Kings Canyon and Ayers Rock
We know this is The Outback and we've seen the likes of Crocodile Dundee and Wrong Turn but Kings Canyon and Ayers Rock are really in the middle of nowhere!!! Hiring a car at Alice Springs airport wasn't as easy as we thought, we really should have reserved one in advance but we were chancing it! After much negotiation of price (they tax you 30 cents per kilometre as we are in the middle of nowhere, we had an extra charge for dropping it off at Ayers Rock airport too) so this was the most expensive hire car ever!!! Then the lady at the desk said she didnt want to frighten us but if we wanted to get to Kings Canyon before nightfall we had to get going - there is a ban on driving between dusk and dawn as its so dangerous! Extreme danger of driving in to camels, kangaroos, coyotes and other outback animals, so we jumped straight in to the car, sat at around 100 mph and got to Kings Canyon in around 3 1/2 hours (BEFORE DUSK!). The roads are literally in the middle of nowhere, pin straight so driving at 100 mph doesn't even feel like it, they put that as the speed limit because if it was any less you just wouldnt get anywhere, the outback is so vast - red, red soil and dust, tumbleweeds and lots of road kill unfortunately.

Getting to Kings Canyon was a relief, after our nightmare trip in the desert in the Grand Canyon we did not want to be in the middle of nowhere in the dark. Kings Canyon ranch was where we were staying at - the nearest city is 2000km in all directions so it is very remote. There are some short cuts to get here through the red desert but only made by 4x4's. The ranch was a mixture of campsites, lodges, cabins etc - luckily we had a fantastic lodge with a hot tub which was a little odd considering where we were, a nice treat though! Dinner was either in the BBQ tent with random evening entertainment or in the restaurant/cafe - both were good but expensive, they have to charge alot more than normal as getting fresh food, petrol etc out here is a big effort. On the road you often pass 'Road Trains' .... big trucks pulling 3 or 4 trailers so its a bit scary over taking them but this is what brings these remote resorts and ranches what they need to survive!

We had a fantastic day walking Kings Canyon, your eyes adjust to the red dirt and red rock quickly but it is still breath taking. The walk reminded us of the Grand Canyon a little, obviously this is on a smaller scale but when you reach the top there is nothing but outback on the horizon. After 2 nights at the Kings Canyon Ranch we headed to Ayers Rock, upon packing up our stuff we noticed that we were missing our camera! We were so annoyed with ourselves as we have been really careful to keep an eye on it and with precious photos on our memory stick! We hunted our room and re-traced our steps from the previous night but had to realise that it was gone. We reluctantly left the ranch minus our camera to drive to Ayers Rock, still a 4 hour drive away on the scary, fast, remote roads.

We were gutted that we lost our camera at this point, en route to Ayers Rock we quickly stopped off at Kings Canyon quickly to re-create a couple of the shots we got the previous day, this felt a bit ridiculous! On arrival at Ayers Rock resort - again this amazing resort in the middle of nowhere - we were shown to our amazing room, complimentary champagne waiting for us and another hot tub - its been worth our while mentioning every place we stay that we are on our honeymoon!!!! I thought it was worth phoning Kings Canyon one last time just in case they found our camera ..... they had, it was found in the bar?! There was no-one making the trip to Ayers Rock the next day and we were due to fly to Sydney later in the afternoon. After much deliberation while drinking our champagne and soaking in the hot tub trying to make ourselves feel better we decided that we would drive 4 hours there in the morning then turn around and drive 4 hours back hopefully in time to make our flight ....... only we would have to leave before sunrise therefore attempting the scary road at high speed in the dark. So early start leaving our lovely room at Ayers Rock resort and being warned at reception that we are most likely to encounter camels and to take it easy until the sun rises. This was not the most relaxing morning, but when we saw the sun rise over the outback it kind of made it worthwhile! Mike drove there in under 4 hours and I drove us to the airport in just over 3 hours managing to make up extra time with it being day light. So a lot of drama in the outback and an unforgettable experience, it was now time to hit one of Australia's biggest cities for a dramatic switch in our surroundings once again....