Road (and Train) Tip Day 2......

And watch the sunrise I did, joined over time by my fellow passengers all in search of a good Aussie Breakfast (basically an English Breakfast but the ingredients come from Australia..  !)

After a hearty feed and buying a salad to put in my tupperware for later, we all sat and enjoyed the view as the train rolled on, finally getting into Alice Springs at 1.30pm. 

I said my goodbyes to the staff (all of who I will see on my return on Thursday as the train now goes to Darwin which takes another 24hours then back down again) and to Bob and Lucy who were off on a outback safari then Sydney followed by New Zealand.  It was now time to get my car for the 444km drive to Ayres Rock!

Managed to share a taxi with a couple to Thrifty as cabs are in very short supply, and hoped to be met my Trevor the Toyota Land Cruiser.  I got Marvin the Mitsubishi Outlander.  Still a 4x4 and a very comfy one at that, so off we went!

It was nearly 3 and I was up against it as it is not really advisable to drive in the dark in the outback due to certain things wandering onto the road (not just animals......) and the trip was a about 5 hours.  But going by my workings out, I should get there just about sunset.  I was not that worried about seeing The Rock at sunset as I would be spending all the next day looking at it at every angle and time of day imaginable, so I head off with my supplies.

As I got about 80k out of Alice I began to notice that the clouds and the sky were looking "interesting'.  Now I am no meteriologist (weather man) but I got the idea I was heading into a storm.  And heading into a storm I was.  Bloody hell.  The rain was so loud and thick that I could hardly see!!  There was forked lightening all around, that I had seen as I was heading into it, a spectacular sight but a wee bit scary!  And dangerous.  After I had drivin through the storm (about 10 minutes) I began to see plumes of smoke appearing in the distance and around me.  Yep, you guessed it, bush fires!!  Come fairly close and some far away.  I kept pushing through, following a road train, and the sun began to shine but the smoke continued.  At one point the small fires were just off the roadway.  But I was safe.  I did try and contact the fire service (I am sure they knew about them but I was trying to be a good citizen) but got know telephone signal!!  That lasted most of the trip so I just kept tuned into the radio and all was fine.

 The bush was wonderful, a lot greener that it was last time I was here, and I saw an Eagle fly right in front of me.  Amazing. 

Then I caught a glimpse of the rock a lot of people mistake for Ayres Rock when they first see it.  Mount Connor.  Still a pretty awesome sight but nothing compared to what was to come.

As I got closer to the Resort and Rock, the sun began to go down and all of a sudden I saw it.  Ayres Rock came into view and it took my breath away!  It was a long way away (about 50k from where I was to the resort, then 20 more to the rock) but it was amazing, and the sun was setting the most stunning shade of reds and pinks, my Blueberry camera will probably not do it justice.  And the to top it all off, the Olgas came into view and the sun was a fire sun, bright pink and huge.  I just sat there with my mouth open!!  Oh to have David Bailey with me to capture the moment!  But my Blueberry had to do so I clicked away for a bit, then headed on as the light was now fading.

I arrived at the Resort to check into my room at the Lost Camel.  A room, I might add, that I pain 200 pounds a night for (nothing is cheap here, the hotel is one up from the campsite!!)  I will not bore you with the details (until I get home of course and then I will rabbit on about it for days) but after just over an hour, 3 of the shittest rooms I have ever seen, let alone for that price, and a bit of schmoozing I was checked into the neighbouring Dessert Gardens Hotel at no extra cost!  Lovely!!  Very nice hotel, stayed in it the first time!!! 

I was bushed (excuse the pun) so I showered, ate my tupperware salad and a little bottle of plonk I had from the Ghan, put my Thankles into bed (not cankles, thankles, its 40odd here!!)  and slept like a baby, alarm set for 5am, ready for the thing I have been waiting for..........