Uluru and The Olgas

After the climb we visited the Aboriginal Cultural Centre and then to the sunset viewing area.  We joined in a large collection of cars, campers and people with their cameras ready.  This was more than a sunset; this was an event!  The evening sun illuminated the rock in a deep orange colour which then became a series of deep reds. As the sun set over the horizon behind us, it transformed again into a faded brown colour and the sky filled with different colours behind it. It was an majestic and truly unforgettable sight.

Uluru at sunset

We stayed at a campground about 20km from the rock so that we could return for sunrise in the morning.  We nearly missed it because of a flat battery but just made it after some frantic asking around and nifty work with some jumper leads.  The early morning sun creates similar colour patterns to the evening, but in reverse order and on the opposite side.  There was another crowd there to witness the new day dawning and after getting our photos we had breakfast and prepared for the 10km base walk.

Uluru base walk

The hike around the base of the rock offered great views of its contoured surface, Aboriginal artwork and culturally significant sites such as caves.  It was even more impressive in the knowledge that about two-thirds of the rock is believed to be lying under the sand! It took about two hours to complete the 10km walk but a couple of people nursing a hangover decided that sleeping in the car was a better option! At mid-morning we left for Kata-Tjuta (The Olgas) - one of the few drives that we actually completed in under an hour!

Kata-Tjuta (The Olgas)

The Olgas are a striking group of domed rocks huddled together to form deep valleys and steep-sided gorges. There are two walks at the Olgas so after quickly doing the 2.6km Walpa Gorge Trail, I then hiked the longer 7.5km Valley of the Winds.  There are a couple of lookout points that offered wonderful views and some great photo opportunities of the unique landscape.  It was only towards the end that I realised walking 20km in the desert after drinking cask wine till 3am is not that easy!

Hiking the Valley of the Winds trail

That was the final stop of our tour and we set an immediate course back to Alice Springs.  Our original plan was to camp somewhere along the way but the general opinion was that everyone was just too tired and wanted a real bed!  So I drove a quiet, but very content little group the 450km back to our hostel where a hot shower and restaurant meal was oh so good!

Kings Canyon and Uluru

It’s funny the way distances can be deceiving. Somehow, I imagined that once we arrived at Alice Springs, Ayers Rock (Uluru), The Olgas and Kings Canyon would be within easy reach. It doesn’t look far on the map, but our exploration of these amazing places would mean another 1,500km of travel! It’d take three days but what a great three days it was!

Arriving in Alice Springs

Our travelling group was enlarged by one the night before we left after meeting a friend from Cairns at the hostel here.  Travel offers these little quirks of fate and we were all happy to make space for her.  There wasn't a lot to spare though because we only had an eight-seat car. However, with some careful packing we managed to fit the tents, sleeping bags, camping gear, food and the alcohol we needed and hit the road again.

Setting off on another desert adventure

For this trip our chariot was christened (I've been through the desert on a) 'Horse With No Name' and we arrived at Kings Canyon late afternoon.  There are a couple of walks to do so we chose the shorter one that goes along the base to an area called the Garden of Eden.  It's not as idyllic as it sounds but it had a large pool of water which was nicely shaded by the surrounding trees.  The water wasn't exactly pristine but we enjoyed a swim anyway after a hot day travelling.

The next morning I did the 6km Canyon Rim Walk that firstly ascends and then follows around the edge of the canyon.  It was spectacularly beautiful and many travellers rate it as a highlight of their trip to the area.  The best views were at the far end where you can see right back to where the canyon opens.  All along the track though there were fascinating rock formations and desert plants.  It took about two hours to complete the circuit before joining the others and leaving for Uluru.

Rim Walk, Kings Canyon

We stopped along the way to photograph a group of feral camels and it wasn’t long before a huge monolith appeared on the horizon. Our initial thought was that it must be Uluru but it had a unique table-topped shape that is different from the distinctive curves we’d all seen in photos. What we were actually looking at was Mount Connor and we received even better views of it from the lookout just before turning onto the Lasseter Highway. Once we made the turn the majestic Uluru was waiting and looming ever larger as we approached.

The imposing sight of Uluru

Uluru is undoubtedly an awesome sight.  It has a powerful presence and I could see immediately why it is sacred and so revered by the traditional Aboriginal owners. Through the day, it seems to have different moods that are represented by its changing colours. The mid-afternoon sun had turned the rock a ochre-brown colour and for the boys it was our immediate mission to climb it.  The girls decided it was either too challenging or preferred to abide by the plea not to climb out of cultural respect.

350 metres above the desert!

Personally, I thought the climb was an awesome experience and didn't feel any sense of being culturally disrespectful.  The first part is very steep and requires the help of a chain to pull yourself up.  Once that initial section was negotiated, it became easier as we continued on to the summit which is some 350m above the car park.  There wasn't a cloud in the sky so we got amazing 360 degree views over the outback.  In one direction was Mount Connor we'd seen earlier and in the other was the distinctive shape of The Olgas.

Going West

The second day took us across to a place called Cloncurry which is famous for a couple of reasons.  Firstly, is that it holds the record for the highest temperature ever recorded in Australia - 53.1C back in 1889. It's also the first place that a flying doctor flight departed from.  We stayed just outside the town because the camper was completely self-sufficient and didn't need to be at a camp ground.  The only thing we missed out on was not being able to use the TV/DVD player and microwave.

Warm welcome to Cloncurry

The morning of the third day I decided to leave before the van and run for an hour or so.  By the time they filled up with fuel and water I’d run about 24km through the desert heat.  Then I was the one that had to be filled with fuel and water! I enjoyed the experience and even had a group of about 20 cattle jogging along with me on the other side of the fence for a couple of kilometres. From where they picked me up, it was only a short drive to the mining town of Mount Isa. It’s best at sunset but we took in a quick panoramic view of the town from the City Lookout before pushing on.

We aimed to get to Three Ways for our third night. This is the aptly named point where the Barkly and Stuart Highways meet. From here, it's north to Darwin, south to Alice Springs and east back to Townsville. However, distances are vast and we ended up staying in a rest area about 150km short of our target.  It gave us the opportunity through to enjoy a silent, starry night and a beautiful sunrise early the next morning. We then saddled up and started driving because it'd be a long day with nearly 700km to cover.

 

Outback sunset

We had breakfast in the Northern Territory town of Tennant Creek which was established as a result of a small gold rush in the 1930’s. Today about half the population is of Aboriginal descent and it services a vast region of cattle stations and indigenous communities. Many travellers have little choice to stop here because it’s the only town between Katherine, 680km to the north and Alice Springs, 511km to the south. Convenient maybe, but it is also dusty and rather unattractive so we didn’t stay long.

Barrow Creek Telegraph Station

The landscape changed again down the Stuart Highway.  At the Queensland/Northern Territory state line the land was flat and stretched as far as the eye could see.  Closer to Alice Springs, the landscape became more undulating and the horizon was punctuated with brown hills and rocky outcrops. We stopped at Barrow Creek, which has a historic telegraph station and the most authentic outback pub you could imagine.  We had a beer and enjoyed the local ambience for a while before continuing on our way.

Devils Marbles

Our last stop before Alice Springs was at the gigantic and precariously balanced boulders called the Devils Marbles. For the Aboriginal people, they are known as Karlu Karlu and the rocks are believed to be from the Rainbow Serpent. The ‘marbles’ are actually the rounded remains for a granite layer that has eroded over aeons. Either way, the phenomenon of huge boulders seemingly balancing on each other is an extraordinary sight and we all enjoyed getting some photos before doing the final 400km down the road to our final destination.

Into the Outback

By September, the dry season in Cairns was coming to an end. It was the perfect time to continue the journey and my next destination would be some 2,500km southwest across the Australian outback. Amid the vast surroundings of the red desert, I was headed for Alice Springs and I was delighted to have five friends that I’d be sharing the overland adventure with.

Our transport for this epic journey was a six-berth campervan that a hire company needed to relocate from Cairns. The arrangement was that we only paid $25 a day and in return we had three and a half days to complete the distance. We christened the campervan "Priscilla, Queen of the Desert" and she drove like a dream. It was like an apartment on wheels complete with shower, toilet, cooking facilities, microwave and DVD player.

Priscilla, Queen of the Desert

The best route to Alice Springs is going down the coast to Townsville and then west through Mount Isa.  When we met Stuart Highway near Tenant Creek, it would be a six hour run south to our final destination…

The scenery on the five hour drive down the north Queensland coast to Townsville would be in stark contrast to what we’d see for most of the journey. At various times we had mountain ranges on one side the Pacific Ocean on the ocean. There was lush green rainforest and fields of sugar cane. The first town we passed through was Innisfail which is rich in art deco buildings of the 1930’s. Aside from sugar cane, this is banana country and there are plenty of plantations in the area.

Big golden gumboot, Tully

Not far south is the town of Tully is the sugar-mill town of Tully. The big golden gumboot at the town entrance proudly boasts that it is the wettest place in Australia. The upside to this is that it’s a great place to experience white water rafting in the nearby Tully River. It’s also just a short drive to beautiful Mission Beach where the World Heritage rainforest meets the Coral Sea in a 14km stretch of palm-fringed inlets and beaches. Aside from hiking and various water sports, it’s also one of the closest access points to the Great Barrier Reef.

So we’d love to have stayed a day or two but we were on a schedule and had to keep moving. The city of Townsville would be the ideal place to stop for lunch and more fuel. We decided it would be a great idea to eat our sandwiches on the landscaped waterfront esplanade. It’d be the last that we’d see of the ocean for quite some time!

The Strand, Townsville

The landscape changed as we drove inland. Lush green rainforest, banana plantations and cane fields were replaced by tussock-like grass, gum trees, rocks and earth which became a distinctly red colour as we moved toward the Northern Territory. We were in the awesome frontier of the Australian outback. It’s harsh country that also has a unique beauty to it. This would be a road trip like no other I’d ever done and we all had a sense of excitement about what we were experiencing.

Dinosaur Museum, Richmond

We stayed the first night in a truck stop at the dusty town of Charters Towers. There’s really nothing of interest here other than the impressive road trains with four trailers that were also parked up there for the night. The next day we’d cross the Great Dividing Range and truly appreciate the sheer size of the country we were traversing. The dusty opened wide and the sky above even wider. As far as the eye could see, the sun was beating down on the ancient landscape in a relentless but almost mesmerising way.

Diving the Great Barrier Reef

My first time scuba diving could almost be likened to having sex for the first time. I had to be directed in what to do but I was clumsy it was also a painful experience. Ironically enough, it was my ears that were giving me the trouble! I must have missed the all important memo that stated: “Ensure that you equalise the pressure in your ears as soon as you submerge under the water”. I waited until I was a metre or two below the surface before attempting my first equalisation.

Learning in the swimming pool

It was too late and I couldn’t relieve the pressure. It was painful and the usual tricks of swallowing and jaw movement weren’t helping. The doctor’s words came back to my mind: “I can’t let you go diving with only one good ear. Imagine if something happened to that?” Maybe the good doctor was right after all. What was I doing risking my hearing? As the rest of my group made their way down the rope I languished near the surface wondering if I’d be able to join them.

“Are you okay?” my dive instructor asked me with a questioning thumbs up. “Take a wild guess whether I’m okay” I wanted to reply but communication under water didn’t allow for such words. I pointed to my ears and indicated I wasn’t sure. He understood and waited with me while I desperately tried to resolve the problem. After a long few minutes I had relieved enough of the pressure to get down and join my group. As they say, there’s one in every crowd and today it was me.

Off the back of the dive boat

After an uncomfortable 35 minutes I was glad to be back aboard the dive boat. After removing all my gear I needed the bathroom. It was there in the mirror that I noticed a faint line of blood across my cheeks where my mask had been sitting. “Oh great” I thought, “the pressure did rupture something in my head and it’s been bleeding out my nose”. I quickly tested my hearing by talking to myself. It all sounded okay and when I told my dive instructor he told me it’s not too unusual and not to worry.

Fortunately things improved and I began to enjoy my diving. I was able to do the various tests to get my open water certification and took some confidence into being able to complete the advanced course. This included additional challenges such as doing a navigation dive, descending to greater depths and also several night dives. It took some courage to submerge into the pitch black ocean at night but once the initial apprehension was overcome it was a unique and thrilling experience.

 

The wonder of the Great Barrier Reef

The Great Barrier Reef is a marine wonderland and home to some of the greatest biodiversity of any ecosystem on earth. Aside from over 30 species of marine mammals, it is also home to countless types of fish, coral, molluscs and sponges. As much as I had the privilege of seeing, I was merely scratching the surface of this wonderful world that is so vastly different to our own. As I admired the amazing array of brightly coloured fish and coral, I often thought that we must do all we can to protect and nurture such an extraordinary environment.

Preparing to Dive

Although it wasn’t an organised tour, I had a great day with a couple of friends going initially up to the pretty sands of Trinity Beach and Palm Cove. I decided that if I ever became rich, I was coming back to this place on a luxurious holiday! After strolling the beach and swimming we headed inland to the township of Kuranda. Set amid pristine rainforest, is a popular tourist destination for the markets and various sanctuaries for butterflies, birds and even snakes. While others shopped, I did the Jungle Walk trail to the Barron Waterfall.

The idyllic Palm Cove

For many, the attraction of Kuranda is in the journey as much as the destination. While we took the road up the hill, there is also a scenic railway that winds 34km from Cairns up through picturesque mountains and 15 tunnels. This line took five years to build which isn’t bad considering it was opened in 1891! Another popular and certainly the most spectacular way of enjoying the Kuranda rainforest is on the 7.5km gondola cableway. Maybe something else I’ll do when I’m rich!

Kuranda Scenic Railway

As I mentioned, Cairns was where I ticked ‘scuba diving’ and ‘Great Barrier Reef’ off my bucket list. After working on the dive boat for several weeks it was now time to get my diving medical and begin my first course. A mere formality I thought to myself as I idly ticked yes and no boxes on the doctor’s form. I was fit and healthy but as I sat in the doctor’s office I could sense a problem emerging. “Tell me about your hearing loss” the doctor asked me.

“Pardon me?” I replied but it seemed that this wasn’t the moment for joking. I am virtually deaf in one ear and the doctor didn’t like this at all. “I’m sorry” he informed me “but we can’t issue you a dive medical with only one good ear. “It’s too risky. I’m sorry”. He is sorry? What about me! I was totally devastated and as I returned to the hostel I was nearly in tears. This was a dream being crushed by the red pen of a doctor. Besides, it was my only way of being paid for all my work.

Down Under Dive boat Osprey V

The silver lining of my dark cloud was my friend at the hostel who told me not to worry and assured me that I’d be able to go scuba diving. “How can I possibly go without a medical certificate?” I reasoned with her. She smiled at me and gave me a wink. “You simply go to another doctor” she replied “and don’t disclose anything about hearing loss”. “But they’ll test me won’t they?” I insisted. “Probably not” she continued to reassure me, “they’re too busy for all that!”

And so it was. With a little tick in the wrong place on the ‘Hearing Loss’ question, I soon had my precious medical certificate and was making a booking to begin my PADI Open Water course. Initially there was some theory work to do and which involved becoming familiar with all the equipment. There was also a lot of safety information to learn before the baby steps of getting submerged in the swimming pool. Finally, the big day arrived: it was time to begin scuba diving on the reef.

North to Cairns

One of the great things about travelling Australia is that you can move with the seasons and get the best weather. In other words, when winter was starting to set in down south, I headed north to Cairns in the north of Queensland. Here the tropical rain and humidity was receding and I could settle into a comfortable climate of bright sunny days with average temperatures in the mid 20’s. After taking some time to be a tourist I’d settle in, earn some money and learn to scuba dive before continuing my journey.

Although it was April and the wet season hadn’t yet dried up, I was keen to get to the beach for a swim. But like many tourists I was disappointed to find only mud flats that stretch along beside the esplanade boardwalk. To make up for it though is the wonderful artificial swimming lagoon which has been created on the reclaimed foreshore. Like so many other travellers, I enjoyed a few lazy afternoons there with friends that I’d met at my hostel. From the lagoon, it’s a pleasant walk around to the marina and Trinity Inlet where the cruise boats and daily island ferries leave from.

Cairns swimming lagoon

The beaches are just north of the city and the most appealing of them is the stretch of white sand at the curiously named Yorkeys Knob. This was the first stop on a little day trip I had up to the resort town of Port Douglas. It’s a nice drive up the Captain Cook Highway and the town itself is a relaxing place for those looking to enjoy tropical north Queensland without the backpacker crowd that is a perennial part of Cairns. It’s more expensive though and most accommodation is a range of self-contained apartments or upmarket resorts.

City view from the Botanical Gardens

I played tourist while waiting to find a job in Cairns. A favourite place quickly became the Flecker Botanical Gardens which included some lovely walking tracks through the rainforest. One in particular offered viewpoints over the city in one direction and the airport in the other. Through the dry season this became a running circuit that I always the challenges and rewards of. I visited the small museum and always enjoyed the ambience of the night markets.

Cairns is a nice town that became my home for five months. It didn’t take long to realise though that it is a gateway to surrounding attractions more than anything. Literally hundreds of tours bus, boat, fly or drive out of the city on a daily basis. The most popular of these is obviously the Great Barrier Reef and I was fortunate to be able to get a job with a dive company helping with the annual maintenance of their ship. Instead of receiving payment in cash, I was compensated with being able to complete my open water and advanced scuba diving certification.

Snorkelling on the Great Barrier Reef

The other job I was working at the huge flashpacker resort of Gilligan’s. For most guests, it’s expensive and impersonal but I was in a room with other staff so we all become friends and had a good time at a discounted rate. Working as a kitchen hand here was probably the most unglamorous work I’ve ever done but it provided badly needed money and a place to stay. It also meant getting free drinks at the bar and at least one good meal a day which many backpackers couldn’t lay a claim to!

Gilligan's - my north Queensland home

There were other perks as well. Every Thursday the guys from the AJ Hackett Bungy Jumping site would come in for promotional work and in return the Gilligan’s staff would receive free jumps. After about a month, Gilligan’s began doing yacht tours out to the reef so I enjoyed a complimentary day of cruising, swimming and snorkelling. Aside from the hostel, accommodation, restaurant and bar, we also had a tour desk that kept us in the loop for good deals and last minute options.