ALICE - the return When we return from The Rock etc we spend another few days in the Alice but move to live above The Todd Tavern this time, which is a remarkable and welcome upgrade from the backpackers and the car - well you can't really beat staying above a pub can you?! We take in the impressive Cultural Centre where we again check out the art of Albert Namatjira - the first aboriginal person to be granted Australian citizenship (if that can ever make ...

WEST MACDONNELL RANGE. We head west from our camp site in the Alice along Namatjira Drive to take in the expanse of the West MacDonnell range. At numerous points along the 400km round trip we stop off to enjoy views of the fantastic hills and gorges aas well as the occasional creek (most of them are dry), which make up this beautiful range. It is clear to see why it infuenced the settlement artists of the Hermannsberg movement and the aboriginal water-colour a...

KINGS CANYON Due to sleeping outside in the swags we awake frighteningly early and so are all prepared in time to set off just before 7 for the walk around the rim of Kings Canyon. This is necessary as it gets so hot that we need to have completed the 6km/3 hour walk by 10 am, plus the flies come out at this time and we didn't want a repeat of yeserday's micky taking fiasco. The initial ascent up to the top of the Canyon was quite taxing especially for...

THE OLGAS Later that same day we set off to experience the Olgas which are 30 km to the west of Uluru. Unlike the monolithic Ayers Rock, the collection of rocks which make up the Olgas are more rounded and 'hill-like' in the their form and unexpectedly they are just about as captivating the Rock itself, but not quite. We decide to do part of the 'Valley of the Winds' walk which takes us through the facinating deep gorges of the rocks and can on...

ULURU/AYERS ROCK We have hired a car complete with camping gear and swags (a sleeping bag on the floor) from 'Alice Camp 'n' Drive' for our 4 day trip around Ayers Rock/Uluru, The Olgas, Kings Canyon and the West MacDonnell Range. We set off early as it is a long way from Alice - about 5 hours drive down to the Yulara resort - where we will camp that night. The trip down to Yulara is quite something as once we get out of Alice. We drive for mil...