Because of the recent cyclone that hit the eastern coast of Queensland and the subsequent flooding, I decided to once again change my itinerary, which left me with some opportunities for new places to see/visit based out of Brisbane. So on Friday I flew to Yulara in the red center of Australia, in the Northern Territory. The outback, and home to Ayers Rock (Uluru) and The Olgas (Kata Tjuta) and other mountain ranges. The air travel went smoothly, and i was meant to join the Intrepid tour at the local resort; there were huge tour busses at the airport that serve as the shuttle to the one resort (with multiple properties). I had been told that it was important to get thereat a certain time, so had a bit of anxiety when the shuttle had to wait for scores of people as they collected their luggage. Once at the hotel I found some other people also waiting for their guides and in short order Ross came and collected 3 of us. And then it was back to the airport to pick up another 5 people! So, wasted concern about getting to the hotel… just an example of how some of these tours don’t always have the best communication.
Of the 8 of us on this tour, 6 were German speaking — 4 from near Cologne and a mom/daughter from near Zurich. So it was just me and Ian, a 27-year old from Taiwan, as the non-German contingent. We all settled into the van and headed towards King’s Canyon, which I guess I didn’t realize was 3 1/2 hours away! In 1864 Ernest Giles was charged by the Governor of South Australia to find a route across the country. He discovered a range of mountains, which he named the George Gill range, and King’s Canyon. No wildlife as we headed out except some wild horses on both sides of the road. And lots of desert oaks, which start off tall and skinny until they find a reliable water source and then spread out more like a typical oak.
We arrived at our stationary, tented campgrounds just as the sun was setting, and organized the sleeping arrangements before it got too dark. The tents are on wooden platforms with canvas sides and a door. Inside are wooden benches on which a thin mattress sits. So that’s the room — add a sleeping bag and an inflatable pillow and a couple of flashlights and call it the George Gill HIlton! Some of the group chose to sleep under the stars in what is called a SWAG — essentially a sleeping bag shaped tent with a mattress pad in which you unroll a sleeping bag. That option was a little bit too much of a camp experience for me — and i had heard that there were a couple of dingoes snooping around in the next campsite over.
We were all enlisted to help make dinner, the ingredients of which had come along with us. It was a group effort over propane burners and a couple of big cast iron pots. And then it was almost 10PM, and a long day for all, so we each retired to our choice of accommodations. While this was certainly more luxe than a tent on the ground, it still involved having to use a flashlight to make one’s way in the dark to the toilets, and a sleeping bag, so to me it’s camping! We. had to be up and out by 6AM, so as is often the case with an early alarm, my sleep was fitful at best. (The middle of the night walk to the toilets didn’t help). But the stars were amazing! It was a place with no city lights anywhere, and the moon was almost full, and the milky way and the upside down constellations were gorgeous.
