisurely walk off the plane into the the terminal building. Had to also get used to the fact the temperature had gone up 10 degrees at least. Outside the place was deserted,really felt like I was in the middle of nowhere. Called for a taxi from the free phones and soon I driving along the long open road of the outback. It was fascinating to see it at last. Vast expanses of red sand and small shrubs and thats about it to be honest, clear blue skies with the very occasional cloud. Heavitree Gap Outback Lodge, about 15 minutes from the airport, Reminded me of a set out of a country western movie and the place seemed deserted. In fact it turned out I had a four bedded dorm to myself. Trying not to feel too disheartened as I was looking forward to meeting new people I concentrated on getting myself some dinner at the on site tavern, packing my bag for the 3 day trip ahead, putting my bigger bag into storage, sorting out breakfast for the early start the next day and letting people know I had arrived safetly. Also FINALLY posted my cards from Hong Kong.

Tuesday

Woke up bright and early and was waiting outside the reception to be picked up at 6:30am, quite worryingly though by 6:45 the coach still hadn't turned up! I rang the company and they said the coach had been delayed, not to worry it was on its way and within 5 minutes of making the phone call I was aboard the coach, and met the driver/tour leader Steve. On the coach with me was another English girl who looked my age, found out later she was called Rebecca, 2 canadian couples, a dutch couple, 2 german couples, an english couple and a scottish man. Found out we had a 400km drive that morning with a few stops at various places including a camel farm, two cattle stations and ayres rock airport to pick up 3 more passengers. Having done that we arrived at our camp for the night at Ayres Rock permanent campsite and here we had a delicious lunch of salad and meats, breads and cheese. In the afternoon we headed off to Kata Tjuta (the Olgas) to the lookout point and also We took our hottest trek of the trip up through the olgas to the middle to the most magnificient view of the Valley. Next stop was Ayres Rock to take in the sunset with a Glass of wine and nipples. We watched as the rock turned a deeper shade of red whilst the sun slowly vanished. after this, feeling very tired out, We headed back to camp for a traditional Aussie dinner- BBQd steak and Sausages :)

Wednesday

VERY early start this morning! 4:30am! ouch this was so we could get to Ayres Rock and do the base walk before it got too warm. The walk round was fascinating, it would have been too windy to climb it and Aboriginals are not keen on it to say the least. As the sun rose it cast wierd and wonderful shadows across the rock, revealing its many groves and dents. By the time we got all the way round it was starting to warm up a lot and it was only 8.30! Next Steve took us to a part of the rocks that had drawings on them, we learnt about the significance of the different symbols and what they ment to The aboriginal people. We then went back to the campsite for lunch, packed our bags back in the coach and headed off to the Aboriginal cultural centre where we could learn more about their culture, traditions and way of life. After this we drove about 400km to Kings Canyon and stayed at Kings Creek Cattle station. Here I got to ride a camel! Very strange feeling a combination between a rocking chair and a horse. That night steve cooked up a feast on and open campfire. It was what I can best describe as a Chicken and vegetable stew. One thing will always stick in my mind from this trip and that is the night sky.The starry sky was absolutely incredably, It looked like someone had taken a paint brush and sprayed the entire sky with white paint, it glittered and glistened and the illuminated the world around me.

Thursday

Hit my head on the bed this morning when I woke up suddenly from the alarm so the wake up today seemed slightly more painful! After breakfast we headed out to Kings Canyon in the darkness of the morning. Our trek up and around kings Canyon, was looking forward to this a lot. The first Climb was about 20mins uphill but it was just like climbing up stairs, and the view made up for the breathlessness at the top. The 3 hour trip took us to up and down in the canyon, through the "lost world" and the garden of eden where there was a huge plundge pool we could swim in if we wished. The views over the canyon were spectacular and we got to see all the erosion that had taken place and how plants had adapted to their strange environment. After the long descent down, which was a little hairy due to the strong winds we had lunch and then made our way back to Alice Springs on the long open road. That night back at the hostel on my own, I booked a shuttle bus for the next day to the airport and got to feed the wallabies which lived on the rocks at the hostel, Once it had gone quiet I was left with the wallabies they came and ate out of my hand and the smallest was holding onto my hand- two of them ended up fighting who would eat my food!