People flock to Australia because of it's amazing beaches, warm temperatures and friendly people. The majority of tourists hang on the east coast and miss so many other great sights in this HUGE country. We have been fortunate to see most of the east coast, Tassie, and the Great Ocean Road. Sadly, we must work for a living to pay for all these great adventures and there is going to be much of Australia that will go unseen. (Or, as Khye says, "We'll do that when we come back next time, Mom.")
One of the places that Colt and I really wanted to see was the red centre of Australia...Uluru and Kata Tjuta (formerly known as Ayers Rock and The Olgas). With no school holidays left unbooked, this looked like one of those things that would have to wait until "next time". But then, our principal, Mr. Pryor, was generous enough to give us four extra days off around the June long weekend and that was it! We booked the flights and then...we were red centre bound!
One of the places that Colt and I really wanted to see was the red centre of Australia...Uluru and Kata Tjuta (formerly known as Ayers Rock and The Olgas). With no school holidays left unbooked, this looked like one of those things that would have to wait until "next time". But then, our principal, Mr. Pryor, was generous enough to give us four extra days off around the June long weekend and that was it! We booked the flights and then...we were red centre bound!
Flying over the red centre was interesting and, surprisingly, emotional. The vast distance, red dirt roads, salt lakes....it was bare and beautiful.
After settling in at our hotel and buying groceries for snacks and lunches, the boys relaxed in our hotel rooms while Mom & Dad relaxed at the spa with massages! (That is the way to begin a vacation!) We also had the most wonderful supper. Then it was early to bed and early to rise.
Friday morning had us meeting our tour bus at 6:00 am so we could watch the sunrise over Uluru. The boys ate breakfast and tea by the fire and I snapped lots of pictures from the lookout. It was a very cold morning with mittens!
Friday morning had us meeting our tour bus at 6:00 am so we could watch the sunrise over Uluru. The boys ate breakfast and tea by the fire and I snapped lots of pictures from the lookout. It was a very cold morning with mittens!
Howard at sunrise.
The morning colours at Uluru.
A steep climb to the top.
Between breakfast and Uluru, we saw a wild camel! There are around 1.2 million of them in Australia and they are a nuisance. When we reached Uluru, we took a bus tour around the base of the rock and enjoyed two short hikes. In the past, many tourists enjoyed hiking to the top of Uluru and we were encouraged, by many people, to do the same. Once we were up close to the rock, we realized how steep the climb really is! As well, the railing is only just above knee height. The hike was closed the entire four days we were around Uluru due to the very windy conditions. Even if our children were older, we would not have climbed Uluru because it is a sacred sight to the aboriginal people.
Can't they feel the cold?
After a very early morning, we needed to relax. A little lunch, a little nap, a little quiet time and then a swim in the cold hotel pool. Our boys are crazy....or maybe just Canadian, eh?
On Friday afternoon, we were also able to watch the aboriginal dancers at the resort. They entertained the audience and also involved us in dancing and didgeridoo playing.
Cody and Kent playing the didgeridoo.
Walking around Uluru.
Saturday morning was a return trip to Uluru without the tour guide. Because it is a 9.4 km hike around Uluru, and because we have little people, we only did a short 1.5 hour hike. After that, it was back to the cultural centre where we stopped on our Friday tour. We read the Sorry Book....a book of letters from people who have taken rocks from Uluru and later return them with letters of apology, bought a hot drink and a couple of souvenirs. Then it was off to the hotel for lunch, a quick rest and then to meet our next tour bus.
Kata Tjuta
Hiking within Kata Tjuta.
The tour to Kata Tjuta was on a much larger bus. The goal was to hike to the 2nd look out on the Valley of the Winds hike. It was about 3.5 km return. We figured that our family would hike to the 1st look out together and then Mom would turn back with the little boys and do a 2nd easy hike while Dad and the bigs continued on into the Valley of the Winds. Well.....never underestimate the power of a 5 year old! Those little legs led the entire bus load (45 people or so) the entire way into and out of the valley. In fact, at one point, he didn't stop at the meeting spot and just continued on so Cody had to run ahead and catch up to him! Way to go Khye!
While Uluru was impressive and interesting, it is Kata Tjuta that captured our hearts! It is almost double the height of Uluru and has 36 domes between which you can hike and adventure. The walk is just challenging enough and it is beautiful in every direction. A full day at Kata Tjuta should have been the plan ......but that will have to be another "next time".
After the great hike, we settled with snacks and drinks to watch the sun set over Kata Tjuta. The colours were changing continually. It was a super end to an exciting day.
While Uluru was impressive and interesting, it is Kata Tjuta that captured our hearts! It is almost double the height of Uluru and has 36 domes between which you can hike and adventure. The walk is just challenging enough and it is beautiful in every direction. A full day at Kata Tjuta should have been the plan ......but that will have to be another "next time".
After the great hike, we settled with snacks and drinks to watch the sun set over Kata Tjuta. The colours were changing continually. It was a super end to an exciting day.
Colt working carefully on his painting.
The plan for Sunday was to hang around the resort and take in the free aboriginal activities there. We had already seen the dancing but wanted to try some of the other sessions. We began the morning with aboriginal paintings and listened to stories about the weapons and dreamtime. After lunch, the boys tried their hand at spear throwing and then it was back to the freezing cold pool for one last splash!
I think the entire family was most looking forward to Sunday evening. It was our last night at the resort and we rode camels while watching the sun set behind Uluru. As it turned out, we didn't see the sun all day because it was overcast and cold but, the camels were great all the same!
The hospitality of the camel tour was excellent and they were very friendly and knowledgable. I didn't even take my camera along because they had photographers who snapped pictures of us all along the way and put them on a disk after. Also after the tour, we were treated to drinks and snacks as we warmed up and visited in the shop. The kids got to feed beer bread to an orphan camel after the humans had their fill. The camels were a definate highlight for us all.
Khye was scared at first but then loved the camel ride. He talked during the entire trip!
Monday was a rare long weekend in Australia. We hopped on a plane for a short flight to Alice Springs. After a delay at the airport, our shuttle dropped us at our hotel. Shortly after, another shuttle picked us up again and took us on a tour of the town.
Our 1st stop was the Royal Flying Doctor Service. This was one of the two places that I most wanted to see in Alice. The building was new and beautiful. It had a replica plane inside for the boys to play in and then a bit of a museum featuring equipment and planes of days gone by. A short film was shown highlighting the need for the RFDS and explaining a bit about how it works. The majority of the new building was a retail store which was disappointing but understandable as their services operate on donations. I enjoyed my time at the RFDS but left feeling as though I still wanted more.
Our 1st stop was the Royal Flying Doctor Service. This was one of the two places that I most wanted to see in Alice. The building was new and beautiful. It had a replica plane inside for the boys to play in and then a bit of a museum featuring equipment and planes of days gone by. A short film was shown highlighting the need for the RFDS and explaining a bit about how it works. The majority of the new building was a retail store which was disappointing but understandable as their services operate on donations. I enjoyed my time at the RFDS but left feeling as though I still wanted more.
Look out, Khye!
Across the street was a reptile house. After visiting Steve Irwin's Australia Zoo, I don't know why we bother with these type of things...nothing will ever compare! It was really a shed with snakes and goannas and a crocodile. The kids were interested but only for a short time and certainly not long enough to get our money's worth but.....I guess that's what you do when you're on holidays. Sigh........
Ochre in the hills.
Tuesday was spent on a long tour of the West MacDonnell Range. It stretches over 600 km. We drove 132km west of Alice Springs with many stops along the way for short hikes, photos and lunch. Another crazy Canadian on our tour even went for a swim in the icy water hole along the way! It was a long, beautiful day but, by this point, I was tired of buses and hiking and had had enough fun.......
West MacDonnell Range
After our long day in the bus and hiking, I insisted on one more show. This one was a didgeridoo performance in the theatre across from our hotel. It was a combination of didgeridoo, drums, lights and slideshow. Near the end, every audience member participated in a song. The boys were up on stage with drums. It was a very good show and he was extremely talented.
Does anyone else think this looks like Auntie Fay?
During the town tour on Monday afternoon, we ran out of time to visit the School of the Air. This was a huge priority for me so, after checking out of the hotel, we caught a taxi to the school.
We arrived at 9:00 am in time to watch the beginning of a Kindergarten math lesson. We all sat on the bench outside of one of the two classrooms and watched as the teacher started her lesson with a shape song/video and then welcomed each child to the class. Khye and I were glued to the computer screen that showed what the teacher and children could see. Unfortunately, we couldn't stay for the rest of the lesson because we were called away to join a presentation about the school.
We arrived at 9:00 am in time to watch the beginning of a Kindergarten math lesson. We all sat on the bench outside of one of the two classrooms and watched as the teacher started her lesson with a shape song/video and then welcomed each child to the class. Khye and I were glued to the computer screen that showed what the teacher and children could see. Unfortunately, we couldn't stay for the rest of the lesson because we were called away to join a presentation about the school.
A map of the red centre and where each child lives. The farthest.....1467km from school.
The school employs 13 teachers (one of them a Canadian who had taken Term 2 off to go home for a visit) and has 131 students. The children live at cattle stations, road houses, tourist attractions, an English speaking aboriginal community, etc. The children must have a governess or a parent who sits with them to do school work for at least 4.5 hours a day. The school sends the children their folder of school work and 20 library books every two weeks. They no longer communicate with their teacher using a radio but instead use computers. There are two classrooms at the School of the Air and we were able to observe them both. Besides the Kindy lesson, we watched a Year 6 math lesson, a Year 5 math lesson and a Fitness class. Once each term, the students and their famillies travel to Alice Springs to participate in sports days, testing, excursions, etc.
I have to say, I have a huge fascination with the outback. I love the books Jodi loaned me last year and I have bought many more since then. I was emotional flying out to Uluru looking at the red, bare land and the roads jutting out in every direction. I don't want to just visit a cattle station but to actually spend "time" on one. And just walking into the School of the Air made me weepy. (Maybe a new seed has been planted.........?)
At the end of our visit, each of the boys bought a souvenir and they each chose a book for us to buy and donate to the School of the Air library. It was the perfect ending to our few days in Alice Springs.
Our tour to the red centre of Australia was fairly active and educational. It was NOT a relaxing kind of holiday. If the little boys were older, we would have been able complete more of the hikes around Uluru, Kata Tjuta and King's Canyon but we have to do what we can do in the time that we are here. It was a very good experience and we are all glad we were able to fit it into our already busy schedule. It was unanimous that our favorite activities were hiking Kata Tjuta, the camel ride, the Flying Doctor and the School of the Air. It was another great week for making memories in Australia.
I have to say, I have a huge fascination with the outback. I love the books Jodi loaned me last year and I have bought many more since then. I was emotional flying out to Uluru looking at the red, bare land and the roads jutting out in every direction. I don't want to just visit a cattle station but to actually spend "time" on one. And just walking into the School of the Air made me weepy. (Maybe a new seed has been planted.........?)
At the end of our visit, each of the boys bought a souvenir and they each chose a book for us to buy and donate to the School of the Air library. It was the perfect ending to our few days in Alice Springs.
Our tour to the red centre of Australia was fairly active and educational. It was NOT a relaxing kind of holiday. If the little boys were older, we would have been able complete more of the hikes around Uluru, Kata Tjuta and King's Canyon but we have to do what we can do in the time that we are here. It was a very good experience and we are all glad we were able to fit it into our already busy schedule. It was unanimous that our favorite activities were hiking Kata Tjuta, the camel ride, the Flying Doctor and the School of the Air. It was another great week for making memories in Australia.
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