Red Centre

Red Centre

Kath and Dave were just down visiting on their bi-annual trip and once again we decided to spend a week of their holiday over in the Red Centre. We had a couple of days in Alice Springs and then two nights at Kings Canyon and two more at the Ayers Rock resort.

Ormiston Gorge - West McDonnell Ranges

Salt Lake - Lasseter Highway

After recent heavy rains in the centre, the desert was looking much greener than in previous trips. On a couple of days the temperature didn't even get above 20C and so it didn't really feel like you were in the desert at all. Walking was therefore easy and I had a couple of very pleasant strolls round the Kings Canyon rim walk and the Valley of the Winds at Kata Tjuta but once again I was denied the chance of climbing Uluru. This time the excuse was that it was too windy. Yes, I'll admit there was a bit of a breeze blowing but seriously, it's all a bit silly.

Kings Canyon

Valley of the Winds - Kata Tjuta

Too windy

Driving around was also easier than usual as we got a free upgrade at the car hire place and we found ourselves with plenty of room in a Nissan X-trail. The cruise control was a very useful feature for outback driving.

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Green desert

As usual, I managed to get out for a few early morning bird-watching trips and I have to say that being out on your own in the cool silence of the desert morning is one of the real joys in life!

Dawn - Uluru