Uluru - Ayers Rock

Uluru - Ayers Rock 

Uluru, a large sandstone rock formation in the Northern Territory, (208 miles from Alice Springs, the nearest large town); is one of Australia's most recognisable natural landmarks, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of its most important indigenous sites. In 1872, British surveyor William Gosse, was the first European to 'discover' the monolith – the largest rock of its kind in the world and named it Ayers Rock, after the former chief secretary of South Australia, Sir Henry Ayers. In 1993, a dual naming policy was adopted that allowed both the traditional Aboriginal name (Uluru) and the English name (Ayers Rock) – but here I will just use Uluru. 

When I landed at its airport, at 9am, it was only 7 degrees — and felt really cold, although it did warm up throughout the day to about 20 degrees. A complimentary bus took me to the Desert Gardens Hotel, where I was able to book the trips I wanted to do whilst staying in this remote place for a short time. At the centre of the resort, which consisted of a several hotels, a takeaway and a few shops; was the lookout - a hill surrounded by red sand, shrubs and wildlife. The view from here was magnificent. Ayres Rock is so red, just like the postcards, blood red, scarlet red. The colour just hits you, all of the time, not at sunrise and sunset — it is so red! This gigantic red monolith, surrounded by savannah, in the middle of nowhere, is such as incredible sight. After a walk around the resort and up the lookout, my shoes and clothes were covered in dust – red dust; no wonder this place is called the Red Centre. There were more flowers and plants than I had expected to see, but that was because there has been an unusual amount of rainfall in the previous year. Apparently, a few years ago Uluru became an island when all the surrounding land was flooded. I was warned that there were supposed to be lots of desert mice about; and told to keep everything zipped up all the time! 

I was picked up at 3pm for my first trip out, to Kata Tjuta (also called Mount Olga or The Olgas), 36 giant red rocky domes spread over an area of more than 12 miles. The name means “many heads” – referring to the many domes in this group. The glorious red Kata Tjuta and Uluru rise from the earth just 18 miles from each other, an area which is home to not just desert, but of springs, waterholes, rock caves and ancient paintings. Both Uluru and Kata Tjuta have great spiritual and cultural significance for the local Aṉangu people; traditional inhabitants of this area for more than 22,000 years; now they lead walking tours to inform visitors about the bush, food, local flora and fauna, and Aboriginal dreamtime stories of the area. 

We were taken to a lookout in the desert (for a photo stop) and then for a walk through a gorge; it was very hard going; trekking over boulders and uneven ground. When we finally got to the end, the gorge was completely in the shade and it was freezing cold, so we didn’t stay there long before heading back to the coach. Next, was the highlight - we went to a lay-by, in the middle of nowhere to watch the sunsetting behind “The Rock”. Uluru (whose name means “island mountain”), is the largest sandstone monolith in the world (with most of its bulk lying underground), and measures 1140 feet high and has a circumference of 6 miles. 

It is famous for appearing to change colour at different times of the day and year, most notably, when it glows red at dawn and sunset. Before long, thousands of people had congregated in this lay-by from every nation on earth. They all wanted to see the glorious sun set over Uluru - they were even standing on car roofs to get a good view. It was the most spectacular sight ever; the sunset was incredible. 

The giant monolith really does change colour, just like they say. It gets redder and redder and then it is gone. In seconds it went from orange to brilliant scarlet and then a dark shadow. 

It was the most awesome sight; you just can't take your eyes off it. Now darkness was upon us, thousands of tourists were trying to get out of this lay-by - it was absolute chaos! Back at the resort, I had a takeaway supper and an early night, it had been a very long day; but a once in a lifetime sight that I would never forget. 

Next morning, I got up at 6.30am and put lots of clothes on (as it was minus 2 degrees!) and headed off into the desert to see the sunrise. This area has a hot desert climate with an average rainfall of 11 inches per year; and an average temperature range of 38 °C in the summer to 4°C in the winter. It was quite a terrifying experience, being alone in the dark with just the sounds of the desert - luckily no wild dingoes wanted me for breakfast! 

I hurried all the way to the lookout without seeing a soul, but when I arrived, there were 8 people already there (with their hats and scarves on — complaining that they were freezing to death). 

The sky was royal blue and pink over the Olgas and where the sun was coming up it was pale blue, yellow and orange. There wasn't a cloud in the sky —just like the postcards again! The glorious sun poked its head up at 7.32am and was totally visible within seconds; but unfortunately, my photographs were blurred (I blame the cold and condensation!).

Next, I returned to the hotel for a hot coffee; before my next adventure - a helicopter flight to see the area from a completely different perspective. 

We flew at 3000 feet and what a glorious sight it was from up there — Uluru and the Olgas were just as impressive from above. We saw the resort and the complex where the staff live - mainly underground, to keep them cool in the summer when the temperature can reach 60 degrees. 

The walks around the National Park are closed to the public when the temperate reaches 37 degrees because of the risk to people's health. The helicopter ride was brilliant, the pilot was very informative, the views spectacular and I enjoyed the experience tremendously. What a fascinating place this Red Centre is, so much more than just seeing a Red Rock. 

It was only discovered by Europeans in the 1870s; and fifty years later, part of Uluṟu–Kata Tjuṯa National Park was declared an Aboriginal Reserve. The first tourists arrived in the Uluru area in 1936, with tour bus services starting in the 1950s, followed by the building of motels and an airstrip. On 26 October 1985, the Australian government returned ownership of Uluru to the local people, with one of the conditions being that the Aṉangu would lease it back to the National Parks and Wildlife agency for 99 years, and that it would be jointly managed. 

The Aṉangu request that visitors do not photograph certain sections of Uluru, for reasons related to ceremonies, rituals and traditional Dreaming beliefs. I hope you have enjoyed this short trip to the centre of Australia with me - it is such a fascinating place.

Thank you for taking time to follow my adventures,

Lynne

These are my other blogs :-

http://lynnejmorley.blogspot.com

http://lynnemorleys.blogspot.com

http://morleysjourneytoozandback.blogspot.com

Darwin and Katherine - NT Part 3

Darwin and Katherine - NT Part 3

Wednesday

New Years Day, I was feeling refreshed after a good nights sleep and ready to go out exploring Darwin. I headed out along the lovely esplanade towards the harbour, and couldn't believe how everyone I passed wished me a "Happy New Year". What a friendly start to 2014! Even at this early hour, it was so hot, the humidity was close to 100 per cent and by the time I reached Stokes wharf, I was soaked through. I spotted The Indo Pacific Marine building, which I had seen on TV the previous night and was so pleased that it was open on New Years Day. What a fascinating place!

The gentleman, who built it 30 years ago, took my entrance money and was also my personal guide. There were only 3 of us there that morning, and it was so relaxed as well as being informative - I loved it. After watching a film about marine life, we were shown to the display room with a huge pool filled with coral and fish; apparently this was set up 20 years ago and has no filters.

Whatever was put in all those years ago, feeds everything and the whole eco system is a cycle that even cleans it out too. Everything in the tanks was from Darwin's harbour, and it was so colourful - the Northern Territories very own Great Barrier Reef. There was a red, white and blue sea cucumber that reminded me of the union jack - it just didn't look real.

There were smaller tanks with different marine fish in them and some of the fronts had concave or convex glass that magnified everything so much, it was incredible. I just couldn't stop taking photos! There was a tank of barramundi, and the guide threw something in to show us how fiercely they fight for their food! After an hour or so, he made us all a pot of tea and a scone before resuming the tour. Now he explained how the world was created, how the continents all broke away from each other, and told us all about tectonic plates and fault lines.

I found it fascinating! Another unbelievable fact was what you would need to make a cubic kilometre of ocean. It was so unbelievable, there was the normal stuff you would expect, but you also need gold, silver, aluminium, arsenic, copper, nickel – the list was huge. I spent 3 hours there, and loved every minute of it. I thanked the owner for a great morning and bought a DVD to remind me of everything I had seen in this special place.

When I got outside, the temperature just hit me; it could have easily knocked me out if I hadn't been wearing my hat. As I was already down at the wharf, I had to have a walk along the pier where people were fishing; before walking around the specially built seawater lagoon, that is fairly safe for swimming (although stingers can still get in!) and passed by the lido and wave pool - that was packed with families enjoying their day together.

It was early afternoon by now, so I took a slow walk back to my hotel through the shopping area, even though most of it was closed. When I got back to my hotel, I had a lovely few hours in the pool cooling off and talking to some ladies from Sydney, getting ideas about other places to go visit, before catching up on my washing, diary and of course sleep.

Thursday

I was up very early again - 5am. Before leaving home, I had booked to go on a tour to Edith Falls, Pine Creek and a cruise along Katherine Gorge. Whilst waiting to be collected from my hotel, I met a friendly English lady going to Kakadu, who was also travelling by herself and I told her of my experiences in Kakadu earlier in this trip. Just before she got off the transit bus she realized she had forgotten her water bottle, so I gave her my spare one - as our driver said he would refill our bottles with fresh iced water whenever we needed them filling. What a marvellous idea that is! Anyway, my long day trip began!

We headed south down the Stuart Highway (the same road that I had come up on only 36 hours before), and I wasn't feeling overly enthusiastic about this trip. After seeing Katherine Gorge from the helicopter and then having the long bus journey back to Darwin, I would have cancelled it, if I could have. The first stop we made was the Adelaide River War Cemetery, I was surprised to hear how Darwin was bombed in WW2 - more bombs actually fell on Darwin than on Pearl Harbour.

The Australian army laid temporary airstrips all along the Stuart Highway from Darwin to the Adelaide River because that was where they thought the Japanese might have reached. The cemetery was beautifully kept, but I have to confess to being more interested in the wallabies that were having breakfast nearby. All along the Adelaide River floodplains, the trees and grasses were similar to those in Kakadu; and there were also numerous Cathedral Termite mounds.

It is the grass-eating termites that build this type (the wood eating termites build their nests on their food source - such as on a tree) but there are other termites known as Terminus Darwinus, and at 12mm long, they are the longest termites in the world and can chew through concrete! We drove through the old mining town of Pine Creek; gold was first discovered there in 1872 when the first telegraph cables were being installed connecting south Australia with Darwin, and Australia to the rest of the world.

More up to date mining methods are used here now but the town hasn't grown at all and we drove through it in a few minutes. We stopped briefly at Emerald Springs for a quick toilet stop. I had stopped there when I was bused up to Darwin (when my Ghan journey was cut short), and the manager wasn’t happy at the unexpected stop and refused to give anyone anything to eat! Happily, he was expecting us this time, both this morning and later this evening for our dinner. By the time we reached Edith Falls we were all ready for a refreshing swim, but no such luck today - the water levels were too high after the past week's rains. And we all knew by now, that that means crocodiles! It was such a beautiful spot though, the water was cascading down the falls and there were palms and pandanas all around the lagoon - it was seriously idyllic! Quite close to these falls was where the train had derailed only 2 days before.

Unfortunately we only had time for a quick photo stop (I don't know how we would have had time to fit a swim in!) as we had a boat to catch at 2pm at Katherine, which was still about an hour away. I was disappointed we didn't stop there, the driver just drove through the town slowly, pointing a few interesting things out.

The main topic of conversation seemed to be the devastating floods that had occurred there in the past few years (which are marked on the railway bridge as well as on the clock in town). When I did the helicopter ride over this area 2 days before, it had given me a good perspective of how the gorges were gouged out through the plains, but the water flowing through them was a brown murky colour – not very picturesque at all.

I think that is why I wasn't enthusiastic about coming back here. After a lovely buffet lunch at the Gorge Visitor Centre, we boarded the flat-bottomed boat that unfortunately offered very little shade. The sun was right overhead, beating down on us. As much as they had iced water to refill our bottles, you could not drink the water quick enough - you were sweating so much.

I just wanted to tip the water over me. It was 45 degrees and quite unbearable. But as we cruised along the first gorge, the scenery kept us all enchanted - as did the freshwater crocodiles we spotted. There were also many interesting birds about, a kite, a peregrine falcon and a cluster of swallows in their nests, which were stuck to the roof of a cave. When we reached the end of the first gorge we had to get out of the boat and scramble over some rocks, along a path, to a different boat - to experience the second gorge.

We needed to change boats to avoid the rapids, which were fast flowing after the recent rainfall. The second gorge was even more beautiful, breathtaking and full of picture postcard shots - I loved it. The orange sandstone walls, with green and blue trees and bushes growing out of them were so gorgeous. There were white beaches, black caves and orange reflections on the water. You could see dramatic fault lines in the walls, and follow these lines, even around the sharp corners. This was where the amazing orange walls of The Escarpment that I climbed at Ubbir ended.

For me, seeing Katherine Gorge like this was so much better than from the helicopter (although that had still been an awesome experience). This was what the DVD says "There is nothing quite like Katherine Gorge in the wet - it is truly one of Australia's amazing natural wonders" - and it was! It was just too hot; it was the hottest I have ever been. It wasn’t just me; everyone couldn't wait to get back on the air-conditioned coach and to go to sleep. We headed back up Darwin, stopping for dinner at Emerald Springs. There wasn't much daylight left, and as the sun finally sank, through the windows, I watched my last wallabies feeding and saw my last billabongs. I would never be fed up of those amazing waterholes with so much life both around them and lurking below them. It was after 9pm when we finally arrived back to Darwin; it had been a very long but enjoyable day and I took no rocking to sleep.

Friday

This was my last day in Northern Territory; I had survived 2 weeks by myself and had, had a great time. There was just one more thing that I particularly wanted to do. I had been told me how good the Natural History Museum was - especially its display on cyclone Tracey that devastated Darwin in 1974. As I have a vested interest in cyclones, having been through one in Townsville in 1972, I just had to go. I decided to get a taxi there to save my legs and to save time - I didn't want to waste one minute!

The museum was free to get in and it was such a marvellous place. The cultural exhibitions, poisonous animals, shells, amphibians, sea creatures etc were brilliant. There was so much to take in, I wanted to remember it all, and so I took countless photos of notice boards. There was an unusual hanger full of dugout canoes and sailing boats. But the part that I had particularly come to see was the best bit. Apart from photographs showing what devastation the cyclone had caused to Darwin, there was a film by a reporter who went out the morning after the cyclone had struck, and the footage was totally unbelievable - everywhere was wrecked. I watched the film several times before I moved on to the area that had been made to look like the inside of various houses in 1974, and they had radio bulletins playing from that time too.

I remember the radio being on when cyclone Althea was heading for Townsville - it was a strange feeling; one I cannot describe other than to say that it took me back to somewhere I thought I could never have remembered. Then I went in a door, into a completely dark room, not a slither of daylight came through and the sounds began. It was actual recorded footage of the winds when cyclone Tracey hit Darwin. I had to go out the room and collect myself, it upset me - it was far too real. Anyway, not to be beaten, I went back in and listed to it all the way through - completely mesmerized! Then I went back in again and recorded it on my camera, so I could play it to my family when I got home. Then, totally hooked by now, I went in for one last listen. It was so real, I could not believe it - I was so glad that I had come to this museum. Apparently the average house price in Darwin in $750,000 and this includes $100,000 of reinforcement to make the house 'cyclone proof'! 

I had really enjoyed my trip out to the museum. Anyway, so that I didn't waste time, I rang another taxi to take me back to Darwin 's main centre. I wanted to do a bit of shopping; I had hardly done any all this trip, just to get some souvenirs. It was really hot again, well into the forties, just for a change! There was one last thing I felt that I needed to do before I went back to my hotel for my last dip in the pool. I went to the Australia Travel Tour office and told them what a great time I had, had and what a good and informative a tour guide Robbie had been. I had learnt so much those first three days; it had really helped for the rest of the trip. Well I am a believer in fate, so guess what happened next? In walked Robbie saying that they should give him a pay rise after all that praise! It was lovely to see a familiar face, someone that I knew. We had a lovely little chat; he wanted to know what I thought of Alice (he agreed that it wasn't a safe place to walk around - even in the daytime!) and then he needed to go off and pick some tourists up. It made my day meeting up with him again and being able to thank him for making Christmas so wonderful. I took myself off for some lunch and then back to the hotel, where I spent a couple of hours relaxing by the pool.

All the hotel staff had been brilliant the whole trip, but the manager was the best, when I asked him about a late check out, he sorted things out so that I didn't have to pay at all! It was being my lucky day! Once I had checked out, I wandered over the esplanade to have my last look at the sea in the daytime. It was going to be the lowest tide of 2014, so it was quite a sight. It made me think of when a tsunami happens and the ocean recedes so much that it leaves so much of the mud flap, beach and rock pools. Then I went to the cinema, to see The Railway Man, which I thoroughly enjoyed. The only downside was that the air conditioning was so powerful in the cinema; I sat there shivering all the way through the movie. There seems to be no pleasing me where the heat was concerned. It was nice to get back outside in the warmth and as I still had an hour of daylight left I headed back up to town – as I really fancied a smoothie from the Boost Bar. I was disappointed that it had already closed, but my luck was in today, and I ran into Robbie again and he asked me to join him for a drink. It was good to be able to buy him drink to say thank you for being a great guide, cook, driver etc, and he did appreciate my gesture. I only had the one drink and wanted to get back before it was really dark, so we said our goodbyes again. Now as you can imagine, I was feeling pretty good! I got back to the hotel, a three-hour wait for my airport pick-up ahead of me; I settled down to catch up with my diary - I was 3 days behind! And what should happen? Vicky, who had just got back from Kakadu came into the bar looking for me; the hotel manager had given her a complimentary bottle of wine because there was a problem with her room, and she wanted to share it with me! Oh my, how nice is that! Well, we both discussed the adventures that we had, had the last 2 days, got rather tipsy and my three-hour wait seemed to fly by! We felt like old friends after that short space of time and found that we had so much in common. What a last day I had, had! So much kindness, I felt truly blessed and so happy and content. I had been a bit apprehensive about going to the other side of the world, just me on my own; but I had, had the best time of my life and I felt fabulous about myself. I got on that plane heading home and had lots of writing to catch up with – so I suppose that says it all. I hadn't been lonely and miserable staying in with my diary, although I do like to do it so that I can look back and relive my trip - especially one as fantastic as this had been! This one had been my trip, for me and with me! And as always, I couldn’t wait to plan the next one!

The beautiful beaches of Darwin that have so many dangers lurking closeby!!!

In the meantime, please check out my other blogs ..............

http://lynnemorleys.blogspot.com

http://lynnejmorley.blogspot.com

http://morleysjourneytoozandback.blogspot.com

Red hot in Alice Springs - NT Part 2

Red Hot in Alice Springs - NT Part 2

Friday

I had a 4am start for my flight to Alice Springs, which is equidistant between Darwin and Adelaide; it was only a 2-hour flight and the view coming in to land was fabulous.

The ground was burnt red, as you would expect; but the McDonnell mountain ranges that run east and west and are the backbone of this remote area were an awesome sight.

I was collected from the airport as arranged, and arrived at my hotel in no time. I was very lucky to be given a room so early and I had unpacked by 10am.

As normal, I couldn't wait to get out exploring - before it got too hot! What a joke! It must have been 40 degrees already. I knew the botanical gardens weren't too far away, so that was where I headed - just a short walk along the river. Another joke! The river is dry for the majority of the year and there was a depth marker to show how high the water gets when the rains eventually do come.

I reached the Olive Pink Botanical Gardens easily enough, noticing what a natural place it was, where wild animals as well as people could come and go - it wasn’t fenced off! The gardens were named after Olive Pink, a lady who campaigned to establish a sanctuary for the tribal Walpiri people in the desert here.

I followed a series of paths around the entire area and I was delighted to see kangaroos up close - one even had a Joey poking its head out of mum's pouch. It was magical! It really was a Desert Garden, full of grasses and shrubs only found in this arid area.

The smell of the different eucalyptus trees was wonderfully refreshing; and some trees had pure white trunks with their pale bark peeling off – they were beautiful. I went to the cafe and treated myself to a pot of tea and slice of cheesecake before heading back to my hotel.

There I spent a leisurely afternoon by the pool - and I was very happy to see railings all around the pool - no crocs were getting in here! This was the relaxing part of my trip to The Northern Territory and I did enjoy it; cool water, a good book and dozing off without fear of being eaten! I thought the temperature might have cooled down by 6pm when I had decided to venture out again - but it was still 40 degrees. But I had a limited time in Alice and had things to do and places to see. So I headed towards town where I was surprised that everywhere was closed and there was no one about.

I walked up Anzac Hill for a panoramic view of the town with the McDonnell mountain range as its backdrop. It got rather busy up there, everyone was gathering to experience the sunset over the mountains, which wasn't the expected dramatic red sunset, more of yellow hue with black silhouettes! I managed to get back to the hotel just before it got dark, which was quite a relief because I did feel rather uneasy walking around. After catching up with my diary, I had the best sleep that I had, had since arriving in Oz.

Saturday

I had booked to go to The Desert Park today and when I was picked up, I asked the driver if we would be going past the infamous "Welcome to Alice Springs" sign. We weren't, but he kindly offered to take me out there for a photograph stop. I couldn't believe how friendly and accommodating everyone here was.

I arrived at the Desert Park just after 8am and already it was incredibly hot. The park was a few miles out of town, at the foot of McDonnell Ranges (rocky red cliffs that were so high, they were classed as mountains).

The park had much to see; a cinema, several animal encounters, various aviaries and cages, and an enormous nocturnal house with rats, bats, lizards and other creepy crawlies.

There was so much to be learnt about the desert and how the aboriginal people survive in it; but my favourite part was the number of wild birds flying around. There were bright turquoise wrens, crimson finches, black crested cockatoos, amazing coloured parrots, kingfishers and a spectacular bird of prey demonstration with kites, eagles and falcons.

After walking around for 3 hours, I needed a rest, so headed for the café for a drink and an ice cream. I had tried to keep myself well hydrated, and it was good to see so many water fountains around the park. The driver was waiting to take me back at midday, and when I mentioned wanting to go to the Royal Flying Doctor Centre - he offered to drop me there. I spent a delightful few hours watching a movie about the place and looking around the museum.

I hadn't realized that it was originally established in 1928 in Queensland and was called the Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Service - hence QANTAS! There are many fundraising events going on all the time to keep it running, it is such a pity that funds aren't readily available, when it saves so many lives.

After Queen Elizabeth visited in the 1950's it became the Royal Flying Doctor Service. After a wander around the shop, I had to brave the heat again and find my way back to the hotel. That was my exploring done for the day, I spent the rest of the day around or in the pool - heaven!

Sunday

I had booked to go on a trip to the West MacDonnell Ranges - and was looking forward to being part of a group again even if it was only for the day. We left Alice very early and the first stop was the site of Rev. John Flynn's grave, who was sent here in 1912 to investigate the well being of the locals. Realizing their desperate lack of both services and communications (leading to far too many unnecessary deaths) he was the man behind the idea for the flying doctor service, and the pedal powered radios that were installed at outlying cattle stations. His grave is marked with a huge boulder, with the view of the McDonnell range behind.

I was expecting the scenery to be more like a sandy desert, after all this was the red centre! But I was surprised just how green it looked with grasses, bushes and trees. The grass was a special variety bought in from Africa, that was exceptionally tough and would withstand severe droughts, and the trees were mainly acacia and eucalyptus, although the white Ghost gum trees were my favourite.

The next stop was a walk along a wide, dry riverbed with immense quartzite cliffs towering on each side - to a cool, still waterhole called Simpson's Gap where we listened to the sounds of the surrounding desert. I could not believe how big the newly hatched cicadas were, they were everywhere, millions of them - their noises echoed around the cliffs and caused an immense, deafening noise.

It was only 9am, but already unbelievably hot; some tours such as the one to Palm Valley, had been cancelled because the temperatures were exceeding 50 degrees. Our next walk was through a shaded gorge, along a trickling stream with cycads and eucalyptus growing at each side, to the deep red cleft of Standley Chasm. The mile walk each way was well worth it, as the narrow red gorge at the end was so cool and breezy, and I could easily have stayed longer.

A 223km five day trek starts from here, called the Larapinta trail; I had no idea how anyone could walk for more than an hour in this heat! Our driver had headed back to the bus before us and made tea and coffee, to have with lamingtons and biscuits – a picnic in the park with a difference.

Next stop was our first chance to have a swim, at Ellery Creek Big Hole; it was very impressive, very shaded and very hot - but it wasn't very clean and I couldn't bring myself to jump in. I was happy to just have a paddle. This was “Alice's beach in the desert” and there were many families there with young children playing in the water. During the long drive to our next stop we were told that a third of all people in the Alice area are of aboriginal origin and unbelievably the last Aboriginal nomads came out of the desert here in 1974 and the first thing they were given was an ice cream!

We continued along the long, straight highway with numerous floodway signs, warning of flash floods that can fill these dips with up to 2 metres of water very quickly. We had a drink and a ploughman’s lunch at the Glen Helen Gorge resort, overlooking the river below with a tangerine rock face opposite - a popular spot for Weddings.

It was now the middle of the day, and it was so, so hot and we were all ready for a swim when we got to the lovely clean watering hole of Ormiston Gorge! The surroundings were wonderful and it was hard to believe you were in the desert; there was white sand, cool boulders and clear water and I did enjoy a refreshing dip.

The final stop of the day was the hottest stop of all, it was the ceremonial Ochre Pits that are still of important cultural significance. Ochre has been taken and traded from these pits for thousands of years; it is so precious that there are huge fines for even taking a small stone. By the time I got back to my hotel, I felt absolutely filthy, sweaty and exhausted - but had, had another great day out.

Monday

I didn't wake up until 7.30am and quickly got up and got myself sorted. I had arranged to meet Caroline, who was on the Kakadu camping trip with me last week, as her trip was supposed to be in Alice Springs today. I was delighted to see her waiting outside KFC as arranged. We found a little cafe and went for a cuppa and a long catch-up on our last 3 days adventures.

It was so nice to chat and I think we talked each other to death! We did a little shopping, as there were a few places open, and to my complete surprise I found a shop that sold material. Well I couldn't believe my luck, and just had to treat myself to a few unusual aboriginal pieces! I was surprised that she felt the same as me about Alice - really uncomfortable walking around, even in the daytime. It’s sad that even this early in the day, there were crowds of Aboriginals sitting on the pavements and in any green space - drinking! Anyway, we had a cold drink back at my hotel at lunchtime before she left; and then I packed and had a last swim; it was 43 degrees today and I was looking forward to getting back to a cooler 30 degrees in Darwin. Even though I would love to have seen the Kangaroo Dundee kangaroo rescue centre in Alice - I was happy with all that I had seen, done and experienced. It's the first time that I have been away to somewhere this hot, and never got sunburnt - factor 50 really does work!

I was very excited as I went to the train station to catch The Ghan. It is hard to believe that this amazing railway was only completed in 2004! This was one of the highlights of my whole trip, sad I know! It was so hot, and with 'proper' clothes on and I couldn't wait to get on board into the air conditioning!

I took a few shots of this famous train that started life as a camel train and rather like at an airport, after checking-in my case; I boarded and found my seat. The comfortable seats reclined, there was so much legroom and it really was lovely and cool.

I couldn’t stop looking out of the window and felt like a little kid on my first train journey. There was only an hour left until sunset and I wasn't going to miss one minute of it.

Even in that hour the scenery changed frequently; the trees were replaced by dry grasses, the red sand became burnt orange and then scorched mustard. The sunset as quite beautiful, but it was hard getting a photograph with the movement of the train. I went to the Matilda cafe, and had dinner whilst chatting to a lady from Sydney who was as excited as me about being on the train.

The lights went off at 10pm and it was a long night; it turned rather cool and the seats weren't comfortable after 8 hours but I wasn't complaining - I knew what to expect.

Tuesday

Daybreak finally arrived, and I couldn't wait to get up and about. The cafe was open, so a coffee was very welcome. We were due to arrive at Katherine at 9am, so I knew that it wouldn't be too long! You just wouldn't believe what happened next! An announcement came over the tannoy saying that a fuel train had derailed just north of Katherine, and the Ghan wouldn't be able to continue its journey to Darwin. The trips that everyone had booked in Katherine would still be going ahead, whilst they sorted out alternative transport to Darwin. I was just happy that I was still going on my helicopter ride over Katherine Gorge.

I was taken to Nitmiluk helipad and given the usual safety briefing, then I was volunteered to sit in the front of the helicopter, sounds great until you realize there are no doors at the front and I was exposed to the elements! Anyway, I didn't object, I just made sure that my camera was securely around my neck - I didn't want to lose anything!

We were soon soaring high up above the river leading to the infamous Katherine Gorge. This is one of Australia's most epic natural wonders; a series of 13 sandstone gorges carved out by the Katherine river, at the most amazing right angles and from the air you could really appreciate the zigzag pattern carved out of the landscape. The local Jawoyn people believe this was created by Bula, an important figure in their dreamtime stories.

In 1984, after many years of campaigning, the government awarded them their lands back and that is when it became known at Nitmiluk National Park. The land below was quite green to say that the 'wet' hadn't arrived there yet, but there had been a storm on Christmas day, and it doesn't take long to green-up. After flying up to see the first couple of sections of the gorge, we went over some dramatic waterfalls which were brilliant - especially when we banked around to get a better look over the top. I really had to cling on and it was the only time I missed having the glass door next to me.

It was a thoroughly enjoyable flight, but as always, over too quickly. On the way back to the train station, I saw that many of the houses were on stilts and I had always thought that this was to keep the house above nice and cool. But after hearing that after a flood here, only a few years ago, when the river rose 18 metres, a saltwater man eating crocodile was found swimming in Woolworth’s along with all of the food and crates - I think that the stilts are a safety precaution! Another quirky thing about Katherine is that outside town on the highway, people put strange objects by the road at the entrance to their property such an old rusty car, an old plane, an engine etc and their address would have been " at that object!" When I arrived back at the station, it was scorching hot and we were told to wait in our carriage and have some lunch. After about an hour, they had sorted a contingency plan and coaches had been arranged to take us up to Darwin. As we travelled north, the afternoon storm clouds were brewing and they were the worst yet. Apparently Cyclone Christine had been causing havoc nearby and the thunder, lightning and torrential rain was the worst that I have ever travelled in. A few times, when a vehicle (usually a 3 section road train) passed us going the opposite way, our coach was forced off the tarmac road onto the sandy verge - by the wind and water. We had a quick stop half way, with just enough time to buy an ice cream, and were on our way again. After 4 hours we actually arrived back in Darwin, at about the same time that we would have done on the train – but it hadn't been such a comfortable experience. But it had been an experience! I booked into my hotel and headed out onto the esplanade to catch the sunset - the most fantastic tangerine shades that I have ever seen. I had a drink in the hotel bar, sent lots of Happy New Year messages all around the world and headed to my much-needed bed. I needed to be ready to continue my adventure tomorrow!

Watch out for the final part of my adventure in the Northern Territory - coming very soon......

In the meantime, please check out my other blogs ..............

http://lynnemorleys.blogspot.com

http://lynnejmorley.blogspot.com

http://morleysjourneytoozandback.blogspot.com