Friday 14th June

Today we had a bit of a sleep in before heading out to look at the Kata Tjuta (The Olgas) about 9.10am. We called into the info the Yalara info centre and also checked our emails etc. There was an email from Valarie's parents thanking Glenn passing it on to them. This was our first stop after paying out admission into the national park, $25 each for a 3 day pass. We stopped on our way out to Kata Tjuta Lookout to take photos of the entire range, they are pretty impressive. I managed (just) the Walpa Gorge walk which was sloping downhill the whole way with my crutch on the high side. I have stayed behind to finish my blog while the other have gone off to do the longer walk, Valley of the Winds, about a 2 hour walk, but quite difficult with uneven surfaces. From here we are going to the Uluru to view the sunset as this is supposed to be very spectacular. Of course we are doing this in style with our tart, salad and champagne!!

Glenn, Chris and Roger arrived back after their epic 2hr walk all red faced and complaining about feeling a bit sore. They only got to the 2nd lookout before time forced them back as we needed to get a good posy for the sunset on Uluru. On the road back we could see the rock changing colour from orange to a bluey purple shade. We arrived early enough to get a really clear shoot of the rock and could even pick out people climbing down to the late afternoon light. Chris was telling us that the last time they were there 7 years ago the fence line was all taken and there were spots that were 3 deep. We were a bit worried that the light cloudy cover in front of the sun may affect the end result but of how wrong we were. With champagne in hand the show was about to begin. The sun was setting at 6.08pm and as if someone switched a flood light on, there she was in all her glory, it was magnificent!! It was all over in about 5 minutes and over our shoulders the sky was turning pinks and purples. We felt very privileged to have been there. Back at camp we decided to spend another night where we were rather than pay $46 night in at Yulara itself.

Saturday 15/6

This morning a beautiful sunrise greeted us before we headed into Uluru. Stocked up on supplies and got a 5c voucher for fuel so checked the Shell and it was 214.9lt, the boys scoffed at the price suggesting that it would probably be cheaper at Curtin Springs so would refuel there before heading to Kings Canyon the following morning.

It was judgement day, would Glenn climb the rock?? We had read a lot of info regarding the cultural significance and reasons why the aboriginals would prefer people not climb and Glenn was waning but didn't want to let Chris down as she was still keen. We arrived the rock had been closed due to high winds at the top. There were people still climbing but no more were allowed. We heard later that 4 young guys disregarded the closure two days earlier, they refused calls by the ranger and eventually the police were called. The police had to use megaphones to get them down. $5000 fines were issued to each of them; they were removed from the area and thrown out of the accommodation!!

We did two walks that are part of the base walk in the morning while waiting for the possibility of the rock opening later in the day. I was able to manage both these walks easily and was there numerous stops telling you about the history and culture. The vegetation was lush and there were plenty of birds singing. The walk was mainly tiny pee gravel and boardwalks and took about 2hrs. We drove to a picnic spot to have the rolls that we bought and then proceeded to the "Waterhole" walk. This was a highlight as there was a trickle of water coming over the top of Uluru falling into the pool below. It was very pretty and was a quiet place to stop and reflect.

When we called into the Cultural Centre we were able to pick up an information book about the size of the rock etc. About 2.45pm as we were leaving we could see the rock had opened again. We were satisfied with our day and decided not to climb, instead head back to camp for a warm fire, nibbles and drinks. We must have been a bit dehydrated as we got a bit giggly while having our drinks!

Bye for now Virginia And Glenn