My Trip To The Great Outback (II)

Day 2: Kata Tjuta

The following morning we had a 5 a.m. wake-up call. The plan was to rise before the sun so that we could watch it rise above Uluru while eating breakfast. Unfortunately, due to the rain we were forced to remain at camp for brekky, and by the time we reached Uluru the sun (or what you could see of it) had already risen. Still, we were able to catch a pretty awesome view of the rock with mysterious, misty clouds hovering above like a chimney stack.

We then made our way to Kata Tjuta. Kata Tjuta is another random rock formation found in the middle of the Red Center, only it is much less publicized and know than Uluru. This is because the entirety of Kata Tjuta is a men’s sacred sight, so the aboriginal people do not permit photographs of the sight to be used for commercial purposes. My blog isn’t a money-maker, so I can share the photos I took with you (hooray!); BUT don’t you dare steal my pictures and re-publish them commercially, otherwise the aboriginals will have your head on a platter. Trust me; you don’t want to anger them. There was one book in the gift shop full of letters from people who had stolen rocks from Uluru who swore that afterward their lives fell in shambles and they had years of poor fortune. These people would do anything to go back in time and NOT take a piece of the sacred Uluru. So this is your warning: don’t publish the Kata Tjuta pictures. And with that said, here they are…

Kata Tjuta in the misty morning

Kata Tjuta up close

As I said, this day was a rainy one. So rainy in fact that I had to whip out my emergency poncho. I am so glad I bought this sucker, and even more glad that I just happened to bring it with me to the usually dry outback. Despite the rain, the 2 hour trek around Kata Tjuta was awesome! Not knowing what to expect, I was pleased to discover a red rock world of canyons, boulders, wildlife, rivers and waterfalls. Unlike the basewalk around Uluru, which compared to a simple walk around a high school track, the walk through Kata Tjuta entailed hiking and climbing through and around the formations, each time revealing a new sight to behold. And the rain actually turned out to be a blessing because we were able to see numerous waterfalls scaling down the sides of the rocks. Sarah informed us that this was a rare sight; in the 14 months she had been working as a Rock Tour guide, this was the first time she had ever seen these waterfalls. How cool.

Weather woes? Nope! Fashion woes? Maybe

The skies briefly cleared up

Waterfall scaling the sides

Sarah used my leg as a canvas to demonstrate how the clay rocks were used as paint

After the walk, we were soaked to the bone. We retreated to a new campground at Kings Canyon where we spent the remainder of the day attempting to dry ourselves, our clothing and our swags over a fire. By this time the rain had passed, so we were somewhat successful; rather than sleeping on drenched swags, we slept on damp ones. We also had a lovely fire-side dinner, which was prepared in pots atop of the hot ashes. The meal consisted of chili, rice and vegetables and was mmm mmm good. After the sun had set, we laid gazing at the starry night sky above.

Collecting firewood from trees along the roadside on the way to camp

Kings Creek Station, where we stayed the second night

Cooking dinner

Some of the other campers (Canadian, French and Italian)

The sunset