Richardson Family Raconteur: Australia Day 4 - Flight to Outback, Yulara, Uluru

Seems like we were just landing in this beautiful city of Sydney, and now here we are again at the airport checking luggage and passing through security (barely! didn't even have to take off our shoes or empty our water bottles! love Qantas domestic!!) and boarding another flight. This is the morning we three moms are making our getaway! Before Carrie moved to the other side of the world, she lived only two states and a ten hour drive away from Sue and me, in the lovely city of Provo. Once a year the three of us (plus Carol-Diane) would up and leave the husbands and kids and meet for a long girls weekend retreat at the condo in St. George. There we would enjoy a bonanza of shopping, scrapbooking, eating, chatting, movies, sleeping, eating and more sleeping. Sure our families got together several times throughout the year to all hang out as a group, but our annual spring retreat was strictly sisters only.

This ritual is one that we have sorely missed for the past three years (spring 2008 was our last meet-up) and so we take it as our right that we are going to have a girls getaway here in Australia.

I have always had a very romantic view of the outback of Australia, and books I've

read and movies I've seen featuring that locale have only reinforced my interest in it.

(yes, something like, say, the Great Barrier Reef would seem a more obvious destination,

but seeing that I have no interest at all in diving into the ocean, and I live near the beach

here and can head down there any old time, it's not a place that really comes to mind for me)

I've always known that if I ever had the opportunity to come to Australia it would

be the outback that I would want to head for. Not just anywhere mind you, the place

I have in mind is just as iconic as the Harbour Bridge, or the Opera House, or the koala when one thinks

of the land down under. It is Uluru, or as it is also called, Ayer's Rock, a large sandstone

formation found in the Northern Territory, not far from the town of Alice Springs in

central Australia. I am thrilled when Carrie and Sue seem to think that a trip there is as good of an idea

as I do. It is a once in a lifetime chance to see this place, sacred to the Aboriginal inhabitants

and a UNESCO World Heritage Sight. We'll be seeing a part of Australia that not many others get to,

Oprah seemed to think it was pretty awesome on her journey there,

and besides, the red rock of the outback and the remote desert location, reminiscent

of St. George and our usual southern Utah getaway local, makes it all seem like fate.

Carrie does some awesome trip planning for us, and Wednesday morning after saying goodbye

to Matt and the kids we are packed and ready to head to the airport to catch our flight into the outback and start off on our next adventure!

View out our window after take-off - downtown Sydney.

The Opera House is almost right in the center of the picture.

Not long after leaving the suburbs behind, this is the view out of the window for nearly three hour straight as we fly right into the heart of Australia.

While the country of Australia is ringed with lush nearly jungle like trees and growth,

the interior is arid and dry and, except for the occasional town or cattle station,

quite barren.

Still seemingly in the middle of nowhere we finally begin the approach to our destination,

and get our first view of Ayer's Rock, or Uluru, as we come in for a landing.

I left my camera on the plane and had to go back to my seat, so I am the last one

to exit the plane old school style down the steps and onto the tarmac

As far as civilization goes there isn't much here besides the Ayer's Rock Resort

and the small support town of Yulara. The Resort consists of several hotels of

varying price range and luxury accommodations, all run by the same

company which is acting on behalf of the Australian government,

as this is a designated National Park. I saw the same thing on my visits

to Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon, one company runs the resorts

at those parks as well, all on behalf of the US government.

The resort sends free transport to pick up the new batch of tourists at the airport.

We are already enjoying the dry warm heat and amazingly beautiful surroundings!

the air conditioned bus feels nice as well...

After a short scenic drive to the resort the bus makes the loop, stopping at each hotel complex to let off groups of travelers. When the Ayers Rock Campground is announced as the next stop and we tell our driver to please stop, he is a bit surprised, as apparently not many travelers who fly in to visit Uluru stay at the campground!

But alas, there was no Marriott available for Matt to put us up in, and we have

had to secure our own lodging for our two night stay here in the outback. The

cabins in the Ayers Rock Campground were the best bargain to be had, and we

are eager to explore our home away from home away from home.

The campground, we discover, is mainly for people who are traveling across the outback by

car, van, camper or motorcycle. There are several large lawns for pitching tents and parking

campers on, restrooms equipped with private showers and laundry facilities, and a cluster of

cabins available for those of us a bit less inclined to rough it.

They are nice clean cabins complete with two bedrooms, sleeping accommodations for

six, a kitchenette, t.v., air-conditioning, sheets and towels. It's perfect for the amount

of time that we will actually be spending in it.

After we do our small bit of unpacking and freshening up, we decide to explore the compound

a bit. The complex here consists of a large circle, with the accommodations scattered

around the circle. In the center is a large sandy area with pathways that are to be

crossed if one wishes to travel from one place to the next using a short cut. In this way,

we decide, it resembles a mini - Australia. Civilization all lives on the outer ring,

with a large sandy desert area in the center. We make our first trek from the campground

across this mini outback in search of the communal area which consists of shops, restaurants and a

piazza type gathering area with a fountain and tables to relax at.

The flies in the outback are legendary, and their reputation had preceded them.

They don't bite we find out, but they do land any and every where they can upon your person.

Remember Bryson's swinging cork adorned hat? Those are traditionally worn by cowboys and other hearty residents of the outback as a hands free way to keep one's eyes, nose and mouth free of the

many millions of inquisitive flies found in abundance here. We find that the more tourist friendly

and aesthetically pleasing (?) trend is to full coverage face nets, secured by a camo over sized skullcap

on top. Granted these are meant to be worn with a hat to give them a better shape, but

after purchasing our own personal nets at the gift shop, we wear them as is, making our way around looking like three merry widows on walkabout.