Our first view of Uluru, approaching through the desert.
Hege sitting on roof of Bruce in readiness for sunset - about 3 kms away from the rock
The sun starts to set...
A short time later...
Again.... the colours change
Chris alongside Uluru
Alongside Uluru...
Kata Tjuta (The Olgas)
Driving alongside Kata Tjuta
We begin to walk the Valley of the Winds
Further into our walk...
One of the many climbs up the rocks to reach the Valley...
At the start of the walk around the rim of Kings' Canyon
Detail from Kings' Canyon, how does this tree survive?
Having conquered Heart Attack hill - Hege wanted to look down but...
Down in the canyon now, called Garden of Eden.
Small Hege, tall canyon wall!
Chris and what is called 'The Lost City', you can see the formations resembling buildings?
Chris trying to be funny.....
The beauty of the Kings' canyon. (Some little people on the left!)
Hege decided it was time for a break
Leaving the region on our way back to Alice Springs, Mount Conner in the distance
From Kings Canyon looking west to the Simpson Desert.
A sense of excitment (and dread?!?!) as Chris realises we have hit the halfway mark for our big trip...
Camels in the desert....
We drove to the sunset viewing area and settled in to watch the colours change.... and had great seats on the roof of Bruce....
The physical presence of Uluru is truly breathtaking. Whilst it is possibly one of the most photographed locations in Australia, a photo does not convey the size or aura of this special place. To watch the sun set over Uluru will be one of the major highlights of our travels.
The last of the sunlight and the rock is almost purple in colour.
The following day we walked around Uluru.. a 9km walk.. it's a bloody big rock, and at times you really do feel an overwhelming sense of vertigo.
Many areas around the rock are Aboriginal sacred sites... places where the Aboriginal men and women take the young people for initiation rites and to pass on the beliefs according to Tjukurpa (the Aboriginal beliefs of religion, culture, society, creation and law).
Hege took this panoramic photo - great shot! Our approach to Kata Tjuta about 50km NW of Uluru. It is made from a sedimentary conglomerate, a mix of pepples and boulders, cemented together by mud and sand. It contains basalt, granite and many other mineral rocks.
Halfway up the first real climb - called 'heart attack hill'!
The canyon floor is home to lots of birds and other wildlife, as this waterhole is constantly filled from streams within the canyon rocks
Have climbed up from the Garden of Eden here, and are starting the walk back along the rim on the other side of the canyon.
Apparently there was a ledge just underneath, but Hege never checked, too busy being scared....
Like the rest of this landscape, even the mountains are flat!!!!
Kings Canyon sits on the edge of the Simpson Desert and as such, attracts a wide and varied range of flora and fauna.
A surprise to both of us.... but Australia has the highest number of wild camels in the world - estimated at around 500,000. This photo taken on the return to Alice Springs, just near the Henbury Crators, south of Alice Springs. (by the way, Hege tells me a Camel with one hump is called a Dromedary.... now I know....)
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Our first view of Uluru, approaching through the desert.