I arrived in Alice Springs on the evening of the 12th and stayed here for the 13th as well. Alice is a pretty small place, just a few local shops with touristy places thrown in the mix as well. My main reason for stopping here is because it's the gateway to Uluru (Ayres Rock). So on the morning (very early morning) of the 14th i joined a 3 day/2 night tour around Uluru, Kata Tjuta and Kings Canyon.

Day one and a very long drive to Kings Canyon. I didn't realise how far out of Alice Uluru and Kings Canyon actually were. So 5/6 hours later we finally arrive at Kings Canyon. Out we get and set off on the 6km round walk. It doesn't sound very far but when you're staring the walk up a vertical hill named "heart attack hill" you can imagine that it wasn't the easiest of walks. However, the weather was perfect, cooler temperature being this time of year, a bit of sun and cloud cover meant it was ideal to walk in. Finally up the massive climb and you could see far into the distance. The only thing ruining the view was of course the man made carpark at the bottom. However, i was getting my first glimpse of the orange/red jutting rock that made up the wall of the canyon. Climbing further still and we eventually reached the amphitheatre. A huge curve carved out of the side of the rock making this huge canyon. Sharpe cliff drops and beautiful layres of different coloured rock visable on the other side. We had to walk down into the canyon, visiting The Garden of Eden (a small wateringhole tucked away deep inside the canyon) to reach the other side. My thighs were definitely getting a work out this morning! Finally after another huge climb we reach the other side of the amphitheatre. More striking from this side as you can see the smooth rock which sits on the cliff side we were just stood on. Here you can also see the true curve of the canyon which has many different colours running through it. Not far now and we begin our decent from the canyon surrounded by the uneven, mishaped sandstone around us. A few hours drive back to the highway and we find our camp spot for the night, a bush camp in Curtin Springs. A bush camp basically has nothing but bushing in it. We collected firewood on the drive to camp and then started a fire, all huddling around it sitting on our swags. At this time of year the temperature really starts to drop at night so i was freeeeezing! Sat very wrapped up with a wooly hat on it was definitely very different weather than i've been used to! it was great fun though, a much better environment to get know people in and our guide managed to cook us up a feast, even preparing bread from scratch in a big black iron pot covered in hot coles. That night we slept under the stars in swags which are big canvas sleeping mats. They have a thick sleeping mat at the bottom which is encased with canvas. You unsip the canvas and climb inside in your sleeping bag sipping the canvas back up. Despite the added warmth the swags add i still slept fully clothes, with 2 pairs of socks and a hat and was still a bit chilly.

Day 2 and of course another early rise. Today we head towards Kata Tjuta and the Valley of the Winds. Kata Tjuta is very close to Uluru but has never been as publically touristised. No commercial photographs are allowed to be taken from within Kaka Tjuta as they try and preserve the spirtual and sacred meaning of the place for the Aboriginal people. We hiked through Kaka Tjuta and the Valley of the Winds and it was just so beautiful. Different sized boulders and huge mounds of rock make up the formation. Uneven surfaces of rock and streaks of black from the water that runs off the rocks when it rains covered the landscape infront of me. Huge trees and grass surrounded the bottom of the rocks and spirtual faces and meaning embed the rock surface. Walking around the rocks you finally reach another steep climb but so worthwhile is the view from the top. Looking through a cap in the rocks to see the valley below and the landscape stretching far into the distance was breathtaking. A short walk back through the very heart of Kaka Tjuta and we were soon back on the bus and heading to the Aboriginal Cultural Centre in the heart of the national park. Here we learnt about the sacred meaning of the land and how important this place is to the Aboriginal People. They used to come to Uluru to perform rituals and spirtual ceromonies. Also, Uluru has a permenant water source which makes it a habitable place as you know there will be plants and animals that feed from the source too. Although Aboriginals did once inhabit the rock they no longer do so. When they did, they only stayed here as long as they needed, it was never a permenant home for them. The cultural centre also supports the local Aboriginal communities by selling only genuine painting and artwork made by them. Early evening we walked part of the base walk of Uluru called the Mala Walk. Here we saw some of the places the Aboriginals would have lived, such as their kitchen, play area for the children and even their bedroom. Beautiful paintwork covers this walls to convay meaning and to act as a teaching method. Tonight we watch sunset over Uluru, but unfortunetly the low cloud cover means there isn't really much to see. We camp out under the stars again tonight, a little warmer but i still freeze. We have marshmellows around the fire and even a kangaroo tail cooked inside the hot coles in the fire. It's completely disgusting.

Day 3 and we get up even earlier to catch the sunrise at Uluru. Again the cloud is thick and low but we so manage to see some pink and orange light at the base of the sky. We have breakfast as the sun rises still freezing i might add. After the sun has risen we head back to the base of Uluru where we are given the option to climb Uluru or take a walk around the base. Our guide explains that the Aboriginal people ask that we do not climb the rock as it is a very sacred and religious place to them. By climbing the rock it offends them and they believe bad things may happen. In fact since the climb opened a total of 35 people have died. The climb itself takes you up one of the smoothest parts of the rock but is a very long, steep climb only guided by a thin fence along one side. I choose not to climb and take the walk around the base of the rock. Being so close up you can really appreciate the beauty of the rock, the different patterns, shapes, jutts in and out of the rock and the different colours you see. There are parts of the rock where you are asked not to photograph due to them having specific sacred meaning to the Aboriginals. For example, one place used to be used for women to give birth and a fine will be given if you are caught photographing this site by a ranger. The full walk round the base is just over 9km. Within the walk we came across several more Aboriginal cave paintings and the Mutijula Waterhole which is the permenant water source at Uluru. After the walk it's time to make the long drive back to Alice Springs for a much needed shower!