Uluru National Park. Brilliant!

We flew straight to Uluru from Cairns rather then go to Alice Springs and drive 5 hours overland. The flight took about 2 hours and the companys that have a stake in the resort provide buses to take people from the airport to the resort. I think that it's the Sheriden and the Four Seasons that own the resort so that should give you an idea of the standards to expect. I say resort but I really should call it a resort town because when the resort is completely full and fully staffed it's the 4 or 5 most populated place in NT.

There are several different levels of accomodation ranging from unpowered camping sites right up to 4-5 star hotel standards. We opted for somewhere in between. The resort has everything you'd expect to find in a small village; Post office, supermaket, hairdresser's, restaurant, take away and souvenir shop.

Watching the sun rise over Uluru was fantastic and awe inspiring.

If I've got one piece of advice about this place it's this. Book your tours before you arrange to go here. Failing that as soonas you get off the bus from the airport go straight to the tourist center and book your tour. We had a look around the resort ( we spent 1/2 an hour looking around) and then went to book on some tours of the area and ended just about getting on ones to see the sun come up over Uluru and go down over the Olgas. Luckily we booked the Sounds of silence on line. When we were queueing I saw so many people unable to get on tours. Imagine traveling thousands of miles to see some of the most spectacular scenery on the planet only to be told that there's no spaces left?

Sounds of Silence

The bus picked us up and took about 60-70 people to the top of a dune that overlooks both the Olgas and Uluru. There we had drinks and socialized while the sun sets. We then walked down to the dining area and sat down at tables which were set for 10. Table by table we were called up to help ourselves from the hot and cold buffet which was serving a selection of modern Australian, European and East Asian foods. This was the best food I had the whole time I stayed at the resort. All the while that everyone's dining the excellent waiting on staff are circulating topping up our glasses.

After everyone had finished their meals all the lights are turned off and the candles blown out on the tables. And we sit in complete darkness. The stars in the sky are so clear. Only in Cambodia (when we were stranded in the middle of nowhere) have I seen the stars so clearly. A woman who's trained as an astronomer then talks us through all the stars, and the constallations. Using a really powerful lamp and a laser pen to highlight areas of the sky or individual stars and planets. She explains about the Southern cross and the legends surrounding some of the constellations. When I look around at the people near me most of them, myself included, are looking up with their mouths open. It was fantastic. After she's done her presentation we're all allowed to look through some big telescopes at some of the planets in our system and can see the rings of Saturn, the Moon etc. She showed me the nebula in the Orion constellation etc.

There was a bloke who'd had a bit too much to drink who was annoying everyone. I can't remember his name but he introduced himself as "soandso" and I'm a Manchester United supporter. From Cheshire??? this bloke started to tamper with all the equipment people were using and pointing it at different parts of the sky. When she asked him not to he started to contradict her about where things were in the sky. She quite firmly told him to ask her if he wanted to look at something else in the sky. It turns out that he had a telescope when he was a teenager ( he looked about 50) and he'd done it for a few years. There's always one I suppose?

This is the most popular tour in the National Park and I could see why. It was fasinating but you have to book early if you want to go on it.

The Olgas at Sunset

We did this tour with a company called Ecotours. The groups on this tour are about 20 in number. Our guide/driver for this tour was called Jen. And she was as the best guide/driver I've had in Oz really entertaining, enthusiastic and she had tonnes of local knowledge. We got picked up from our hotel and taken to the Olgas. We were a bit late setting off as some of the off as some of the other people we were travelling with had forgotten their shoes, tickets, water, heads (like I can talk? the folk that know me know how bad my memory is).

We headed first for a viewing platform on the top of a sand dune about 4 miles from the Olgas. It was a great place for photos and Jen gave us a bit of a talk about the area nature, formation of the Olgas and the European chap that discovered them.

After the sand dune we then got back on the bus to head to the Olgas and do a short 2 km walk up and down one of the valleys. Jen, and Amy her colleague were explaining along the way about the local wildlife and having a laugh with all the other tourists. The walk took about 40 minutes and was really impressive to be in the middle of this big solid canyon.

From here we we got back on the minibus and spent 5 minutes tranfering to the viewing area where we were served with Australian champers and nibbles while we watched the sun set. Brilliant!

Uluru

You can't come to Uluru National park and not go to Uluru itself. The only tour that we could get on was on the morning of the day that we had to fly to Melbourne.

We got up about 7 am because we were getting picked up at 7:30 am by our mini bus. We were lucky that we'd managed to get onto a tour that was a small group. Our driver took us around the rock in the minibus and shared his knowledge of Uluru explaining that it's a sacred sit for the Aboriginals and that sites around Uluru all have different sacred uses to them. He also explains that the Aboriginals get upset when they see people climbing all over it. All the paperwork about the area says this. On the ticket that we bought for the National park there's a message, from the the head Aboriginal guy of the area, asking you not to climb on the rock and explaining why. Neverless there were hundreds of people climbing all over it. There was only 3 girls out of the 20 of us that got off our bus to desecrate, sorry I meant climb, Uluru. I wonder how those Europeans and Americans would feel if A load Of Aboriginal folk came over and started climbing all over our war memorials and churches?

Watching the sun rise over Uluru was fantastic and awe inspiring. It wasn't too crowded as well and there was a real chilled out air. The massive majority of people were all wearing an expression of wow! Jo and I watched the sun come up with a cup of coffee in our hands and got some great pictures of not just the rock but of the surrounding area as well.

After we'd seen the sunrise we got back on the minibus and headed for the cultural center where we were given breakfast of pastries and cerals before meeting our Aboriginal guide who was going to do a presentation on making and using traditional tools and weapons. We spent a couple of hours with him and the interpreter being shown how to make, and throw, spears. Learning how to make bowls, glue, fire, medicine etc. We were able to ask questions and igiven frank and honest answers to everything people asked eventhough some of the questions weren't appropriate. It was really interesting way to spend a morning and I would definatly recommend it.

We had to rush back to the hotel to make our flight to Melbourne and it was a near thing. I went and grabbed the bags from the porters storage while Jo paid the bill. I threw the bags into the bus and we sped off to the airport. As I was getting the bags from the bus Jo asks 'where's the blue holdall'?

Because we aquired a lot of other stuff on our journey up the East Coast we had to buy another bag before we lfet Cairns. I'd forgotten all about it.

SH1T!!!!!

It's got all the chargers and electrical adapters in it, as well as my fishing tackle. I ring up the hotel and explain what's happened and describe the bag. the tell me they're sending someone with it now and he'll be there in ten minutes.

The plane leaves in 30 minutes and we're already late checking in.

Ten minutes later the porter turns up and after thanking him for coming out I rush round to the boot to get the holdall. It's not our holdall. It's not even the same colour as our holdall. Jo's in the airport trying to stall for time and I decide to go back to the hotel and retrive the bag myself. After a lot of serching a messing about I find our bag and get back in the car with the porter to go back to the airport.

We have 5 minutes to get back to the airport and it's a 10 minute drive. There are no more flights to Melbourne today, or tomorrow. Jo and I don't have any signal on our phones but I'm fairly sure she won't without me.

I thank the porter quickly and rush from the car to the airport. I spot Jo and think to myself 'wow she's either waited for me or she managed to get the flight to wait. It turns out that the flight's been delayed by 40 minutes.

Next stop Melbourne.....