Mozzies Around Australia: Day 97 Kings Canyon to Uluru

Left Kings Canyon early today to head for Ayers Rock Campground . We did stop on the way to have a look at Mt Connor which is often mistaken for Uluru when you first encounter it, There is a viewing area there to check it out.

We are staying at Yulara which includes all the accommodation, eating places , pubs, service stations and other services.

Big tip -if you are coming here make sure you get here early ( from 10.30am) as their check in process is quite long winded even if you have booked so it takes a long time to complete. We went passed later on in the day after being out at the sunset viewing and the line up was out the door with vans and others everywhere,

It is a big campground but if you do want a powered site make sure you ask for water as well as not all the sites have water access. You can still get but you have to go and fill up containers.

So as I said before , we did go out to the sunset viewing area the first afternoon. It was a bit impromptu so we were certainly not prepared as others. If you're really serious, you go out early get your position with your nibbles, drinks and chairs and enjoy the atmosphere. We weren't that organised but we still managed to get a park, take the photos and enjoy a small glass of Baileys care of the Blundell's. Thanks Cam and Di - it was delicious.

The rock at the rock

We left early but instead of coming back, headed onto the Mala carpark where all the walks start. No one there so took a photo

Next morning, it was time to tackle the Uluru Base walk - its 10.6kms around the base and the advice is it takes about 3.5 hours to do. so off we went and yes we made it. It was wonderful to walk all the way around and see the many different angles and images of this huge rock. You can't really get an idea of the scale till you are here. It is taller than the Eiffel Tower at 350 m tall but most of it is still under the ground - it is really an iceberg! Our starting point was where you used to be able to climb up the rock and you can clearly see the pathway left behind by millions of feet from over the years. a lot of areas around the rock are now sacred areas and you are very limited where you can take photos and at times was a bit confusing about where they started and ended. We did our best .

We think it took us about 3 hours 15mins to complete so not bad. If you have a push bike, you can ride around it which would be fun but we weren't prepared to pay the $60 each to hire the bike!

Next day it was off to Kata- Tjuta, Its about 44 km west of Uluru but at 500m very easy to see on the landscape as you drive there, There are a few walks we could do but chose the Valley of the winds walk and Warlu Gorge. The rocks here are very different from Uluru so it has a very different feel. Had a great day again as we enjoyed the scenery. It has been pretty cold but the shorts have stayed on .

Valley of the Winds

Warlu Gorge

Our last night here was the Field of Lights and you have to buy tickets to have a look and you can't drive out there. You are picked up by bus at an allocated time . I would book ahead by a couple of weeks to guarantee a spot!

This field is actually 50,000 optic bulbs that look like a field of poppies, designed by Bruce Munro after a visit to the area in 1992. He designed and with 15 volunteers put this display together . It was originally supposed to be for 5 moths in 2000 but is still going strong and currently the end date is now 2027. Taking photos was a challenge but we got different effects depending on the camera.