MONDAY 7 JUNE     YULARA

The day began still cloudy, but the rain had stopped.

We set out to visit the Olgas, stopping on the way at the Kata Tjuta Viewing Area, for some photos of the Olgas domes from a distance.

Left Truck in the Valley of the Winds car park and set out to walk, with lunch and the little first aid kit in my day pack, and our water bottles.

My first impression was that quite a lot of track works have been done here in the six years since we visited. And it is evident that a lot of feet have come this way since then.

Signs to the two domes lookouts basically ensure that those walking the Valley of the Winds circuit do so anti-clockwise. I seem to remember that in 1993, one could go either way, and we went the other way then. So today’s experience seemed quite different, more interesting, and much easier than in my memory.

The full circuit walk is about 8kms. We managed it well.

The first lookout, about a km in, gives a vista of some of the dome formations. They are a red sandstone, like Ayers Rock, but otherwise totally different in appearance.

The second lookout, about another 1500 metres further in, requires a climb up a narrow gap between domes. From there is a great view down into what appears to be a central valley between multiple domes.

 

From the car park to the first lookout, we were in the company of a number of other walkers. Some of these dropped away after that point, but some continued, with us, to the second lookout. However, we were the only walkers in that cluster, to continue on. I guess people think that they have seen enough, from the lookout, but they really miss an excellent experience by not going on. Walking down in the valleys, surrounded by the complexity of the domes, and with changing vegetation, little creek gullies, and constantly changing perspectives, is really quite memorable.

 

Down in the valley, we ate our lunch beside the track. Whilst there, we were passed by a couple of walkers. I just can’t believe how few walkers there are here. Guess it was the same on the Rock circuits – people drive around it on the road, but very few do the walk.

With lots of photo stops, as well as the lunch stop, the full walk – almost 8kms – took us three hours.

Drove back to Yulara. There was no mail for us, and no papers in.

John wanted pizzas for tea, so we bought some ingredients to make our own.

Since the mail hasn’t come, stopped at the office and booked in for another day.

Made the pizzas and cooked them in the van oven. We ate one for tea and left the second one for tomorrow’s tea.

K phoned us to say that the mail room at his work had messed up, and our bag of mail has ended up back in his pigeon-hole there! At least we now know where it is. I told him to send it to Alice Springs, instead. He had been fishing and caught a huge trout that had to be bent to fit in the oven – such fishing seems a remote concept, from here. They had lost Fox dog – for two days. She got out when he was mowing. I think John was kind of pleased that he is now not the only one who has lost her. Little varmint. Our Butch, of course, stayed put.

Now we have an extra day here that we really do not need, because we have done all that we wanted. Oh well.

John stayed up until 6am, having a real session with his computer game.