While Alice Springs was the northern terminus of the Ghan when we were there, that will soon change. Effective February, 2004, the Ghan will double its length, allowing travellers to go the 2,000 miles to complete a south-north transcontinental crossing from Adelaide to Darwin in 47 hours.
We retired for the night, and I took the top bunk in the sleeper car. I had a dream that I was in a construction zone with lots of jack hammers and heavy equipment. I woke up in the middle of the night and realized that it wasn't a dream; it was the loud din of the train. Needing to use the toilet, I arose in the bed and whacked my forehead on the ceiling. 2 things if you go: (1) if your budget allows, book a first class berth, as the soundproofing in the cars is better; and (2) sleep in the lower bunk unless you like bruises on your forehead.
I awoke at first light the next morning and after going to the lounge car, could see why they call the Outback "the Red Center". Geologically, Australia is the world's oldest continent, the terrain having never seen the massive glaciers from the Ice Age or collision of plates from other land masses, both responsible for creating mountains and valleys found on the other continents. As such, Oz is very flat and the soil very red from oxidized iron. From the window of the Ghan, the terrain was flat with arid scrub vegetation (although surprisingly not as stark as the American desert, indicating the plants must have had deep tap roots). The redness of the soil was enhanced by the brilliance of the early morning light.
Interestingly, Alice Springs lies in a gap in the McDonnell Ranges, a mountain range that runs east-west in the center of the continent. The appearance of these mountains is the first clue that Alice Springs is approaching. The train started to slow down about the same time the riverbed of the Todd River appeared outside of the train. The Todd is dry most of the year and serves as a camping area for the local aborigines. When the train had stopped, a track of didgeridoo music played over the PA with the announcement welcoming us to Alice Springs.
After the train arrived, the first thing we noticed is the climate change in Alice. Because Alice is just a hair south of the Tropic of Capricorn, it was much warmer than Adelaide. After retrieving our bags, we checked a map to see how far away the motorhome rental place was; unfortunately, it appeared to be a couple of miles. Usually, one sees a queue of taxis at a train station, but not in Alice. We waited an hour at the train station for a taxi, and later found out that the taxis don't bother with the train station because fares from the airport (which is much further from the center of town) are far more lucrative. If you're coming to Alice by train, be sure to arrange your pickup from the station in advance.
Uluru (Ayers Rock)
We picked up the motorhome (campervan in Australian) from Britz Australia. The guy behind the counter commented on the good looks of our taxi driver, a woman with long blonde hair, and then filled out the paperwork and walked us through how things worked in the motorhome. Rich and I mutually agreed to use the toilet, only if absolutely necessary, as neither of us wanted to bother with the maintaining/pouring the contents of a chemical toilet. However, Erin wasn't on board with this.
Once we had signed for the motorhome, referred to from here on as the Behemoth, Rich got into the passenger seat and asked me to drive it. I suggested that since he lived in New Zealand, he may be more familiar with left side of the road driving (even if he didn't own a car). End result is I took the helm, and after relearning how to shift left-handed (which I had done once in Ireland), we headed to the grocery store to load up on supplies before the 275 mile drive to Uluru (formerly Ayers Rock). After nearly colliding head-on with several cars and annoying several more drivers because I was driving on the wrong side of the parking lot, I settled for parking the Behemoth on the side of the road where there were no other cars and I could do no further damage. Buying groceries was easy, as Australia seems to have more in common with the US than even Canada. The best thing about Ozzie groceries (next to the beer, that is), is the freshness of the lettuce, as all lettuce Down Under is hydroponic (that is sold with the roots still attached and growing in a well of water). After stocking up on enough food to keep us going for the next 5 days, next stop was the liquor store to stock up on beer, a necessity in the heat. The liquor store was next to the grocery store, and not surprisingly was just as large, with all the beer being sold by "the slab" (or the case). We stocked up on Coopers Pale Ale and XXXX (pronounced 4X, named supposedly because Queenslanders can't spell). We were surprised by how much beer cost in Australia. Even with the then-favorable exchange rate, it cost more than in California. Fully stocked with supplies, we got on the Stuart highway southbound towards Erldunda, where we would turn west on the spur road to Uluru.
The Northern Territory doesn't have a speed limit. I followed the advise of Britz Australia and kept the speed at around 100 km/hr, which made us about the slowest vehicle on the road, with the exception of some fully loaded road trains. A road train is a semi which can have 2 full size truck trailers, and be half as long as a football field. Take care when passing one, and if you see one coming the other way, give it a lot of room. On unpaved roads, flying gravel from road trains is a windshield killer.
When we were within eyeshot of the Erldunda Roadhouse, we were flagged down by an older aborigine couple standing by an old car with its hood up. Our altruistic tendencies overruled our skeptical ones, so we stopped. As it turned out, they didn't have car trouble at all, but wanted us to buy some beer for them. They were going to give us money, but we decided against it. Rich told them we stopped because we thought they were having car trouble. In Uluru National Park, the Aboriginal administrators have forbidden the sale of alcohol to aborigines, due to alcoholism problems. We weren't sure if there was a similar case here, or rather, the owners of the roadhouse didn't sell it for discriminatory reasons. While fueling up the Behemoth at the Erldunda gas station, I noticed a large number of aborigines sitting around in the few shady areas staring blankly into space.
We turned onto the Lasseter Highway and headed west towards Yulara, the resort near Uluru, 155 miles away. While I had noticed large goanna lizards (up to 4 feet long!) on the road earlier, these were replaced by a number of cattle carcasses, in various stages of bloated decay. Apparently, vultures aren't among Oz's bird life, and dingos prefer their meat to be a little fresher. We arrived at Yulara after nightfall, and checked into our campsite. For dinner, we ended up at a self-service barbecue facility with outdoor seating under a tent. emu, kangaroo and croc were among the choices on the menu. The meal included live music done by a man, who although talented musically, was also trying to perform a comedy act that bordered on the corny, a caricature of an outback ocker (an Australian yahoo or hick).
We set up the motorhome (plugging into the water and electricity lines) in the dark, and although I thought I got a glimpse of Uluru at dusk the night before, we didn't appreciate it in its full splendor until the next morning. Although the skies were overcast and threatening, you can view the rock from the top of a hill just above the campsite, and it's awe inspiring. Originally, I wanted to climb the rock, but Rich wouldn't do it because it's sacreligious to the Anangu Aborigine owners. Instead, we planned to take the 10k walk around the rock. The skies were looking much more ominous and we could hear thunder in the distance. Even if we had wanted to climb to the top, we would have been out of luck, as the climb is closed if there is rain or lightning. As we started on the hike around the Rock, the lightning and thunder were nearing and increasing in frequency. As we approached the base of the Rock, it started to pour in a torrent. Fortunately, there was a large gap underneath the Rock where we ducked for cover. Shortly, we could hear a loud rushing sound, similar to the rapids of a large river. The sound was caused by a sheet of water cascading down the rock over the ledge we were hiding behind. We were behind a waterfall coming off of the rock. About an hour later, the rain started to subside. The path on which we had been walking was now mostly under water, and there were waterfalls in every canyon and gully on the Rock. In Outback Australia, the total annual rainfall appears to fall at once.
After this, we decided to eat lunch and drive around to the other side of the rock. There, we did the Mutitjulu walk, which takes the hiker to a permanent waterhole and to some caves with aboriginal petroglyphs. From the trailhead, you can see 2 squiggly lines on the rock, which according to the Anangu, signify the battle between Liru, a poisonous snake, and Kuniya, a python. After hiking, we stopped at the Uluru Aboriginal Cultural Center, which houses an indoor/outdoor museum and gift shop. The gift shop has a good (but not cheap) selection of aborigine art for the folks back home.
We drove the Behemoth back to Yulara campground, and created our feast of spaghetti and meat sauce, hydroponic green salad and crusty italian bread, to be supplemented by liberal quantities of 4X beer and Ozzie shiraz. We were headed to the Kata Tjuta (formerly the Olgas), a group of 12 round domes 30 miles from Uluru, the following day. We retired early for the evening, as we were planning to do the Valley of the Winds walk, which, like the climb up Uluru, closes to hiking in the morning if the forecast temperature at Yulara is 36° C (97° F). That was a real possibility in late Spring in the Outback.
Kata Tjuta
We made an early break for Kata Tjuta, driving away from Uluru, through flat spinifex scrub. Spinifex is a nasty plant that grows in spiky clumps, and leaves painful, inflammation-prone welts on the skin of those unfortunate enough to brush against its leaves. Kata Tjuta is in many ways, more impressive than Ayers Rock, in part due to the larger size and greater number of the rock formations. We arrived at The Valley of the Winds trailhead, situated at the foot of one of the domes.
Following the trail, we went up a short hill which was the shoulder of the dome closest to the parking lot. Although the same rust red color as Uluru, the rock was much coarser than that of Uluru, with the appearance of cement mixed with large pebbles and small stones. From the crest of the hill, the trail went into a canyon with gum trees and leafy shrubs. From there, the trail flattened out in the Valley of the Winds and forked. The fork was the beginning of a one-way loop. We followed the signs and went right, which took us uphill in an adjoining canyon between two of the other domes. There was a spring-fed stream here which supported the tall gum trees and other lush vegetation in the canyon. The dome on the right rose up in a cliff, pockmarked with small caves, resulting from thousands of years of waterfall erosion. Nothing grew on the domes, for even if they weren't solid rock, the cliffs would have been to steep to support much vegetation.
The trail crested at the Karingana Lookout, with views of the gorge from which we came, and the Valley of Winds in front, as well as several more of the Domes. From there, the trail dropped steeply into a gorge on the other side between two more of the domes. At the bottom of the descent, the trail flattened and veered left. At this point, we were on the perimeter of the cluster of domes, from where it's a quick walk to the end of the loop. The hike was nothing less than sensational; although there are many spectacular rock formations around the world, the magnitude and immensity of the red domes of Kata Tjuta are awe-inspiring. At the risk of sounding like a new age freak, it's a very spiritual place. Just before the end of the loop, there were some picnic tables under awnings. We ate lunch there, and realized we had lucked out in two ways. Flies, although present, weren't too annoying, and the temperature wasn't as hot as predicted. Nonetheless, Erin had donned a fly net to cover her head, and wasn't taking it off.
After completing the Valley of the Winds loop, Rich and I took another short hike on the one other trail in Kata Tjuta, the Olga Gorge Trail. It's a short hike (1.6 mile roundtrip) up the canyon between the Olgas' two highest domes, and also, follows a spring-fed stream to the end of the canyon where cliffs block further progress. In the canyon resides a large black and white bird, with a very unusual call, multi-noted with a range of at least an octave. Unfortunately, I don't know what type of bird it is, and have had no luck using internet research -- if anyone knows, email me. I thought I'd heard it all with unusual bird sounds in New Zealand, but Oz has a few of its own.
Watarrka (Kings Canyon)
The next day, it was time to leave Uluru and Yulara to make our way to Watarrka or Kings Canyon National park 195 miles to the north. We left shortly after sunrise, with a quick stop for diesel and air for the Behemoth's tires. The vehicle had dual wheels on the back, and had Rich not learned from his truck driver father, that the valve stems of the outside tires on a dually face inside on the inside of the tire, we might have been there for quite some time figuring out how to get air in the tires. Shortly after leaving Yulara resort, Rich pointed to a cloud of dust, which was being kicked up by a heard of 4 or 5 wild camels. Ah, finally a non-reptilian non-dead wildlife sighting in Oz.
We had arranged a campsite at the Kings Canyon Resort, the only inhabited area in the vicinity, built specifically for the tourists who have Watarrka on their destination list in the Red Center. We arrived at Watarrka in the late morning, we decided to do the hike around the canyon. Kings Canyon is a deep gorge in a small lone range of mountains that rises abruptly out of the flat desert floor. The hike, approximately 3.5 miles, ascends one side of the mountains on the north rim of the canyon, flattens out and moves away from the canyon, then descends into the gorge in an oasis area, aptly named the Garden of Eden, which is fed by a spring-generated stream. On each side of the top of the canyon are uniform beehive-shaped red sandstone rock formations, called the Lost City, which go as far as the eye can see in both directions of the rim.
The hike is a botanists dream. Included among the plants on top of the canyon were ornamental grasses, purple wildflowers, white-trunked gum trees and giant cycads. The Garden of Eden contained tall gum trees, ferns, broadleaf shrubs, and the type of grasses found where there's abundant water. After descending into the Garden of Eden via metal stairways bolted into the vertical walls of the canyon, the hiker can walk downstream via a series of catwalks to a waterfall which empties into a wide, deep pool. When we walked down the catwalks, we startled a 4 foot goanna lizard and discovered they can run surprisingly fast. During the hike, we were fortunate. Until a busload of Euro-tourists appeared while we were laying on the rocks near the waterfall, we had the place mostly to ourselves, a blessing considering the serenity of the place.
I was curious about the names of the wildflowers. As such, I took a number of photos to have my grandmother who was in a PhD. program for botany identify. Upon returning home, I showed her the pictures. She looked at them, puzzled, and said, "well, it could be this or it could be that." She then asked where the photos were taken. When I replied that it was the Northern Territory in Australia, she threw the photos back, and said "Oh hell! There are completely different plant families there." I should have realized that her doctorate studies were on plants in central California in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties.
After leaving the Garden of Eden, we climbed up the other side of the canyon. Once on the rim, there is a spectacular view both of the multi-colored polished sandstone cliff on the other rim and of the Garden of Eden below. Even the busload of Euro-tourists couldn't ruin the view. The view of the cliff is not for those scared of heights or young children, as there is no guard rail and it's a straight drop of several hundred feet from the cliff rim. From the cliff, the hike descends through a small winding ravine with surprisingly dense vegetation, a relief from the blazing hot temperatures in the sun on the rim. At the bottom is a pavillion with a drawings of the local animal life, we confirmed that the 4 foot lizards we saw were goannas and saw that the perentie, a monitor lizard which can grow up to 2.5 meters (8.2 feet!) makes its home here as well.
We returned to the motor home, and Erin, who skipped the hike. I had called the Kings Canyon Resort earlier in the morning to book a space at the caravan park, so we drove the 10 minutes or so to the resort to check in. After maneuvering the Behemoth into the parking space, which was fortunately below a large shade tree, we concluded that it was about time to for happy hour. After walking to the pub, we saw a sign that said "Dress Code - No singlets after 5". Rich pointed at the tank top I was wearing, and said, "that's a singlet." According to Rich, who lives Down Under, tank tops are called "wife beater shirts" and are generally looked down upon as being worn by losers. To comply with the dress code, we walked back to the motor home and I changed into a t-shirt. Now that I was in compliance, we were able to settle in for cold 4X's and dinner.
After dinner, we took a walk down a boardwalk to a sunset viewing area of Kings Canyon, where the quiet of the desert and the shadows of the mulga trees were as impressive as the sunset itself. While washing up in the restroom building, we noticed that the sink becomes home to hundreds of 3-4 inch long praying mantises, which come out in the cooler hours of the evening.
Alice Springs
The next day, we made the 265 mile drive back to Alice Springs, where we were to spend the night before flying to Cairns in Queensland for the last leg of the trip. Although out in the middle of nowhere, Alice has quite a list of historical sights and other activities to entertain the visitor. After checking in to a trailer park in Alice, we opted for the Standley Chasm, a canyon which turns into a very narrow ravine in the MacDonnell Ranges west of Alice. The Standley chasm is about a 30 mile drive west of Alice. The hike into the chasm is short, a half mile or so, and relatively easy, other than being rocky. The chasm itself is a slot canyon with sheer red rock cliffs on each side and hanging clusters of plants on the cliff walls. As we were hiking back down through the canyon from the chasm, I caught movement in the corner of my eye. A rock wallaby, about 3 feet tall or so, had just crossed the trail behind us. She was with her baby, almost as large as she was but still nursing. They weren't too shy of people as we were passed by hordes of people going each direction as we observed her. On the spur road accessing the chasm from Larapinta Drive, we saw a dingo, which looks no different than a medium size dog, who was interested in a handout we suspect.
On the way back to town, we stopped at the Alice Springs Desert Park, about 4 miles out of town. The Park, a combination of zoo, botanical garden and natural history museum, is divided into 3 different areas, representing the riparian region, the dry desert and desert woodlands region. The Park also has a nocturnal exhibit, allowing the visitor a look at nocturnal animals. Although not cheap, $A 18 in 2000, the park is impressively done, fair sized, and worth a half day visit.
That evening, we opted to take a walk down the Todd Mall, a street closed to vehicle traffic, full of touristy shops selling Crocodile Dundee sharktooth leather hats, as well as didgeridoos and didgeridoo CD's. Also, present were a number of homeless aborigines, some who you could smell long before you saw them. Dinner that night was the Overlander Steak House, which after asking where you're from, puts your country's flag on your table. Never mind that if you're an American, you don't always want to advertise it! In our case, we got a New Zealand and an American flag, as Rich had been living in Auckland for the last couple of years. In Oz, however, Kiwis are held in lower regard than Yanks, the fall of Ansett Air (of which Air NZ was the the parent company) not helping matters any. All that aside, we tried the "Drovers Blowout", which features croc, camel, emu and kangaroo, prepared with various sauces. In this case, the croc was much better than at the Australia Hotel in Sydney, although I haven't tried to special order it (or the other meats for that matter) at the local grocery store at home. After dinner, during a grocery stop, we had to walk through the parking lot very carefully, as it was literally crawling with cockroaches. The entrance to the grocery store had hundreds of squashed roaches. Someone in the morning must hose down the parking lot daily, as one never saw the smashed roaches during the day.
The next morning, we returned the motor home, and after it passed the thorough inspection by the clerk, we jumped in a taxi to catch our flight to Cairns in the Queensland tropics.
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