After delivering Em and Hugh to the Airport and collecting Lilly, (P:- The author makes our wonderful travelling Grandies sound like “Qantas Freight packages! The way they all eat it’s way cheaper just to buy seats on Qantas Flights)! We headed back into Alice Springs to get some lunch and groceries before heading back to the van for a quiet afternoon. (Lilly has a cold and needs a rest after an early morning flight). We introduce Lilly to her accommodation for the next 2 weeks, the “Tenthouse”.
23rd, Mid morning we drive out to Standley Chasm with Lilly and take the short walk to view this geological feature. It almost midday and we can see the suns rays moving down the sides of chasm, bringing a warm glow to the red rock. We then move on to Simpson Gap. This is a more open gorge and there are quite a few people just enjoying the area with picnics and kids climbing the rocks. Beautiful River Gums line the river bed and contrast with the rocky cliffs along the gorge. Back into town and we head up Anzac Hill for a view over the city before finding a cafe for lunch. Yummy steak sandwiches and cheese burger and chips. Lilly and I walk down to Todd Mall to go to the visitors centre where we both make a purchase and then back to the Woolworths Mall to meet Philip, pick up a few essentials we forgot yesterday and then back to the van by mid afternoon.
(P:- We have all enjoyed our 5 or 6 days around Alice Springs. It’s a remote “outpost “ kinda city”, well equipped with services and supplies, the local businesses are friendly and helpful along with quite a few other locals we met. Sure there are some racial issues but these are no worse than previous visits and certainly not horrific like the “social armchair media” experts portray! As the locals told us mind your own business and they will mind theirs. Alice is a town well worth spending time exploring).
24th
Uluru, take two.
We are on the road early this morning as we have 450 k to travel to Uluru. We stop at Erldunda Roadhouse mid morning for a snack and a loo break. They had very tasty egg and bacon sandwiches and toasties. We arrived at Uluru early afternoon with 35 knot winds blowing and dust swirling everywhere. Rain forecast for tonight but clearing tomorrow. We head out to watch the sunset but it’s a little lack lustre tonight With too many clouds. Back to the van and dinner to cook. Schnitzels from Milners Meats (P:-would rate as one of the best butchers I have had the pleasure in visiting! 2klm outta town on a side street it’s not to be missed)! which were very tasty. Lilly is sleeping in the van with us tonight as Philip and I are getting up early to do the Sunrise Rock Viewing and it means she doesn’t have to be kicked out of the rooftop tent for us to take the vehicle.
After a rainy night, about 20mm we are off at 5.30am to watch the Sunrise. Enough rain to stop the dust but not enough to really make the waterfalls flow. Oops NP gate doesn’t open until 6.30. Thanks Philip I could have had an hours more sleep. (P:- you would think I would get “early credits” to make up for the occasional time I am late rather than complaints)!!! Again the colours aren’t great but it’s the experience of watching the dawn break over the Rock that we are here for. Toasted sandwiches and hot drinks in the car park to warm up before driving back to the van. (P:- Courtesy of my 12 v Sandwich Toaster)!
Mid morning Lilly and Philip are off to do a camel ride, a first for Lilly. Both of them are riding solo today, Philip on Jed again and Lilly on Panacea. They both enjoyed the ride and the experience.
After lunch we all drive back in to the base of Uluru to do a couple of walks. The first one is to Kantju Gorge. There is still some water trickling down the falls here and it’s a beautiful walk into the small gorge. Rock paintings and rock formations along the way make the walk interesting. Muṯitjulu waterhole is our next walk, winding in through the trees to a small oasis surrounded by towering rock walls.
It’s quite amazing the difference being here twice in 10 days is. Windy both times but 28 degrees with a Hugh and Em and 16 degrees with Lilly. Amazing colour on the rock at sunset first time and barely any change in colour second time. Trickles of water on the rock second time round. But great experiences with our grandkids both times.
Field of Lights with Lilly tonight. Not near as many people about tonight as school holidays have finished. Also a different experience as there was no full moon so we could see the milky way over the lights. Looked fantastic.
Tassie Travellers 