So we spent yesterday driving to Uluru and now here we are, visiting Ayre’s Rock and The Olgas. We started the day with Sam, Mum and I getting up at 6:30 to see the sun rise over Ayre’s rock (Dad and the girls were still asleep). Then we all had breakfast and headed out to the National Park.
We would have climbed to the top of Ayre’s Rock but it was closed because of the windy weather. Instead we did a guided walk to a waterhole at the base of the rock called Mala. The cheese grater thing was something we learned from the tour guide. The surface of the rock is like a cheese grater in that it is made of rusted shingles (like house roof shingles) of sandstone which point up rather than down as they peel of the rock. The result of someone sliding down Uluru is similar to the result of an apple on a cheese grater. Not pretty.
We drove to the Olgas and did the walk to the Valley of the Winds, where the wind was so loud you could hardly hear people speak! After that it was already one so we came back to the van for an early dinner of barbequed sausages and kangaroo and then drove back out to the park to watch the sunset and turn the rock from bright orange, to deep red, to dark purple.
Tonight has been an early night for everyone and a hope that tomorrow will be more promising in regards to the climb (Sam was really disappointed that it was closed).