Uluru and The Olgas 2014

The journey begins for Matt and I with a view of Uluru from the plane as it nears the airport at Yulara.

Surprisingly, this is my first visit to this amazing place but Matt will visit again on a school camp in two years time.

The date of our visit is 19 – 21 November 2014.

Once we had picked up our hire car from the airport we drove to the hotel and waited for our room to become available. The temperature and humidity was a bit of a shock but a cool drink while waiting in the bar refreshed us somewhat.

The plan for the afternoon was a trip to The Olgas so off we went braving the extreme heat.

Approaching The Olgas to find a myriad of shapes and colours.

This photo shows a view of the rocks up close.

Another angle.

Here’s Matt standing on the path leading towards the rocks.

One of Ian in the same location.

The following few photos  show various angles within The Olgas.

From a distance we see only  smooth surfaces but there are many holes and undercut caves etched into the rock by weather and water action.

The next day, the heat eased somewhat to allow us a more comfortable day exploring Uluru.

We knew that there would be no climbing of the rock because,  for some time, local Aboriginal communities had requested that visitors respect it as a sacred site and refrain from climbing it.

We were surprised to find only one small sign notifying this request.

Our day was spent walking around the base of the rock and exploring the caves and valleys near the base.

Taking your time reveals some very interesting colours and shapes as the next two photos show.

Some of the caves create interesting shades of light and colour as seen in the next three photos.

Matt and Ian in one of the caves.

Matt’s already as tall as me.

Some of the caves have Aboriginal artwork.

Some of it looks quite recent but in places where it is more artistic and preserved, there are barriers to keep visitors at a distance.

There are some images cut into the rock path.

These are obviously recent but perhaps this is a good thing because Uluru is a living site of significance and not just an ancient place to be preserved as it was for thousands of years.

The next photo shows how trees can grow in seemingly barren, waterless earth near the base of the rock.

When it rains, however, streams of water flow down the valleys and give life to various forms of vegetation.

This is one of my favourite photos from our visit for no more particular reason than I just like the shades of colour.

Of course these are just a few of the photos we took on our visit to Central Australia but they do provide a glimpse of a very remarkable place.

I’m sure that if you’ve been there you will never forget the experience.

I’ll finish with a photo taken in the late afternoon which I hope shows Uluru in all it’s glory.