When we realized we were to shortly leave Australia last July, we decided we had to see Uluru or Ayer's Rock, which is waaayyyy out in the middle of the country, in the southern part of the huge Northern Territory; it's not exactly easy to get to. In asking around, many Aussies have not even been out there.We flew 3 hours northwest to Darwin and spent an afternoon exploring that small city of about 100,000. It was hot! 86*F and it's winter for crying out loud! Cannot imagine what it is like up here in the summer with temps in the 100's* + 98% humidity! The city has been rebuilt twice in the last 70 years: after it was bombed by the Japanese during WW2 in 1942-43 (over 60 times!) and after Cyclone Tracy in 1974.
In Darwin we boarded "The Ghan" train to take us South overnight to Alice Springs. It is one of the two well known rail trips in Australia, running North to South, Darwin to Adelaide, or visa versa; the other being the Indian Pacific which travels West to East - Sydney to Perth.
We've never been on an overnight train trip - it was very relaxing and a great way to see the countryside! The staff was wonderful and the food was terrific! Photos are of the lounge car, 
Roy in our compartment and me modeling when the seats folded down into bunk beds. Romantic it was not but very comfortable. We had our own tiny bathroom with a fold up toilet, along with the smallest shower I've ever seen! It was definitely an experience showering on a moving train, but very nice getting rocked to sleep.
The train's name is an abbreviated version of its earlier nickname, "the Afghan Express", after the Afghan camel drivers who ran supply trains into central Australia for 50 years before the railroad was completed in 1930 from Adelaide to Alice Springs. The last leg north to Darwin was not completed until 2004.We spent the night in the small city of Alice Springs, which is almost in the dead center of Australia. This is a picture of the nearby Todd River, which they say if you see water in the river three times, you're considered a local. FYI, the last time was 2001.
From there we joined with a bus tour group to drive the 281 miles Southwest out to Uluru; which we learned has its pros and cons. Pros being you don't have to drive and can enjoy the scenery, but the cons are feeling rushed when we stopped to see things or the tour guide that would not shut up while driving so we could take a nap! Anyway........
Have you ever wondered where the name Ayer's Rock came from? I did, so here's the scoop: it was named in 1873 after the then- Chief Secretary of Southern Australia, Sir Henry Ayers. As the rock is in the Northern Territory, I found this a little odd.......
Uluru is the name given to this very large piece of sandstone by the local Aboriginal people, the Pitjantjatjara and is in the Uluru - Kata National Park. It is a little over 1100 ft high and is almost 6 miles around the perimeter; a heck of alot larger than I thought it was! Visitors can climb to the top but the trail is super steep even with the chain handholds; we saw people inching down on their bottoms and several have fallen and died over the years. We chose not to since it is a sacred site to the Aborigines. And, well, remember I mentioned the "not enough time" thing? The chain is directly behind Roy's head.
I mentioned it was winter during our visit so that explains why I look cold in this sunrise picture; we were able to see a sunset and sunrise on the Rock and it's true; it does change color as the sun rises on sets on it.
Lodging near "the Rock" is at the nearby Ayer's Rock Resort; a group of several hotels,ranging from camping to 4 stars. We took the bus back to Alice Springs and flew home to Brisbane via Adelaide.
Many thanks to our friends, the Antuar family for taking care of Rio while we were gone.
It was a quick but great trip. A must-see when you travel to "Auz". It's on your Bucket List, right? There are many more places we'd love to visit in this big beautiful world but taking the Indian Pacific Train trip is definitely in the top ten. Want to join us?
Uluru is the name given to this very large piece of sandstone by the local Aboriginal people, the Pitjantjatjara and is in the Uluru - Kata National Park. It is a little over 1100 ft high and is almost 6 miles around the perimeter; a heck of alot larger than I thought it was! Visitors can climb to the top but the trail is super steep even with the chain handholds; we saw people inching down on their bottoms and several have fallen and died over the years. We chose not to since it is a sacred site to the Aborigines. And, well, remember I mentioned the "not enough time" thing? The chain is directly behind Roy's head.
I mentioned it was winter during our visit so that explains why I look cold in this sunrise picture; we were able to see a sunset and sunrise on the Rock and it's true; it does change color as the sun rises on sets on it.Lodging near "the Rock" is at the nearby Ayer's Rock Resort; a group of several hotels,ranging from camping to 4 stars. We took the bus back to Alice Springs and flew home to Brisbane via Adelaide.
Many thanks to our friends, the Antuar family for taking care of Rio while we were gone.
It was a quick but great trip. A must-see when you travel to "Auz". It's on your Bucket List, right? There are many more places we'd love to visit in this big beautiful world but taking the Indian Pacific Train trip is definitely in the top ten. Want to join us?
1 comment:
I'm definitely joining you on the Indian Pacific! I've been saying for years that I'd love to go to Perth on the train and then fly back. Actually, Carl is talking about taking Paul and me to Perth later next year. That's where he served his mission and he'd like to go back and say 'hi' to a few people - and holidays are usually more fun with company! When he talked about us going with him, I said we didn't have the money to pay to go to Perth. He said we paid for him to go, so he'd pay for us! Fair deal! He works full-time and lives at home - he can afford it!!
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