The drive from Coober Pedy up to the resort at Uluru was a toasty 7hrs (731km) and we stopped once just over the South Australian/Northern Territory border at a town called Kulgera. I say a "town" but really it's just what we'd call a service station. This is something we've been getting used to - even if it's named on the map it doesn't mean it's a town with everyday supplies!

Our campsite sits just outside the national park of Uluru - Kata Tjuta and it's hot! Too hot for any naked flames so we use the campsite grill/bbq for our fresh sausages and burgers. Doesn't feel like a bbq because it's gas powered but thats how they do it over here. We even struggled to find a bbq in Adelaide because they're all gas powered but i guess if all the campsites and picnic spots have them then why bring your own!! Only used ours once so far anyway!

Uluru - or Ayers Rock - is not actually the worlds biggest monolith, that record sits with a bigger (obviously!) rock in Western Australia but this one is still phenominal - in size and appearance. Pictures just can't do it justice. I expected it to be just another rock but whether it's the size, remoteness, colour, form or a combination of all four that makes it so spectacular, it's hard to say. I thought that the hype of it - being so famous - may contribute to diminishing our expectations but it doesn't.

We went for the 9km circuit walk to fully take it in before returning at sunset for another unforgettable experience. Climbing the rock is allowed but not encouraged due to aboriginal beliefs but they don't open the walk if it's above 35 degrees, so not very often then!

Our campsite has a pool so when we're not sight-seeing, we're there cooling off. The 9km walk was completed just before midday and just as the day was approaching it's hottest. Wouldn't want to do it in that heat again, that, and the flies, make it quite uncomfortable.

Also in this national park is Kata Tjuta - or The Olgas. These are about 50km from Uluru and of a simliar appearance in terms of form and colour. Many valleys and gorges run through the formations and we embarked on an 8km "Valley of the Winds" walk. We started at around 8am because we were driving immediately afterwards. The walk took about 2hrs and that included time to stop and admire yet another wonderous attraction and take plenty of photos!

Kings Canyon was next on the agenda and that was a 370km drive from Uluru - Kata Tjuta national park and took about 3hrs (due to the long straight roads and 130km/h speed limit!). Upon arrival, we undertake whats now become a rictual - set-up camp, rest by/in the pool and cook some food! We also got our laundry washed and dried in a total of 2 hrs and treated ourselves to some fresh juice because all we've been taking in is gallons and gallons of water!

With no mobile signal for days between town or city, it's comforting to know that we haven't missed them and don't rely on them and maybe slightly unnerving should we breakdown somewhere! The only mild desire is the internet to catch up with news, sport, update blogs and emails and as we know we'll get on it sooner or later, it's not something we are concerned about.

Waking up casually at about 9am at the Kings Canyon campsite, we unintentionally decide to lounge around for most of the day and do our walk in the evening. Afterall, it promised to rain today! Some rain did fall and, about 14:00, we went over to the canyon for a tiring but extremely rewarding hike. It started with a long, steep climb up to the rim where we were faced with sheer drops, overhanging cliffs and a beautiful walk that took us right around the rim and back down to where we started. Kings Canyon was breathtaking with stunning views of not only the canyon but of the distant desert regions too.

We've been lucky enough to have seen so many wonders already and i expect more will follow. It's quite impossible to imagine what could make us feel impressed after what we experience one day and then the next day brings us something completely different, and just as awe-inspiring - and we've only seen a small section of the country!!

We re-trace our steps slightly to get us back on the path to the north and we drive to Alice Springs - the hub of central Australia.

This is the closest we've been to any kind of civilization since Adelaide but it just doesn't cut it! It's a town of about 30,000 but it has a funny feel to it. Maybe thats what living in the desert does to you! It does had fast food though and we treat ourselves! We also fancy some proper food instead of pasta and sauce so we bought some fresh chicken breast ready for a big curry only to find we'd eaten too much KFC so the curry waited until the day after.

Our accommodation is a little unexpected. We turned up at the hostel, walked around the back to the reception and enquired. A double room was only a few bucks more than two dorm beds so we took one for two nights and the receptionist said "theres your room", pointing over our shoulders. I can't remember whether i'd seen the caravans before he pointed them out but we were pleasantly taken a-back. They were stripped out and fitted with a double bed, table and chairs, a fridge and most importantly, air con!

Two days was enough in Alice Springs as there isn't much to see and do. Around Alice, however, was more sight-seeing and walking opportunities in the form of the Macdonnell Ranges. We didn't visit the east section but did have a short outing to Standley Chasm in the west ranges. Describing this place makes it sound quite dull as it's a gap in between two towering faces of rock. Thats it! The walk was about 15 mins there and we waited around for the sun to shine through the gap at midday. It was a spectacular area and certainly worth a visit, albeit a short one!

Leaving Alice Springs, fully stocked up on fuel, food and water our next destination is to be Tennant Creek.