Following what we thought was a fairly epic wander through the bush yesterday, our bodies were screaming out for a rest, so we gave them just that, to an extent. Rather than rushing back into the national park at an early hour as we had originally envisaged, we took a much more comfortable direction instead.

This started with a late morning wake up call, followed by a quick bout of housework. It never ceases to amaze me that each morning we can sweep the equivalent of a couple of sand dunes worth of soft red sand from the van, and even before you can empty the dust pan, more small piles are already building. It doesn’t help that the dogs track much of it in upon their furry little, sand grabbing feet.

With all the chores completed, bar the hanging up of the still tumbling washing, we set about on a task of a much more appetising nature, the task of cooking up a scrumptious breakfast, although time wise it could also have safely been considered a lunch, of protein and energy laden bacon and eggs. Ten eggs, eight rashes of thick greasy bacon, and six bits of hot buttered toast, we could have feed an army. Well, could have if we hadn’t have been as hungry as we were, a sensation that was fully satiated once we had devoured the lot all on our own.

By the time we eventually built up the required enthusiasm to get our act into gear, it was already nearing 1:00PM, which we figured would allow us plenty of time to complete the little adventure that we have in store for today. With only a limited amount of time here in Yulara, we have decided that today we would head for the other main attraction around here, taking the 50KM drove from the van park to the domed rock formation of Kata Tjuta, which in the local language means ‘many heads’. And as you approach it on the road, you can assuredly see where this name comes from, as dozens of huge hemispherical rocks rise vertically from the ground. While probably not as well known as Uluru, Kata Tjuta is a worthy site to visit. In fact, if not for the proximity to Uluru, I could imagine them being a tourist mecca in their own right.

Upon arriving, we were happy to see that today the sun is shining brightly through a clear blue sky bereft of any cloud what so ever. What a contrast from what we had experienced yesterday. Despite the shining sun, there was still a cool breeze tickling the trees, enough so that Bec decided to retain both a long sleeved top and a thick puffy vest, preferring to stay warm rather than getting cold.

With that, we set off. There is a choice of several walks here, from the 2.2Km stroll to the Karu Lookout, to the 5.4Km walk that takes in both the Karu and the Karingana lookout, to the burger with the lot 7.4Km Valley Of The Winds full circuit that passes both lookouts, before descending to the desert floor for a trek around the base of the towering formations. This final walk was graded as being difficult, with a very rough and steep track and recommended for experienced hikers. Or so the sign said. We looked at each other as we passed by the information sign, deciding that having trekked 11Km around Uluru yesterday, we could now consider ourselves experienced.

Only 15 minutes and less than a kilometre into our tramp, Bec was having second thoughts about her wardrobe decision, already determining as we scrambled up a loose rocky path that her vest was not going to be required. Being that we hadn’t gone too far, I offered to run it back to ‘The Beast’ in favor of carrying it along of the remainder of the afternoon. It was surprising how far away the carpark already felt as I jogged down, before scampering back towards where I had left Bec happily taking photos at the first lookout. Breathing heavily, for all the wrong reasons after my unplanned extra kilometre or so, we continued on. The path degenerated after passing the first lookout, only identifiable by the narrow strip of well worn rock that had taken on a yellowish tone against the rusty orange of the surrounding rock as it descended steeply. More worrying at this stage was that however far we decided to walk from here, we would still need to return along this same path, the ascension something to look forward to.

Continue we did though, traipsing carefully as we clambered up and down and up some more, along a path that felt more like we were rock climbing that bush walking. The final crawl up to the Karingana Lookout, brought us to a crest straddling the valley created by two of the domed edifices, from whence we could indeed lookout, staring across a wide plain, past which further rocky heads broached the landscape. It was from here we had to make the decision to either turn around and head back the way we had come or continue onward. From our vantage point, neither option was overly appealing, given that we knew what lay behind us, whilst directly ahead of us, all we could see was the path disappearing deeper into the chasm.

KATA TJUTA IN PICTURES.

With a little bit of thought, we chose the later, deciding to tremble down the steep scrabble of rocks to the plains we hoped lay beyond. Our cognitive analysis was that walking along in the plains would be an easier effort than the rock climbing which had seen us reach it to this point. How wrong could we be? Sure, the walk along through the lower region was minus the rock climbing element, it was far from a walk in the park. The stone strewn trail took a meandering path up and down dale through the bush, from which admittedly dramatic sweeping vistas could be witnessed. It was by far the longer route back to our starting point however, and I am sure that Bec was using her frequent photo stops as quasi rest breaks.

Done It.

After what felt like hours, but was actually only hours and the shadows were getting decidedly longer, we made it back to the point at which we had to retrace our steps up the side of the mountain, over which we were left with only a short walk back to the carpark. Far from being the saga we had envisioned having been, seen and done worse in the interim, we quickly found ourselves back at the top and heading for the carpark, the comfort of ‘The Beast’ and the promise of an icy cold beverage straight from the fridge.

Assuredly a well worthwhile effort, more so even than our walk yesterday around the circumference of Uluru, it was a much tougher effort despite being in the vicinity of 4Km shorter, but provided much better views, as well as a much better sense of achievement. By the time we were back though, I was thinking that new knees wouldn’t go astray, nor would a hip or two, as my joints decided that they wanted to freeze into place. I can only begin to imagine what I shall feel like by tomorrow.

Until next time, have fun, stay safe and don’t forget to write.