Some Pretty Impressive Rocks

We took a pretty big detour back down the middle of Australia, to see some rock that a couple of other million people seem to think is worth the trip. But as we drove along the highway and saw this on the horizon, Luke and I both said to each other, "Gee, that doesn't look like the rock printed on tea towels in all the souvenirs shops...".

And that was because it wasn't the same rock printed on all those tea towels. This was actually Mount Connor, another massive rock formation that tricks hundreds of tourists just like us on the drive to Uluru or Ayres Rock. The two formations are about 100km apart and obviously poor ol' Mount Connor is the black sheep of the family and has received far less publicity.

When we finally did make it to the famous Australian icon, we couldn't help but be impressed. Uluru was just as huge, just as red and just as... well... Australian.

The only place where you can stay at near the rock is Yulara, a man made resort town that has it's own supermarket, bunch of restaurants, cafes, newsagents, tour booking office and of course, range of accommodation, from deluxe five star penthouse suites to $33 a night powered sites. We'll take it! Camping amongst the red sand dunes, with the odd dingo sneaking around and the shape of Uluru in the distance is amazing. We'd finally made it to the real red centre!

Exploring Uluru can take a while as well - there are plenty of walks that you can do around the base, and every corner reveals a new face of Uluru that's just as interesting as the last. There's caves, crevasses, waterholes, rock art and sacred Aboriginal sites - it's all very interesting.

Oh and you can climb the rock as well, of course, but the Aboriginal owners discourage tourists from doing so, as a way to respect their land. Plus it's pretty dangerous, with some 35 people dying either by falling from the rock, or from a heart attack or similar condition after pushing themselves to get to the top. We chose to watch the hundreds of ant-like tourists from the bottom, as they skimmed over the warning signs and started the upward trek anyway.

But Uluru is just one of the wonders in the central Australian desert. While you're here, you have to drive the extra 37 kilometres to see the beautiful Kata Tjuta (or Olgas). This collection of rock formations is different again from Uluru and there's some great short walks that will take you in amongst the huge structures.

Oh and if you do nothing else, don't miss a sunrise or sunset at either of these rock sites - even if the desert temperatures will make you want to sleep in until noon!

Yours in the great outdoors,

Odette