Jumping on a Toyota Land Cruiser before dawn in Alice Springs, the nine tourist head
for the south. Don, the guide for this tour, began to introduce himself and our 3-day
adventure started. This outback tour mainly consists of walking and bush camping around
Uluru National Park. We went to Ayers Rock (Uluru), Mt. Olga (Katatjuta), Kings Canyon,
and enjoyed walking under the intense sunlight. At night we slept under the stars with swags
(big sleeping bag for sleeping without tent) after dinner. I had not seen the milky way
such clearly before then. I stayed up late and was looking up at it for a long time.....
This tour was the hardest and the most excited event for me.
(R) At Kings Canyon. They couldn't help lying down because there is a precipitous sheer
cliff under their eyes
Sunset (L) and sunrise (R) at the camp site in Uluru National Park
Of course Uluru (Ayers Rock) is the highlight in Central Australia, isn't it? At first
I was not very interested in this popular huge rock. I had expected it was just a sightseeing
spot. But as I saw it actually, I had to change my prejudice. It looked like a huge
god that sticks to the ground with mysterious gravitation. I understood it has been a sacred
place for Aborigines since ancient days. Being afraid of god's punishment, we climbed
such a holy rock. And we managed to reach the top after 1-hour straggle. Uluru is 348m
height ground level (867m above sea level). But it is only a part of the whole rock and
most part is under the ground.
(L) An open landscape from the top of Uluru. We look around the dry earth of Central Australia
(R) Uluru with a short distance
The beginning one-third is the hardest for climbing Uluru. Some people have died here
(most of the victims are said to die for heart attack or heatstroke, not slipping).
Katatju‚”a (Mt.Olga). This consists of more than 30 rocks.
The participants of the tour. The tall man on the right is our guide, Don.