Uluru, Kata Tjuta and Big Freddie

Le rock
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Days 61 to 64 - Ayers Rock

A lot of travellers see Ayers Rock by doing trips from Alice Springs, but we were lucky enough to have a flight direct to Ayers Rock included in our round-the world ticket which saved quite a few hours on the coach. All of the accommodation is based at Ayers Rock Resort, which is a semi-circle of different hotels and apartments in the middle of the desert. They really make you pay for the privilege of not going to Alice Springs (which apparently really is quite a privilege), so our only realistic option was the Outback Pioneer Lodge, a YHA which formed part of a larger hotel. There were no double rooms so it was our first shared accommodation of the trip - a 4 bed dorm room. The lodge was fine, and had a nice pool and bar area to relax in, although on the first day the bar area was filled with gloating Aussies who were delighting in England's collapse in the second test. I am still recovering from the trauma.

I made do with a few photos and abandoned my attempt to give Monty a hug

Valley of the Winds. Baked beans optional.
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We booked ourselves on a couple of trips. The first involved getting up at 4am to see the sunrise at Uluru (Ayers Rock) which was about a 20 minute drive away, followed by a walk through the Valley of the Winds at Kata Tjuta (the Olgas) which is a lesser known but larger rock formation about 40 minutes in the other direction. Fortunately the young Japanese couple staying in our room were also getting up at 4am so we didn't have to tiptoe around. We had the room to ourselves for the next 2 nights - the snoring must have done the trick.

Autograph hunters in Perth (pre jellyfish attack)
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Both 'rocks' were really spectacular and the camera took a beat of a beating. The temperatures at Ayers Rock were pretty high, getting up to about 40 degrees, although the previous week had been 47 degrees so we were counting our blessings. Our walk through the Valley of the Winds started at around 7.30am and it was already roasting. We walked up to look out point which was a round trip of about 5.5km and drank our body weight in water on the way. Definitely worth the effort though.

Monty and Freddie at large
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Our second trip was a trip to the aboriginal Cultural Centre and a tour of part of the base of Ayers Rock with an aboriginal guide, Bonnie and an interpreter. This was really interesting and we learned quite a lot about the aboriginal culture and existence in the area. Someone in our group asked what moisturiser the aboriginal people used for their skin. Needless to say the interpreter didn't pass that one on to Bonnie, who didn't exactly look like a candidate for the next Oil of Ulay advert. Moisturising not exactly a priority when you are trying to survive in the outback! I think we'd last about 6 hours without running water and a local supermarket.

Days 65 to 70 - Perth

We've spent the last 5 days or so in domestic luxury at our friends Kelly and Sam's house in South Perth. The emigrated over here in January and picked a lovely spot for a couple of smelly backpackers to stay. So far we've eaten all their food (which they've cooked for us), drank all their beer, clogged up their bathroom (and computer) at inappropriate times and stolen their car, and in return I helped Sam put his BBQ together. Seems like a fair trade to me!

Perth seems really nice and we can see why a lot of Brits end up here. The weather has been great - generally between 27 and 33 degrees - and we've enjoyed a few trips to different beaches to swim in the sea which is apparently free of the dangerous jellyfish which are occupying Queensland's coastline at the moment.

We met up with Naomi's friends Helen and Jo and spent some time on Trigg beach, where Helen managed to find a jellyfish and get stung on both forearms - any excuse to go and chat to the lifeguard we reckon. We also spent a day down at Freemantle where we checked out the shipwreck museum and went for a tour of the old prison. There were actually tables and chairs set up for a Christmas party in the main prison house!  Hands up if you think your employer would choose to take you to a prison for your Christmas party? They've also had wedding recptions there apparently. If only the idea had come to me sooner I could have given Horfield or Pucklechurch a ring to check on availablility!

During a drive back from King's Park where there are fantastic views of the city we 'stumbled' across the WACA (Western Australia Cricket Ground) where the third test is being played. By chance (fancy that!) England were just finishing their warm up match against WA so we got to wander in and watch about half an hour of cricket for free. We wandered over to the team rooms to try to get a glimpse of Kev, Freddie and Monty, although they were all a bit shy, miserable and in a hurry so I made do with a few photos and abandoned my attempt to give Monty a hug, which would have meant elbowing about 50 whinging 10 year old Aussie kids out of the way. Hmmmmh, tempting!

We're off to explore the South West bit of Australia on Friday for a week or so and then we'll be back to Perth for Xmas with Sam and Kelly's relatives in a place called Sorrento.

NEWS FLASH:  I've just got hold of some tickets for Day 1 of the test match starting tomorrow at the WACA. My prediction is that Australia will win the toss, bat, and be 318/5 at the close. We are facing the changing rooms, in the seats at the mid-on boundary - about 15 rows back. I'll be doing the fielding for Gilo's bowling. See if you can spot us on TV.