Red Center Way - Part III
Kings Canyon to Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park
From Kings Canyon, we made our way to our final stop in the Northern Territory, Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park. About an hour from Uluru (Ayers Rock), is Mount Conner which we originally thought was Uluru. Alex and I couldn’t figure out why it was located so far from our hotel until we realized we did not have the right rock – oops! Apparently, locals call Mount Conner "Fool-uru" as many people mistake it for Uluru!
Across the road from the Mount Conner Lookout is another hill which we climbed and could see remnants of a saltwater lake, Lake Swanson.
One of the most famous landmarks in the Outback is Uluru (Ayers Rock). It is a chunk of rock, known as a monolith. It is also a sacred site for the Anangu Aboriginal people who believed Uluru to be the center of the universe and the home of the Earth Mother. In the evening, we drove through the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park to see the sunset. There are designated areas for people to view the sunset over Uluru and boy was it amazing. As the sun slowly descends, the colors on Uluru change from oranges to reds to purples. It was so beautiful - I'm pretty sure Alex and I took about 100 pictures over the course of the evening!
Monday morning, we woke again at 5:15am and made our way to Kata-Tjuta (The Olgas). Kata-Tjuta is made up of 36 formations although they are thought to have been one huge piece of rock, much like Uluru, that has weathered over millions of years. We completed the Valley of the Winds Walk, a 4.6-mile hike, through the Kata-Tjuta Valley. Both Alex and I agreed this hike was one of the highlights of our trip to the Outback. We were able to walk through the formations and take in the view of the valley. As this is a more difficult hike, we only saw a couple other people on the trail.
Kata-Tjuta (The Olgas)
It was only 9:30am by the time we completed the Valley of the Winds walk, we decided to drive to Uluru to hike the 1-hour Mala Walk before the heat settled in. The Mala Walk takes you on the north-west side of Uluru. Since Uluru is a sacred site, the Aborigines request people do not climb the rock out of respect for the indigenous people; however, the climb is not prohibited (35 people have died trying to climb it). I did read that as of October 2019, the climb will be closed for good.
The gray chains at the top of the rock is part of the trail in which to climb to the top - these will be removed in 2019.
When researching things to do around Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, I came across the Field of Lights Installation. From the artist Bruce Munro, the installation is composed of 50,000 stems that hold different shades of colored light mimicking the colors of the desert. The installation covers more than seven football fields and stretches towards Uluru. The lights are solar powered and as the the sun goes down, they start lighting up and the result is so amazing. You do have to purchase tickets in advance to see the installation and once we arrived were able to walk through the desert and enjoy the colors on the ground and the most amazing star-filled sky I've ever seen. As tripods are not allowed (and I don't have one anyway), my pictures did not come out the best and do not do the Fields of Lights justice.
On our last morning in the Northern Territory, we drove to the Kata Tjuta Sunrise Viewing Platform to see our final sunrise in the Outback. There were a ton of people on the platform, but I staked my claim at the front and took about a million photos. We could see both Kata Tjuta and Uluru from this vantage point. I swear it is worth getting up at 5:15am to see sunrises like this.
Kata Tjuta
Uluru
We originally did not have plans to visit the Outback and I can not say how happy I am that we made the decision to visit this amazing, beautiful place. Despite the heat and the flies (both were relentless!), we had such a fantastic time exploring this area.
Accommodation
Alice Springs: Diplomat Motel
Glen Helen Gorge: Glen Helen Homestead Lodge (now known as Glen Helen Lodge)
Kings Canyon: Kings Canyon Resort
Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park: Ayers Rock Resort - Outback Pioneer Hotel
