The Outback

What a trip! I have done things that people only dream of all in about 4 days. Also, I am sorry for the length of the article I did a lot in those 4 days. I flew into the outback on Sunday into the Uluru airport which is the smallest airport I have ever been in. In total it has about 15 people working there and they are switching off duties so the person checking you in might also be the person loading the luggage or serving you food at the snack bar. It was actually really cool to see an airport that small because I am used to the massive terminals like in Sydney.

Uluru from the sky  

Day 1:

I had arranged for a tour right as I got off the plane so within a matter of minutes I had gone from the plane to heading towards my first hike. I got picked up by my tour guide whose name was Oscar. We headed to Kuta Tjuta which is described as the crazy uncle of the outback. When I got to the outback I had no idea that there were other rock formations besides Uluru. I guess I just didn’t think about it. Kuta Tjuta is a massive rock formation that looks like a sea of heads popping up out of the red desert sand. It is along about a 30-minute drive from Uluru.

Long ago there used to be mountains in the outback. Rocks would roll down the mountains and get stuck in river beds. Eventually, the mountains wore down and the outback was flooded with water from the sea creating a massive lake. The rocks that had been stuck in the riverbeds were heated by pressure causing the rocks to stick together forming one massive rock. When the lake dried up the plates that had formed the mountains pushed together and the massive rock formations pushed up out of the ground creating the massive structures like Kuta Tjuta, Uluru, and Mt. Connor. You can even see the individual stones within the structures which are pretty cool.

When we got to Kuta Tjuta we took a hike through the canyon created by two of its largest “heads”. Fun fact: Kuta Tjuta is actually 2 meters taller than Uluru.

It was very pretty and cool seeing the tall formations and it was really cool to finally get to be in a desert.

I had missed the dry climate. While the others complained about the dryness, I felt like I had come home a little bit.

After the hike, we drove to an Uluru viewing spot to watch the sunset over the rock and have some champagne. It was really beautiful.

Then we headed to the town of Yulara to our campsite where we had an Australian Barbeque set up. I got to try Kangaroo which was really good and have some really good chicken wings as well as get to know other people from the group better. We had a really fun group. People from all over the world, from Korea, Canada, The UK, the Netherlands, and Germany. I was the only person from the US and by far the youngest but we all had a good time.

We got to sleep in swag which is actually really warm. You snuggle into a sleeping bag and then zip yourself into a swag which essentially in a canvas bag that you zip yourself into and then close the top, kind of like a person very cramped tent, but it was actually really warm especially if you slept by the fire. It was my first time sleeping out under the stars as I had always camped in tents so it was kind of a special experience.

Day 2:

The next day we got up super early because we were in a race against the sunrise. We were to walk around Ayers Rock, Uluru just as the sun was rising.

It was honestly one of the coolest experiences I have ever had. It was absolutely stunning as the colors of the rock changed with the different amount of light.

It's a little blurry but you can still see the colors

You understand how the Aboriginal people thing that the rock is sacred because of how beautiful Uluru is when the sun is rising.

It took about 2 hours to walk completely around it. I walked mostly with the Canadians because we were all similar in age.

We then got to hear an Aboriginal story that was actually the cause of the aboriginal people politically claiming the rock as a national park and their sacred land. I am not allowed to write it here, as it is sacred and is much better in person so when I get back I would be happy to share the story but I am not allowed to share it on the internet or electronically. We also got to see the Aboriginal people painting which was very cool.

This cave in Uluru was part of the Aboriginal Story

We then had camel burgers and drove out to Kings Canyon. I slept most of the trip as did most everyone else. We slept again in swags but in Kings Canyon, you have to keep both of your shoes in the swag because there is a Dingo that the locals have named Banjo that only steals left shoes. I got to see a wild dingo but as he wasn’t wearing any shoes I don’t think he was Banjo.

Day 3:

The next morning we got up early again and hiked the rim of Kings Canyon and got to see the sacred Garden of Eden. This area looked a lot like Sedona.

Kings Canyon 

You had to hike up a massive hill but the views were worth it and the Garden of Eden, which is a natural pool had a ton of wild birds flying around. It was really peaceful and really neat to see.

I had to switch groups at this point as I was heading to Uluru when the rest of the group was heading to Alice Springs. I switched buses but missed out on lunch. Oscar, our guild promised that if he found me again he would deliver a burrito. Well, he did end up catching up with us at a rest stop before the junction between Kings Canyon, the road to Uluru, and the road to Alice Springs and I got my Burrito. I was really touched at how much the group cared for me. They were all really nice and we became this weird Outback family.

Mom look we found Wolfie in the outback (he was a Dingo-wild dog mix)

I then headed back to Uluru. I got a quick view of Mt. Connor (the same type of structure as Uluru but it is privately owned and looks like a toothbrush) and the salt lakes.

Mt. Connor

 The salt lakes

I also got to pet some native birds and hear the story of the early settlers in this area. I got back into Yulara, the small resort town outside of Uluru where I checked into my hostel and then headed to the field of lights.

My hostel. one of 4 hotels in Yulara 

I cannot tell you how beautiful the field of lights is. It is this massive solar powered, art structure put in right below Uluru with thousands of glowing bulbs that change color every five seconds.

It makes you feel like Alice in Wonderland. All of these lights are below the stunning milky way and honestly one of the prettiest night skies I have ever seen. It was truly beautiful and left me stunned.

The pictures don't do it justice and I couldn't get the night sky either but it was so pretty

I stayed for about an hour before I headed back to my hotel, grilled up sausages (thanks, Dad I would have been lost if you didn’t teach me how to grill) and listened to the live music. Exhausted, I headed to bed.

Outback Pioneer Live Music

Day 4

The next day I got up early again and got picked up for my sunrise camel ride. The camel farm has over 60 wild camels that are all well cared for and spoiled. I got to ride on the back of Trevor.

Trevor

I got to see the beautiful sunrise of Uluru again and got to chill on the back of a camel. Everyone told me that when they get up, that it is terrifying as they get up on their back legs first but I giggled the entire time. It was really quite fun.

 Trevor, Uluru, and I

All of the camels in the farm actually started off wild (or feral) as they call them. Camels were originally used as the pack horses of the outback, carrying all of the railway needed to bring civilization to the middle of nowhere but when the work was done the camels were released and now there are millions of camels just wandering around central Australia.

They are now considered a pest, even though there are debates over how dangerous the camels are to the environment. No one actually knows but no known species have been impacted by these creatures.

He smiled for the picture lol

I then was dropped off in Yulara and just kind of explored to the small town. I then took a shuttle to the airport and headed home.

It was the adventure of a lifetime and I highly recommend you check out the Outback if you ever come to Australia. It was by far one of the best things I have done here. Beware of the flies though they are crazy.