May 2015 "Get a taste of Australia's rugged but ever-so-scenic Outback on this four-day journey from Uluru to Alice Springs. Watching the sun set and then rise over the world's biggest rock is about as iconically Australian as experiences come. Encounter indigenous lore and legends on a guided cultural interpretative walk around the rock and gain an enhanced respect for how a people could possibly survive in such an inhospitable environment. Then explore the spectacular desert landscapes … [Read more...]

28 May 2015 Catching the 7.00am flight seemed like a good idea when I booked it but when the alarm went off at 3.30am - not so much.  Still, it meant that I could just take 2 days leave added to a long weekend and get a 5 day mini-break adventure.  But it was a very long day.  I always forget how vast Australia is and how long the flights are to get anywhere.  I had a 3 hour flight to Sydney where I met friends Carmella and Boon Li and transferred to a 3.5 hour flight to Uluru/Ayres Rock.  A … [Read more...]

29 May 2015 It was a noisy night: there were lots of goings on around the wider campground, lots of snoring, and we were right next to the camel farm so could hear whatever it is that camels do at night as well.  Thanks to still being on NZ time I was wide awake at 4.00am.  Even though it was the right side of the time zone to bee, it was still far too early for our 5.15am wakeup, 5.30am breakfast and 6.15am departure.  About 4.30am I decided to go and luxuriate in a hot shower (I hoped).  … [Read more...]

30 May 2015 During the night we were woken by what I initially thought was someone doing a really bad wolf-howling attempt.  It sounded really close.  But then at least 6 more howls started up around us and I quickly realised that these must be dingos.  In the morning we discovered just how close they had been - actually in the camp, and just a metre away from where Phillip and Cathy were sleeping in their swags.  Opening their eyes to find a dingo looking at them wasn't quite what they had … [Read more...]

31 May 2015 We have a much later start this morning.  Kelly comes to pick us up at 7.45am for our trip out to the West MacDonnell Range.  This mountain range was uplifted at the same time geologically as Uluru and Kings Canyon.  It is the only mountain range in Australia to run East to West.  Alice Springs sits in the gap dividing the East and West ranges. Our first stop is to visit John Flynn's grave.  John Flynn founded the Royal Flying Doctor Service that supports the vast Outback … [Read more...]

1 June 2015 We have an 11.00 shuttle pick up to take us to the airport, so we have a few hours to explore Alice Springs before we go.  We start the day trying to find a café open for breakfast at 7.30am.  I fortify myself with Eggs Benny and a latte in preparation for our Self-guided Walking Tour of the historical parts of the CBD (which all date from the early 1900s). Alice Springs is a central outback town in the middle of Australia. Today there are approximately 28,000 people and the … [Read more...]