You know, tour companies are often a dime a dozen – most are happy to just provide a convenient way of getting from A to B. It's the rare company that really makes your trip special, with their combination of local knowledge and organization.
With our first day at Ayer's Rock, Mulgas really set themselves apart here. Hayley got us up at a truly ridiculous hour (4:45am!), but it all paid off.
Her main objective was to get us at the main gate first, which would allow us to beat the rush to the best place to view sunrise over the rock. And, like most things on the trip, it worked to perfection.
We were into the park at 6:30am, and pulled into a semi-secret spot for sunrise. 99% of the tourists go to the other side, giving the view of the Rock being lit up from the early light.
Hayley had another idea. For our first view, she had us on the other side, which gave us a truly stellar silhouette view – which really gave us a sense of the sheer SIZE of the dang thing. Plus, we had it all to ourselves, enjoying over tea and breakfast. Here are some pics, but remember, these are at 4km away.
Yup, the rock is huge. We've all seen pics, but you've really got to see it to believe it. Ayer's Rock (Uluru) is 3.6 km long and 9.4km around, and wow, it simply looms over everything out there - over 1,000 feet above the flat plain. The bit that makes it special... Uluru is the largest single solid rock (monolith) in the world, we actually only see the tip of it. The rest of it, about 6km, extends underground. Like I said, gi-normous.
We then headed off to Uluru's cousin – a rock formation of 36 massive domes called Kata Tjuta. Not to overuse the word, but just like Uluru, it simply looms over everything. Even 40km away at the Rock, you can see it in the distance.
Different rock formation – with each of the domes being composed of layers of sandstone, Kata Tjuta is still pretty cool to check out. We did a circuit hike over two hours, then I had to bust out the frisbee in the parking lot, as we had to wait for some of the slower folks in our group.
The afternoon was what we had been looking forward to... getting to explore the Rock up close and personal.
To climb or not to climb?
There has been a controversy over tourists climbing the rock. Just like Half Dome in Yosemite, there's a seriously steep cable/step path up the rock. In recent years though, the Aussie gov't has put out a guideline asking tourists not to climb on what is, after all, a sacred rock to the local Aboriginals. In addition, the gov't seems to have pushed for this policy, as it has to rescue a large number of poorly prepared tourists each year.
Fair enough, until I heard from Hayley that this is by no means a universal belief among the Aboriginal folks. Pretty much, the one constant is asking for tourists to respect the rock, but the actual climbing isn't as hot button an issue as you will read on your tickets and so on. Renate, another girl on our tour, had the same conversation with a guy in Melbourne, who's brother's wife was a member of one of the local tribes. Basically, respect the rock, don't die on the rock (which in their beliefs requires a multi-week purification ceremony to convince the non-Aboriginal soul to leave), but that was 'bout it.
So... five of us decided to give it a shot.
And, just like Half Dome, it's a serious butt-kicker of a hike. 1.6 km all told going up – the first part is the hardest, with near vertical climbs and only a cable and your sandals to keep you upright
On a logical level, I wasn't too worried. I figured that there must be thousands of climbers each year, with many incredibly out of shape and poorly prepared, who don't die, that I should have no issues. Heck, even on my climb, I passed a group of Irish folks that included a portly woman in a skirt and cowboy boots – NOT the best choice for traction on rock!
Logic, schmogic - on the emotional level, that sort of reasoning goes out the window once you are gassed, halfway up, and holding on to the cable. It's the sort of place that if you slip, you die – which doesn't inspire a fair amount of thoughts of “why the @#$ am I doing this again?”
The rest of the climb wasn't nearly as bad – and reaching the top was an amazing feeling... with 360 degree views of the Outback stretching away, plus Kata Tjuta and other rpcl formations at up to 70km away.
The hike down was fun – but a bit aggravating, as I ended up waiting for a Vietnamese girl on our tour, who literally stopped and took pics every ten feet. No big deal, but the rest of the group was waiting for us, as we had a deadline to meet. So, by the end of it, I was somewhat irritable at having to keep prodding her along.
'course, not too grumpy to enjoy the views:
Oh, and I have to give incredible respect to the fit 72 year old Aussie guy who climbed up... he had to stop after the hardest third, but still... that guy rocked. I want to be like him when I grow up... *wink*
We then headed off to catch the famous sunset... where the rock changes colors from every shade of orange to purple in a matter of minutes.
Again, Hayley got us to the right place at the right time. There's only one place to really watch this, and we were able to set up our chair and beers at the best location. As bus after bus came in after us, we really appreciated the planning!
To kill some time before sunset, we had the team challenge of coming up with some perspective shots with Ayer's, including trying to jump over it... which I was able to do, even with my near-legendary lack of vertical ability:
Beers and dinner followed...
...witnessed by some cool 'punk rock' local birds, with mohawks and bright colors:
Our campsite was the best yet, with Mulgas having exclusive right to camp on Aboriginal land literally in the middle of nowhere. Some more party games followed, including 2UP/2DOWN, Magic Pig, Goon Box, Good Train/Bad Train and Magic Spoon... don't worry if you have no idea about what these are – I wrote them down and look forward to busting them out at a family gathering or ultimate game near you... be wary of Magic Pig though, very wary indeed.
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