Sunday 3rd December – Alice Springs and arrival in the red centre

We hit the road at 930am to do the big drive to Alice Springs.  It was a shame, but because of our tight schedule we could only stop for half an hour or so!  It just gave us enough time to drive up Anzac hill to see the war memorial and get the best views of the town.

The War memorial and, below, the view of Alice Springs from Anzac Hill

Sculpture signifying the Tropic of Capricorn

Then it was on to Ayers Rock, passing back south over the Tropic of Capricorn (right).  

Initially, just hoping that we’d get there before dark, instead we timed it perfectly to be able to enter the National Park to view our first Uluru sunset.  No two nights will be exactly the same, so I was glad we made the effort as tonight we were treated to a full moon and due to some bush fire smoke adding an atmospheric twist we got some great images. For anyone who hasn’t been lucky enough to visit Uluru I’ll briefly explain the set-up at the site.  You have to enter the park to get access to the designated sunrise and sunset viewing areas.  Then they have separate areas to house the masses of tourist buses and individual cars and motorhomes etc.  It’s a bit of a bun-fight to get there early to nab the best viewing spots.  Don’t have any misconceptions about finding a quiet spot away from the crowds – it’s not going to happen!  But then it becomes a shared experience and the viewing sites are chosen because they afford you the best angles and views of the infamous rock.

The changing colour of the rock... prepare yourselves for numerous pictures of the same rock for a few days!

As darkness fell we, along with the masses, slowly filtered away from the parking area and went to check into the campground for three nights.  There is now a very modern large resort at Ayers Rock providing the whole range of accommodation from the basic (our campsite) to the most extravagant and luxurious looking hotels or apartments.  We set up and crashed out after a very tiring day to prepare ourselves to explore the surrounding wonders over the next few days.