Getting up before the sun while camping in the cold is pretty tough. We kept it as easy as possible. Brushed our teeth, used the toilet and just got into the car in our jammies. You can't be bothered to change when you're getting up for a sunrise in the cold!
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If you're paying attention, you're probably wondering why I'm posting pictures of Uluru when this was suppose to be about Kata Tjuta. Well, the great part about this sunrise location, is that we got a view to both! Nothing like a sunrise to start an absolutely beautiful day. From the moment I saw the sun shining on Kata Tjuta, I knew this place was going to be a bit more to my liking than Uluru.
Stunning right? Well, it was even better in person! After Anelle and my sister dragged me away ( I could have stayed longer snapping pictures), we got changed and ate brekkie. We headed straight to the Walpa Gorge Walk for a nice little morning warm up. A 2.6km walk in and out of the gorge was a good way to start. Oh, and it was cold!
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Done and done. After that we made our way to the Valley of the Winds Walk (full circuit); a 7.4km hike that takes about 4 hours to complete. This is when we really fell in love with Kata Tjuta.
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Anelle and I both agreed that it was the best hike we had completed since leaving Adelaide. It wasn't particularly challenging. It didn't have any waterfalls but it was beautiful. We hiked through gorges, up hill, fought strong winds and there was always something around the corner that surprised you...unlike Uluru.
So what came after this final hike of the day? If you haven't caught on yet, let me give you a hint. It involves the sun. Yup, another sunset to catch but in a new location. This sunset would focus on Kata Tjuta. I was a bit worried at first because the clouds looked like they would cover the sunset entirely but we lucked out on the time and got a pretty decent sunset.
So what came after this final hike of the day? If you haven't caught on yet, let me give you a hint. It involves the sun. Yup, another sunset to catch but in a new location. This sunset would focus on Kata Tjuta. I was a bit worried at first because the clouds looked like they would cover the sunset entirely but we lucked out on the time and got a pretty decent sunset.
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It was another great ending to our day. From sunrise to sunset, we caught all of Kata Tjuta's beauty from inside and out.
Tomorrow would be our final full day and night marveling at all that the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park has to offer. We planned...well, we debated back and forth about climbing Uluru. After our mothers highly encouraged us to NOT climb it and be respectful of the aboriginal's land, we decided to take in some culture that is offered within the resort. We caught a talk held by an aboriginal man about hunting and utilizing various spears and boomerangs. We visited the two museums within the resort that gave us a great deal of history on the land; specifically the animals, the local aboriginals and tourism. We got some close encounters at the Camel Farm. Our final day was pretty relaxed and very enjoyable.
Tomorrow would be our final full day and night marveling at all that the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park has to offer. We planned...well, we debated back and forth about climbing Uluru. After our mothers highly encouraged us to NOT climb it and be respectful of the aboriginal's land, we decided to take in some culture that is offered within the resort. We caught a talk held by an aboriginal man about hunting and utilizing various spears and boomerangs. We visited the two museums within the resort that gave us a great deal of history on the land; specifically the animals, the local aboriginals and tourism. We got some close encounters at the Camel Farm. Our final day was pretty relaxed and very enjoyable.
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The first day we got to the resort we booked a star gazing tour. But before we get to that, one last sunset!
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On our final night, we met up with our tour guide along with nearly 10 other people to check out some stars, planets and far away galaxies! It was honestly one of the best experiences we've had out here. The skies above Uluru are in the top 10 for darkest skies. In other words, it's one of the best places in the world to stargaze. We caught some shooting stars, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn, the Southern Cross, some star dust, a neighboring galaxy and a few other incredible collection of stars.
What a road trip! It was an incredible drive that took us through wine country in South Australia, the mountains and plains of the Flinders Ranges, some weird little towns, the vast nothingness of the outback and finally to the mesmerizing Uluru-KataTjuta National Park. All of us loved it but we were extremely excited to get a break from camping while also being in warm weather again. Queensland...we're coming your way!! Thank you to our Wicked camper that safely got us through all of our trip. See-ya cold! HELLO tropical warmth!
What a road trip! It was an incredible drive that took us through wine country in South Australia, the mountains and plains of the Flinders Ranges, some weird little towns, the vast nothingness of the outback and finally to the mesmerizing Uluru-KataTjuta National Park. All of us loved it but we were extremely excited to get a break from camping while also being in warm weather again. Queensland...we're coming your way!! Thank you to our Wicked camper that safely got us through all of our trip. See-ya cold! HELLO tropical warmth!
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