Wednesday, 10 December 2008

Uluru Outback tour and Alice Springs


I couldn't come to Australia without going to the Outback. Unfortunately I managed to miss my flight to Alice Springs and I was starting my safari the next day. But the very helpful Henry at the airport desk and Leah at the tour office sorted it all out for me and I got a flight the next morning straight to Uluru where I was met by the tour company and joined the tour having just missed a 6 hour drive!! The It cost my only 35pounds to make the changes - wouldn;t get service like that at home where I would have been charged full price for flight and no doubt just missed my tour!! Anyway, the photo is the first views of the outback.




Uluru - we walked the 10km around the base of Uluru. There are lots of sacred sites here which you are not allowed to photograph as aboriginalwomen are not allowed to see men's sites and vice versa.

Chom Poo Moo met a native Uluru bear who had been keeping an eye on the red rock since 2006!




Sunset at Uluru.

Settling down for bed in my swag under the stars - shame it started to rain and I woke up all soggy and ended up sleeping in the van!!


Uluru at sunrise - as the weather wasn't so nice we didnt quite get to see the full colour spectrum that happens in the mornings.

Getting a different perspective on the world.


Camels were brought over from Africa to help build the telegraph service. When it was complete some of them were released and there is now over 700,000 thousand wild camels in the outback area.




The valley of the winds - we did a 8km walk around here and it was very pretty. Some of the hills look like they have pictures on them like the 2nd photo that looks like a cats face!




Collecting wood and setting up the camp fire.

Making damper - a traditional Australian bread cooked ion the camp fire.

Can't have a campfire without marshmallows.


For the second night in a row we woke to find our swag bags wet and camp washed out!! Not quite the weather I expected in the dessert!! But it was the end of an 8 year drought here.

After getting washed out we had breakfast in a shelter.
A lot of the roads were flooded and we were not able to do any of the planned or alternative options on our third day due to the flooding so we spent most of the day in the van!! But hey we still had some fun.


We got a tour of Oak Valley the home of some of the Anante Aboriginal family. Here Craig one of the family explains the story of the Rainbow Serpant - how the aboriginal people believe that a giant snake came outof the ground and travelled overland creating all the mountains and rivers etc and all life followed from this.

Hand paintings of children made thousands of years ago in a cave - part of the coming of age ceremony.

How the ladies would have sat and used their cooking stones - no one can use anothers tools - cooking/hunting etc.


Chom Poo Moo investigates hundreds of fossils at Oak Valley - no one is completely sure how these all ended up here though there are various theories.



Adam our guide demonstrates an aboriginal cure for a stuffy head!!


I nearly lost Chom Poo Moo to this giant lizard!!



Emu's - after the female lays the eggs the male sits on them and doesn't move for about 6 weeks then he rears the chicks - bet a few of you wish you could get your husbands to do this??

Dinky theworld famous singing Dingo - he was rescued about 8 years ago and taken in by this family and joined in the family sing alongs and is now in the Guiness Book of Records and been on TV.


Rocks and caves have lots of paintings on them telling stories of the aboriginal people - everyone in these communities has a story that is passed on through the generations.


A long nosed dragon lizard.


The sun eventually came out and we had a couple of really nice days and lovely camp sites with clear star filled skies. Because of the rains we also saw a lot of gorges full of water that would normally be pretty dry - and we got to swim in a few which was pretty cool.

Sunset over the McDonnell ranges.

Early morning at the camp site.


Butterlflies and cocoons.

A Hunter Spider - saw a few of these but they are not poisonous.


A Black tailed Wallaby.



The Gum Tree Walk.

A scorpion attacking a big caterpillar.

A big lotust.
Back in Alice Springs we went out to a real country and western bar for Outback Mixed Grill - Kangaroo, Emu, Buffalo, Crocodile - some was tastier than others.


The Royal Flying Doctors Museum - pretty impressive what these guys do to help people in the remote area - just like "Flying Doctors" the old Aussie soap!!




Chom Poo Moo was a hit with the locals.

A horny Little Devil Lizard - how cute are these guys?

They may eat them but they are a national emblem and they appear everywhere.


The view over Alice Springs - a pretty hick town.


Sunset over Alice Springs.
The Didgeredoo shop.

Santa's helpers.

Local kids cool down in the fountain.


Aussie cowboys were everywhere in Alice.

Chom Poo Moo thinks she looks pretty cool in her sand mobile!


As you can see i have been having a blast in Australia. Been pretty busy both on trips and catching up with people. Now way behind on the blog despite these last updates!1 Spending the enxt week diving and on various sail boats - I know you all feel sorry for me for missing the cold wet christmas at home!!!
If I don't get chance to update again before christmas I hope ayou all have a fantastic one and that santa brings you llots of pressies. I won't have any pressies but will be relaxing on Rainbow Beach on the East cCoast.
Merry Christmas.
luv
Jack xx

1 comment:

Ella rich said...

This sounds you had amazing outback experience.Thanks for all the fabulous shots.