Kata Tjuta (previously known as The Olga's)

Kata Tjuta is Pitjantjatjara  meaning 'many heads'. This spectacular landform rises 50 kms from Uluru, but is actually part of the very same rock formation. Uluru and Kata Tjuta are joined together with most of the rock underground.

We went in separate cars today, Jude and Laurie were picking up the Italian honeymooners, then we all drove out to Kata Tjuta.

We stopped at the Dunes viewing area to walk up about 500 metres up the dunes to the viewing platforms where we had an amazing view of both Kata Tjuta and Uluru.

Next it was on to the walks at The Valley of the Winds. Jeff and I were doing the full circuit, just on 8 kms of very tough terrain to hike. If we had of known just how tough we may have had second thoughts.  Anyway we did it and are here to tell you about it.

We walked past the 2 lookouts, down through the valley and back up to the first lookout and that was the loop, sounds easy doesn't, what a trick.

The other guys all did the walk to the first lookout, The Karu Lookout, this was a 2.2km return trip. They then took their guests out to Uluru and the Cultural Centre before taking them on the Kuniya Walk which we did yesterday.

Jeff scaling one of the many sheer rock faces we encountered

The views we were privileged to see on our circuit walk were so impressive I can't find the words to describe. Once we reached the second lookout, The Karingana Lookout, the view between these immense rocks down to the valley floor was fantastic. Photos were taken of course but you can't possibly imagine the scale of these rock mountains.

Looking down into The Valley of the Winds,

We then descended down to the valley floor, almost straight down several hundred metres, at this stage not even thinking what goes down must come up again. At the bottom of the valley we thought it would now be easy from here. Wrong.


The next section, 4.7kms were up and down very steep paths (or what were supposed to be paths) over loose stones and gravel, we had to scale almost vertical sections of rock face, and I mean high sections. This hike was not for the faint hearted.  We thought it would never end.

Thankfully the scenery was just so amazing it made it all worthwhile.

A little trivia for you - Kata Tjuta is 200 metres higher than Uluru.

          Uluru height 348 metres above ground.
          Kata Tjuta 546 metres above ground.

We are out for dinner tonight, and I think I have earned more than one G&T.

Yulara, is not really a town it is a complex here that is comprised of Ayers Rock Resort, which is Sails in the Dessert Hotel, Desert Gardens Hotel, Emu Apartments and the Outback Pioneer Hotel and Lodge, and the camping ground. and the price of accommodation goes in that order, Sails being the most expensive.

There is also the very exclusive Eco Resort, the one that Oprah stayed at, that is here somewhere, but it is so exclusive we couldn't even find it, and that is thousands of dollars per night, so we didn't try to hard.

At Yulara there is also a 'town square' around which there is a little shopping centre comprising of a supermarket, several souvenir shops, a coffee shop, an Asian restaurant called - wait for it - Ayers Wok - and the tour office. So unless you want to eat Asian or eat in the restaurant at the resort there are not many choices. So as you can see they have a captive audience. But the Outback Oioneer looked pretty good.

We walked around to the Outback Pioneer Hotel for dinner, this is the only place here that has any type of entertainment, it was a great place a real experience. We met up with 4 of our new friends and had another great night. The place was full, so it was very lively. It was quite an unusual set up, you had to buy your choice of meat and there were lines of BBQ's for you to cook your own dinner, and of course there was the help yourself salad bar.

dinner at the Outback Pioneer Hotel with new friends

We choose Emu sausages, others had a buffalo burger, barramundi or steak.  Food was average company was great.

 It was really an outback setting, while it was  undercover there were no walls, so it was like being outside at a picnic.  All the tables were long with bench seats, stretching the full length of the place, each table could have seated about 50 people.

There was quite a good band playing, but after dinner and a couple of drinks, and after our big walk today we stayed for a while but I was looking for my bed