On a business trip to Alice Springs, two coworkers and I decided to take a day off to see Uluru (also known as Ayer’s Rock). This is one of the most well-recognized features of the Australian outback, so we couldn’t pass up this opportunity.
We signed on with a bus tour that left town at midnight. That night, we hung out at Bojangles, enjoying the free peanuts, the strong beer, and the live music. As our hour approached, we left for the bus pickup location. We got on the bus and went to sleep for the 6-hour drive. The bus was barely a quarter full, so there was plenty of room to stretch out. Several times throughout the night, we awoke to a loud BANG and a violent shaking of the bus. Turns out the bus hits kangaroos pretty regulary, and considering they’re about my size (~6 feet tall, almost 200 lbs), it was no wonder.
We arrived at Uluru in time to catch the sun rising on the rock, which was simply breathtaking. The pictures don’t do it justice. We had our free breakfast and then headed to the rock. We wanted to climb the rock (even though the Aboriginees prefer we not) but the trail was closed due to high winds. We instead decided to do the 10km (6 mile) hike around the base of the monolith. We set a fast pace since the bus tour was sticking around for less than 2 hours. We made it, but ended up holding up the rest of the bus for about 10-15 minutes.
The bus then headed over to Kata Tjuta (also known as The Olgas) and the guide took us on a short hike and lectured us on the area, the flora & fauna, and the native people who lived here. We left there, stopped at one of the resorts for lunch, and headed back for Alice Springs. On the way we stopped at several roadside gas stations. At one of them, the owner had a pet dingo, which was pretty cool.
All in all, one of the most fun, awe-inspiring trips I’ve taken.
