PWWBVA - Part V

Kata Tjuta (The Olgas), Northern Territory.

I loved being in the Northern Territory. The place looks and sounds like the ends of the earth. Dingoes hang about at dusk and there's no ambient light after the sun goes down, which makes for spectacular views of the Milky Way. It's the sort of place you can spot the southern cross in the night sky the very first time you look for it.

The Olgas are the poor relations of Ayers Rock (Ulhuru), which lies about 40km away. They are part of the same rock formation; it pokes up out of the ground as Ayers Rock at one end and The Olgas at the other. We stayed at the Outback Pioneer Lodge because we couldn't afford "Sails in the Desert". Darren ate barbequed crocodile and we went to the night-time observatory to learn more about the stars. It was awesome.

My regret is that I didn't explore Ayers Rock. I had no desire to climb it (not just because I'm chicken - the local aborigines object to people climbing their sacred place), but I stayed in bed rather than take the early morning bus to the base of the rock with Darren. I had a nice kip but I've paid for it many times since as I've looked back at my photos and wished I'd actually held it in my hands.

One for the backburner, I reckon.