We visited Alice Springs and Ayers Rock (Uluru). Both are very touristic towns in the middle of nowhere. However, the landscape ranges from flat desert to just spectacular. Alice Springs is a good starting point for excursions to various National Parks. We took a short hike to the old telegraf station - the reason Alice Springs was founded for. There is a river in Alice Springs that is dry during most time of the year although you can imagine that once in a while there is water in its bed.
Out of Alice Springs we took a balloon flight at sunrise. They pick you up at some 4:30 in the morning, which is a challenge when you are on vacation. But trust me, it is worth it. They take you to various points where the test the direction and strength of the wind. Finally they decide on a spot where the balloons are inflated, you hop into the basket (or rather squeeze in) and enjoy the spectacular and unforgettable views. If your pilot is nice, at some time he will switch off the burners completely so you can enjoy the silence of floating in the air. After the flight they offer a breakfast, which you earn, as it is expected that you help packing the balloon. We were back at our hotel at abaout 9 am, enough time left to catch the flight to Ayers Rock.
Ayer Rock is a big resort whose only function is to serve the tourists who visit Uluru. From Ayers Rock Resort you take tours to the National Park. These tours start at every imaginable time of the day and offer various sights of the park. Well, ist was our impression, we should have hired a car and done these tours of our owns.
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| Alice Springs, not much of a town... | Roadtrains, a peculiar sight for a German... Imagine these on our Autobahns... | |||
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| At some time there is water here - Only we didn't see it... | On our way to the old telegraph station. | |||
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| The cemetery of the telegraph station. People dying from tuberculosis buried here. An interesting aspect for a microbiologist. | ||||
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| The old telegraph station. | On our way back to the town. Some water here, in billabongs. | |||
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| The first glimpse of light at the day of our balloon flight, 4 something in the morning. | Preparing the basket. | First light. | ||
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| Inflating the balloon. | Take off. | |||
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| The sunrise. | ||||
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| The other balloon. | The old south road to Adelaide. | Again sunrise over the old south road. | ||
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| Flying low. | ||||
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| Another road train. | ||||
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| After landing. Taking down the balloon. Everybody helps, they want to have breakfast... | ||||
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| Breakfast in the outback. You can't see the flies on these pictures. These insects are a nuisance. | The Ayers Rock Sails in The Desert hotel. | |||
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| The Sounds of Silence Dinner. Well, as another guest put it: "An exclusive dinner with 300 of your closest frieds..." A couple of busses await you and take you into the middle of nowhere, just a couple of yards off the main road. The dinner is OK, but do not expect too much on the gourmet side, more on the show side. | ||||
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| An Italian couple at our table. | A bit pissed...? | I like these colors... | ||
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| Views of the landscape including Uluru | ||||
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| Spinifex gras. | ||||
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| Approaching the Olgas. | ||||
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| Many pictures of Uluru follow. Everyone has its own character, I cannot decide which one is the best. | ||||
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