Do-it-yourself Tour - Day 4 Kings Canyon

Back from the sunrise flight. Pack up and check out and walk from the Outback Pioneer Lodge over the red dirt to the centre of town and hire a car. 

One of the best things about driving as opposed to bus'ing, it being able to stop whenever you want to take photos. Despite this wonderful opportunity, I only stopped twice (I really just wanted to get there). I hadn't heard of 'fool-uru' before (above) but apparently if you're heading to the rock from Alice many a tourist has been fooled thinking Mount Conner is Uluru. It's on private property but apparently you can get tours to there. If I were to come back again I'd definitely check it out. (The photo doesn't do it justice)

Arrived at Kings canyon resort. Questioning the cost and time of getting here. And the use of the term 'resort'. I'm at the lookout at the back of the resort and feel like in an old western movie. The isolation, desolation, quietness, heat, dryness. The wind whistles, the vista is sparse. The ridge of red rock jutting out of the ground... I'm half expecting tumbleweeds to roll past. Or roadrunner and coyote to appear.

There is one tree and the wind whistling through it is eerie. 

So far, I've seen one other person in the resort. And he looked like the baddy in the western.

It's so quiet it reminds me of those camps where you don't talk for 10 days. Which is probably good at the moment as I've pretty much lost my voice the few times I have spoken ( a few words at reception when I checked in).  
Maybe this is s detox camp. There's no phone service. Ergo no internet (there is an option to buy by satellite).

I find a few wildflowers to amuse me and then go and do some washing and wait for the sunset. 

Suddenly, the place comes alive. People come out of the woodwork and swarm to the previously mentioned isolated tree. There is a mobile bar and laughter and Grey Nomads and Young Backpackers and families all stand in appreciation as the sun soaks the cliff face in rich warm light. And then the light fades and people wander back to their campervans, tents and caravans. I have spoken to no-one. I suck at meeting people. Ok, it doesn't help that I'm sick as a dog and my voice is a croaky, squeaky, wheeze. 

I linger a while though the light is low. I start experimening with shutter speeds and movement as I couldn't be bothered using the tripod. I like the colours and mood I capture. To me, the shots evoke the 'feel' of the environment. 

Warning: Worst pizza ever! Honestly, we've all had bad pizza from time to time, but nothing comes close to this. It was disgusting. I persevered through one piece thinking it must have been because I was sick that it tasted so bad. But really... No. 
I was planning to have half for dinner and take the rest with me for breakfast. Not a chance. Absolutely gross. Inedible. 

Do-it-yourself Uluru Tour: Day 4 - From the air

Uluru and Kata-Tjuta from the air.  It's big and it's bald and it's beautiful. 

I'm pretty happy with how these turned out despite being shot through the windows. The price of chartering a helicopter so I could fly with the doors off was a bit too expensive when I'm not shooting commercially. So I was happy to do the touristy thing. 

I was up early thinking I'd grab a cup of tea from reception as they must put the tea out for the early morning bus pick up. I even had my gold coin ready. But when I got there, no tea! I asked at the counter and was told by a lovely young man that they only leave the urn out until the restaurant opens out the back (despite not being able to just buy a cup of tea from there). Missed it by 5 minutes. He took pity on me and found a cup and a teabag I could take to the communal kitchen and I was so very grateful to him. 

Do-it-yourself Uluru Tour - Day 3

Saturday.
Sleep in.
Sick.
Cold.
No room buddies = blessing.

Drag myself out of bed with the thought of a hot cup of tea to tempt me. I have a $50 note and a 10c piece. I'm just about desperate enough to donate 50 for a cuppa. I feel miserable. It's 14 degrees and between that and the cold/flu I can't stop shivering. (I'm in the desert. Why isn't it hot?). I walk in to reception. No tea. It must be only for the early bus pick ups. Shit. Plan B. Catch the shuttle into town. It's 10am. Shuttle doesn't start until 10.30. I try the restaurant at the back of the resort. Sure, $36 for a buffet. Fuck. Go to town, she says. I say the bus doesn't start til 10.30. No, she says, start at 7. She's wrong. I stick my head in the communal kitchen. I don't have the energy to initiate communication to beg a cup of tea.
So here I am sitting on a park bench waiting for a bus.

Plans for the day. 
Write and send postcards.
Book bus to kings canyon
Book mon night accommodation.
Book helicopter. 
Go on nature walk. 
Wildflowers at sunset.

10.45 still waiting for the shuttle. Next time I'd hire a car.

There is a cafe in the town centre that is used for hospitality training for Indigenous folk.  Kulata Academy Cafe. They make a pretty good hot chocolate and some decent tucker. I find a sunny corner and write some postcards. I'm still trying to figure out the best (read cheapest) way to get to Kings Canyon. The bus is too expensive and the times aren't the most suitable. You can do a day trip but I really want to go at sunrise. I've already booked accommodation, I just need to get there. I was planning to try and catch a lift with someone heading that way but I've been too sick to strike up any conversations. And I realise no one will want me coughing in the back of their car all the way to Kings Canyon anyway. So I decide to hire a car.  
I book a helicopter flight for sunrise the next day. I still haven't booked anywhere to stay for the last night.

The camel rides seem popular but I'm not the least bit interested. There are plenty of free activities around the resorts so I go on an interesting nature walk given by a lovely indigenous man (though not from the local Anangu people). 

After the nature talk I went in search of some art works and found an interesting blend of photography and jewellery with an Artist in Residency.  Mike Fewster takes Australian nature photographs and his partner Suzette Watkins, then makes jewellery inspired by those locations.  I found a lovely little ring inspired by the McDonnell ranges. I don't tend to make rash buying decisions so I thought I'd sleep on it and if I still wanted it I'd buy it on the last day. Well, I ran out of time because I got carried away with the wildflowers around Uluru. But I remembered Mike saying they would be at Floriade so I tracked them down there and bought it. So it's a souvenir of both Uluru and Floriade. And I love it. When you buy a piece of jewellery you get a little picture of the area that inspired it and I was going to photograph the ring with the photo. But I've put it somewhere safe and haven't discovered where that is yet. Oh, you can also buy prints of the images. Check out their work here (Surprisingly, the photos of the jewellery aren't that great)

Back at the Pioneer Outback I ask about the best place for wildflowers and discover there's a walk to a lookout right at the back of the accommodation. It turns out to be an absolute treasure trove of wonderfulness and I'm astounded at the abundance and variety of flowers. The gallery below is some favourites from that walk, starting with a couple from the grounds (the Geraldton Wax) before I got off the beaten path. 
I've included a couple of shots for reference of scale. Look for the overall Uluru shot with the bus in it to see where I was wandering. It's also where I took the shot above of the front row seat. 

The slides play automatically but if you want to pause it you can just hover your mouse over a photo. 

Day 2 - Uluru Sunset

I dunno, how many photos of a rock can you look at? 

Sunset was pretty spectacular. And this time I was glad to be on the bus as they have a special 'tour buses only' viewing point. There were a shit tonne of people having champagne and bbqs in the car park but at the end of the long dusty path, there wasn't another soul around. With views to the sun setting behind Kata-Tjuta and the changing light on Uluru, it was a pretty magical time. And once again. the bus was waiting for me, but I didn't care.

The do-it-yourself Uluru Tour - Day Two (Afternoon)

I dragged my sick and sorry ass off the bed to catch the early afternoon bus, only to inform the driver I was going back to bed and would catch a later bus. That made it too late to do the base walk but I was more than impressed with the short walk it explored. Uluru is stunning and I felt an immediate connection with it. Like an old friend welcoming you with a big hug. 

Out of respect for the traditional owners I had no intention of climbing it. There has been a lot of work put in place to provide walks and information around the base and they've done a really good job. It's clearly signposted where the sacred sites are that are not to be photographed. 

Once again, the vivid colours really had an impact. Wow! And I was surprised to see so much lush greenery. And the wildflowers, well, I was just tickled pink. I'm also a bit of a sucker for the late afternoon light shining through grasses. My first up close and personal encounter with the rock was very rewarding. (It helped that the cold and flu tabs were kicking in too) 

Back on the bus to see the sunset now. The bus drivers throughout the day have all been lovely, however a little bit ironic in the afternoon to have a young  Indian bus driver sharing the history of the rock. 

The do-it-yourself Uluru Tour - Day Two (Morning)

Up at 5am. Walk around like a Zombie (combo of not a morning person + a cold). Discover tea for a gold coin donation at reception. Yay! Off to Kata-Tjuta (formerly known as The Olgas) this morning.

I've pre-booked the Hop on - Hop off bus. It was bit hard to find out about it but after layers of clicking on the website it turned up and looked like it gave a bit more flexibility than the AAT Kings tours. Turns out it wasn't as flexible as I would have liked. Photography is all about being in the right place for the light but the bus drivers have different priorities. Like getting away from the Sunrise Viewing platform quickly so you get to the Kata-Tjuta car park early enough to beat the queue for the loo. As it was, they were all on the bus waiting for me because the sun was in just the right spot and couldn't walk past it. I grabbed a couple super quick shots and then had to leave. 

There are two walks you can do at Kata-Tjuta. A long one and a short one. I was going to settle for the short one because I felt like death warmed up, but at the last minute chose to suck it up and do the 3 hour walk. Aptly named Valley of the Winds. 

I expected this to be the highlight of my trip, having been told more than once that Kata-Tjuta was even better than Uluru. I think my experience was unduly influenced by being sick as a dog with only Paracetemol to get me through. It is definitely an amazing place, but I didn't have the spiritual connection to the environment that I feel would be possible. I was just too sick to connect with anything other than a packet of tissues. The wind was howling, it was cold, and the track was rough. Apart from that, it was great. The colours were absolutely jaw dropping. Rich reds, vivid greens and bold blues like I've never seen before. I felt the pressure to keep moving so I'd make it back in time for the bus pickup. I'd assumed a drop off/pick up bus would mean you could just get on the next one, but it didn't work that way. Without the time pressure I think I would have enjoyed it much more, could have gone at a slower pace and stop and rested more often. And stopped and taken more photos! Or taken more time to take better photos? 

Did I mention the size? Phenomenal. (Look how tiny the people are in the above photo). And the gorges and valleys were delightful. There were enough wildflowers to buoy my spirits but the time constraints and being sick and my dodgy old knees meant I missed ample photo opportunities. 

Made it back to the bus with time to spare. In to town for cold and flu tabs, a jumper, and brekky/lunch. And then a sleep, with the plan to get back on the bus to Uluru in the early afternoon to do the base walk.