Uluru and Yulara

Yulara is the resort created to accommodate tourists about 30k's from Uluru. It is very well organised and the camping was great and not really over the top in price for a site.The amenities were very clean and the water was hot and with good pressure, this is important after a paying 20cents for a shower in Coober Pedy and not so good ones in Erldunda. The sites are dirt but there are some shady ones so that was good. So we setup and headed out to see the rock.

Wow is the word and flies are the second one, you need a fly net and don't think you don't. It costs $25 dollars per adult for 3 days which wasn't bad value as we went in and out of the Park about 8 times over the two days. We looked through the Cultural Centre and then to the climb as James wanted to do it even after my lecture on not climbing the Cistine Chapel but off he went and Steve thought he might go away up half way and get some pics.James made it all the way up and down as Callum and i watched them go up. We passed the time by chatting to a really nice Irish backpacker and some English tourists, who had come over for 4 months and brought a car and van in Sydney and have been making their way around, again another great chat. Steve came down with some great photos and totally exhausted, he got to the first big dip on the climb. Big effort and the pictures from Steve and James are testament to it. James was knackered and totally amazed at what he had done, yes he did sleep well. Then we took a drive around the base and stopped at one of the waterholes beautiful and we stopped and listen to a chinse Aussie interpreting an Anunga aunty to a group who had another interrupter very interesting story.

It was then home and as it was Friday it was my turn to cook so it was off to the Pioneer Bar and Grill for tea. We had a Steak and Chicken deal but the thing was you had to cook it yourself on the provided BBQ's , yesSteve did cook it but i went to the bar and brought him the most expensive NT draught and drove home (good wife aren't I).

The next day we went to see sunrise at the rock and it was wonderful then we went on a free guided walk with the ranger but that was at 8am so we sat around and watch all these tourists pour off busses and up the rock wow a bit of an eye opener, one all the people and two how they all scrambled up. The aunuga people call them ants and that is what they looked like, James that is what you looked like. The ranger walk was great we learnt a lot about the dreaming of the people and the geology of the rock but i would have liked a bit more about how it was created not just the dreaming. But Vince was great and we all got a lot out of it. Home for brunch we were all starving as it was about 10.30 by the time we got back to camp.

We had a look around Yulara shopping centre and did the postcards and felt lighter fiscally for it. It was a bit hot now maybe only 32 c but it was dry and hot.We rested for a while and then headed for the Olgas. Again they were wonderful there is a look out and it was a wonderful view. We then went on the gorge walk and again it was green a lush and full of water which was beautiful and cool. Steve then wanted to get some red dirt on the car so we went down the road to WA a couple of K's and turned around yes the car did get some dirt on it but it didn't stick.

We went back to camp got a picnic together and then we went back out to watch the sunset. It was cloudy by now so we didn't get the full effect but it was still amazing. The sun glows at the bottom of the rock like it is being lit by flood lights then it warms up and goes dark a deep chocolate brown but no purple tonight oh well we ate our picnic and were the last to leave the park.

James just wants me to tell you that there was a lady at the gate of the park that was lovely and she was there every time we went in we thought that she must have had a sleeping bag under the counter!!