Disappointingly the cloud had returned and, although there was the odd sunny break, it was generally rather cold in the biting wind as we joined the two hour ranger tour along the Mala walk at the base of Uluru.
It was very informative and you get much more of an insight into the significance of the rock as a living and meeting place for local and visiting Aboriginals, as well as learning more about the creation stories related to the site. Highly recommended. Anne also asked the question the ranger said he dreads, and that’s how Uluru and Kata Tjuta (thought I should start using the Aboriginal name for the Olgas) were formed, which necessitated five minutes of explanation. One of many facts learnt was that the sedimentary layers that comprise Uluru have been displaced by folding to an angle of 87 degrees, whilst Kata Tjuta has been heaved only 15 degrees (in case you were wondering). Kata Tjuta is also a conglomerate,
whilst Uluru is finer sedimentary rock, although both are covered by a layer of wind deposited iron oxide which gives the red colouration (you can see the real colour of the rock in the photo below; not quite as picturesque).
It was then decision time over a panini back at the resort. Do we wait and hope that the forecasted better weather materialised tomorrow to visit Kata Tjuta, or risk driving the 100km round trip today on the chance that the skies clear? We decided to wait, so headed early to Uluru’s sunset viewing spot which gave me time to apply another layer of chemical metal to the diff casing as the first layer hadn’t fully sealed the leak. Here’s hoping second time lucky.
It soon became clear that we weren’t going to get a sunset show tonight, and we felt sorry for those who only had one day here. Departing the National Park early, the tent was up and we were BBQ’ing before night fell which made a nice change from setting up in the dark.
We’ve certainly hit camper van central after having left them behind on the Gibb River and Tanami roads, both 4WD only. The little Wicked Campers, each individually graffitied, are driven by gap year kids, whilst the posher compact Hi-Aces contain pre-kid 20/30-somethings, and the large C-class vans are driven by parents with children in the back, or retired couples who like their home comforts. Camper vans seem to be almost exclusively the purvey of foreign tourists as Australians prefer to tow a caravan, although the more adventurous Ozzies have camping trailers or just swags stored on the roof. There are a few roof tents so we don’t feel totally out of place, other than being a Land Rover in a country of Toyotas and Nissans.
There was rain in the desert this evening, even if technically we aren’t in a desert (as the average annual rainfall is actually 307mm). Lightening off to the north soon moved closer, swinging around to the west of us, and the heavens opened with thunder accompanying as background music. Some campers relocated to the toilet block as their tents apparently weren’t up to rain, but that was a little premature as after half an hour it was all over, with the full moon reappearing as the clouds broke up.
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