We have been mentioning the cold weather a fair amount recently and once again another colder snap was due to make its way across our path bringing with it some rain as well. So we decided to head north and drive the 750km up to Yulara. There were a couple of alternative routes where we could have seen more but the tracks were dirt and slow going. In contrast the bitumen highway was fast easy driving and while the weather was a bit bleak and the views were a little monotonous we enjoyed the drive because we could watch the temperature rise slowly.
The total trip was to be 750km and on the first day we knocked off 500km which left us camping at a roadhouse beside the main highway at the turn off to Yulara (the closest town to Uluṟu). It was a busy but well laid out campsite and we showered and ate dinner and left. Unfortunately the place had a small mouse problem and we saw one coming out of the kitchen with our dinner, another eating chocolate in the shop and a third the next morning in our cutlery drawer!! Still after a quick clean out problem solved and we were on our way again.
The number of fellow travellers on the road through this stretch are huge and we were passing plenty of caravans on the road. The custom in remote areas is to wave to each other as you pass but I have to admit there were so many passing on this stretch that it felt as though we would get cramp from waving so much.
Checking in at the campsite at Uluṟu was predictably slow but luckily we hadn’t booked and so rather than being packed in like sardines we were allowed to camp out the back of the campground in an overflow area where we had loads of space and a nice view out to the surrounding bush. The best thing was being in shorts and T-shirts again as the temperature shot up to 27!!! (It would only be fair to say that although we didn’t know it a cold snap was on its way and our enjoyment of the heat was going to be short lived!)
The town of Yulara is about 20km from Uluṟu itself and while it was very busy it was nicely spread out so it didn’t feel overly packed and between the various hotels were walkways over sand dunes which offered views out towards Uluṟu and it was really nice stopping to take in the view as we walked Griff around getting him his daily exercise between the shops and art galleries and our campsite
Uluṟu is sacred to the indigenous people of Australia and climbing the rock has been officially banned since 2019 and so now the thing to do is walk, cycle or drive the 10 km around the base of the rock. We decided on the bicycle and it was a great way to enjoy seeing it up close. Around the base there where explanations as to how their beliefs connected to certain parts of the rock. It was interesting reading the short stories but mostly we really just enjoyed seeing all the subtle patterns that had been eroded into the sandstone rock.
The weather was a little variable while we were there and so on the first cloudless day we headed out to a spot to watch the sunset and enjoy the changing colours of Uluṟu.
It wasn’t just the rock at Uluṟu there were plenty of other activities around the town but unfortunately due to how busy it was they were all booked out!!! The art gallery were free to walk around though and there was some fantastic local artwork on display. It was great to see it all but would have been nice to have had a few more explanations as to what the art work was representing so as for us to be able to understand it a little more. Still though the quality was evident and we had a great time looking at the works.
About 50km further down the road is the Kata Tjuta National park which can be glimpsed on the horizon as you drive to and from Uluṟu. As it’s a national park dogs aren’t allowed but luckily a couple who we had met along the route a few times very kindly offered to dog sit for the day so we could head off for a hike. It was wonderful!!!
The view of the hills from afar was quite different to the view that we got when we were up close. The hike was great though and took us into the middle of the hills where we walked to the end of a valley before climbing out between two of the huge hills and enjoying fantastic views of the rest of the national park.
Overall we both thoroughly enjoyed our time at Yulara and our visits of Uluṟu and Kata Tjuta. It was very relaxing and I think we were lucky with where we got to stay so we didn’t feel jammed in. I had already been once before and Sarah had obviously seen photos but it was still very special to see it up close and be able to take our time doing it. Yes it was busy but the park is ready to cater for the numbers so all in all it was a superb experience. T