Many Heads

Contrary to popular belief, Uluru it is not the only huge red rock in the area. 25 km west of Uluru there is another huge rock formation. Kata Tjuta (The Olgas), meaning many heads, is not as famous for some odd reason as its little sister, although it is much bigger, and maybe even more impressive than Uluru.

Kata Tjuta consists of more than 30 rounded, red, massive rock domes. There are many Dreamtime legends associated with this site also. It is a very sacred place for the aboriginals and they still carry out ceremonies here. 

We did a 3,5-hour-walk between the domes to the Valley of the Winds, and found out exactly why it is called the Valley of the Winds. The views were amazing and it was one of the best walks we had done so far. 

Kata Tjuta really doesn't look like it is from this Earth, it is like you are on a different planet.

For the night we drove back to the rest area with the view of Mt Conner. IT STARTED RAINING. Lucky us, rain in the desert! The shelter was leaking, we had to cook in the rain, and I was FREEZING!

The Big Red Rock part II

We watched Uluru change color as the sun set.

We drove to the closest free campsite, which was 50 km away. The next morning we got up early to see the sunrise. I think Rohan had some serious difficulties in getting me up before 5 am. The sunrise was gorgeous, but we were on the wrong side of the Rock to get it in the same photo. The nights were really cold.

We started the day with a short ranger guided walk, where the guide showed us some of the sacred sites around Uluru and told us a great deal about the aboriginal culture. The walk was free, and the ranger seemed to know a lot about the aboriginals. There was also longer guided walks available with an aboriginal guide, but they were too expensive for us. 

After that we did the walk around Uluru, about 10 km. It was a hot day and the amount of flies trying to invade our eyes, noses and ears was, well, slightly disturbing!! I'm not exaggerating when I say that at any given minute there was at least 50 flies on me!! Still, it was worth it! We saw some waterholes, aboriginal paintings and carvings, and many sacred places that you weren't allowed to take photos of.

That night we had booked a campsite at the only campground close by, Ayers Rock Resort. It is an overpriced rip-off place, but we needed a shower. Besides, I do think it is a good thing that they are setting some limits on the tourism infrastructure and protecting the park.