Kata Tjuṯa and then homeward bound

We WERE on the road before sunrise, in fact we saw it in the rear view mirror on the way to Kata Tjuta.

We were a little regretful that we hadn’t gone to the Uluru sunrise viewing area instead because it looked so spectacular even from a distance but we were keen to do the Kata Tjuta walk before the expected maximum of 34C.

We saw the turn off to the Kata Tjuta sunrise viewing area (which we hadn’t planned to include) and it was just after sunrise so we decided to sprint up there and get a few shots. It was worth the detour I think.

Sunrise Kata Tjuta

Driving on to the Valley of the Winds trail head we started walking at around 0745, there were only a couple of other cars in the car park. Living up to its name, it was quite windy but pleasantly overcast and we made it to the first lookout quite quickly.

Beginning of Valley of the Winds walk

I managed to convince Russell to continue on to the second lookout despite it being rated as a Category 4 -‘difficult”- and there were some challenging sections along the way.

We made pretty good time though and as we crested the last steep climb the stunning view in front of us made it all worthwhile.

Karingana lookout 

A young couple had arrived just before us and said that the wind ten minutes earlier had almost blown them over the edge so we sat and absorbed the view whilst the wind abated a bit before beginning the descent. The trail after Karingana is initially downhill but then curves around and slightly uphill again before rejoining the loop at the foot of the valley. The wildflowers were out in profusion and the cloud cover persisted making walking conditions much more tolerable.

We completed the walk as the less adventurous and later risers were appearing in numbers to visit the first lookout and feeling pleased with ourselves decided to check out Walpa Gorge as well.

A much shorter walk took us through massive domes that lead to the gorge with its small permanent water source and thousands of nesting birds in the shelter of its walls. The noise at times was deafening and we stopped to watch them swooping down for a drink in large flocks before returning to the safety of the cliff.

We had our lunch rolls on a conveniently placed park bench enjoying the absolute splendour of our surroundings and calculated that we had walked 23 kms in the past two days! Not bad for a couple of overweight seniors 😁

The next morning, our final one here, we dragged ourselves out of bed to drive to the Uluru sunrise area and despite not delivering quite the colours of yesterday it was yet another impressive view of Uluru. 

Sunrise at Uluru

Heading back to the campground we were able to capitalise on our early start and made good time packing up and hitting the road, somewhat excited that today we would cross the border and be back in SA. We paused for one last drone shot as we left Yulara, the stunning ‘red centre’ in all of its glory.

Leaving Uluru

Stopping for fuel and a break in Kulgera,  we met some fellow motorhomes with whom we have mutual friends, had a chat before continuing south and eventually crossed the border in the early afternoon.

Our intended stop tonight was a free camp at Agnes Creek and there were already a number of rigs in the main park when we arrived but I had done my research and we took ” the first left” and found ourselves further from the road in a spacious area with great access to the (dry) creek bed and a lovely view. We had many avian visitors, from beautiful ring neck parrots to galahs, maggies and cheeky willie wagtails. Our last campfire that night was the perfect place to reflect on our trip whilst toasting marshmallows over the coals. In many ways this was one of the most memorable stops that we made and we resolved to spend more time free camping in the future, we might even buy a fire pit!

Tomorrow, its on to Coober Pedy, one of the few places in South Australia that I have never visited.

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