Day 13 - Alice Springs to Uluru

Day 13 - Alice Springs to Uluru (formerly known as Ayers Rock)

This morning it was raining. The girl in the pub told me that it only rains about 2 days a year in here and today is one of them. Anyway, I take what nature gives me with a smile.

I checked the bike systems, as I do every morning for safety and I noticed that the tread on the tyres was wearing more on one side than the other. Have a look at this:




This is the rear tyre, seen from the back of the bike. See how the tread is more worn on the right side than the left?

This is because of the camber of the road; i.e. the road is higher in the centre and lower on the sides, this is so that rain drains quickly to the sides. the problem with camber is that the road is tilted to the left on the forward lane, the bike runs perfectly vertical, so the right side of the tyre touches more tarmac than the left; can you see that? With cars, this is not a problem, because the tyres are flat and the car just runs tilted to the left and people get used to it. But with bikes, the problem is that if you run long distances, then the tyres wear irregularly and eventually the bike starts to push to the right, rather than going straight; this can become dangerous. Additionally, if you try to turn right, it does it very easily, but if you try to turn left it struggles. My tyres haven't reached that stage yet. I will have to modify the way I ride to compensate this. In other words, I have to zig-zag and ride on the wrong side of the road whenever possible.

Left early to Uluru. I calculated 5.5 hours to get there. I should be there by 2PM. They told me not to leave before about 8-8.30, as there are camels, emus and large kangaroos on the route to the rock (all big).

Filled the tank in Alice Springs, I expected that because of the competition, prices should be reasonable and they were, paid $1.76/litre.

The Stuart Highway, the same one that I took from the north to get to Alice Springs is the same one I have to take now to the Rock, at least for the first 200km's. For some reason, it was fantastic coming from the north, but now going south from Alice Springs is crap, really badly built, it is bumpy and irregular.




Turn off from the Stuart Hwy to Uluru

Anyway, not too soon, I turned off after 200 clicks and the road was a lot better from there on. I didn't see any camels, but I did see a lot of cows next to the road. The vegetation became very sparse and the soil is very red and dusty.

After some time, I got really excited, when I saw what I thought was Uluru in the distance. I just couldn't believe that I can see it at 147km from it! It must be really huge! I took lots of photos.



'Fools' Uluru

Then it hit me... I'd seen hundreds of photos of Uluru and this mountain is the wrong shape, additionally, it doesn' appear like a rock, it's more like a mountain. Clearly, you could not see anything at 147km's. It's just too far. I felt a bit silly. I should have known that.

Trying to find mobile signal - unsuccessfully...

Then, at about 30Km's (a more reasonable distance) I saw the real thing!

 

Much closer, about 13 k's

Now it's the right shape and it is clearly a rock, with no debris on the sides.

I arrived at the Cultural Centre and I wanted to get in, but there were a lot of people around and I didn't feel confident to leave the bike with the tent and the sleeping bag outside (when I was with the team of bikers, one of them put his helmet on the bowser while refuelling, when he returned after having paid, the helmet was gone; it happens in Australia, too.

For these occasions, I had prepared a 'cage'. Have a look at this.

The 'cage'

Now I am ready to leave the bike anywhere! Good thing I did a risk assessment before leaving and I identified this risk early.

At the cultural Centre they told my that it was too late to attempt the want that I wanted to do, but I decided to attempt it anyway; if it gets dark, I just carry a torch and a jumper with me. Dingos? She'll be right, mate!

Here it is. This is where I parked the bike and the part where people climb it. This is what I wanted to do.

There you go! This is the climb, not an easy feat.

Then I saw this sign. Apparently the aborigines don't like people climbing it.

And this one

I didn't know that the aborigines saw as a very disrespectful thing to climb their sacred rock. After reading this, I could not do it and decided that I should respect the elders.

That....and...

The climb appeared very, very steep, with only a makeshift chain to grab,
I did not have the correct (grippy) shoes for something like this, I only had the bike boots,
It appeared very dangerous. The EH&S dwarf in my head screamed at me that if I do it, I am an idiot.

Anyway, the respect for the elders is reason enough not to do it.

The next option was to walk the whole perimetre of the rock, about 12km's (3.5hours). It was late, and it definitely will be dark by the time I finish, so I started quickly, without thinking too much.

When I say without thinking too much; I mean, wihtout thinking at all; I left without the torch and without water and without a jumper. Yes, I know...

I kept stopping at all the nice visuals and taking photos and taking it in, which made the walk a lot longer. Suddently I see a 'you are here' sign and I ahd only done about 1/3 in 2.5 hours. So I started to pick up the pace.

Obviously, after a while I was very thirsty and cold and couldn't see much in front of me (it was overcast). I found water (a gift from the aborigines, who know how important it is) and I used my mobile as a torch.

The views, nevertheless were impressive, I have no words to describe them, and the photos do not portray it either. You really have to be there and see it in person.


A great rock

The wholes in the rock are apparently made by a very strong marsupial

'wave' shape caused by water erosion



water cascading from above

I found this near the rock, I think it is ...... a..... bird! Yes, that's it a bird of some kind.



more waterfalls, see that while little thing in the middle? just above he centre, to the left?

It is this. I don't know if I did this photo to find out what the little white thing is or to brag about the power of my tele lens.

cascading water in steps

The aborigines say that this is the female part of the rock, I wonder what gave them that idea.



Arent't they cute? Come in, they don't bite!

Doesn't that look like a brain? I don't know. Since I lost my mind, I see brains everywhere, juicy brains. Maybe I am becoming a zombie; that'd be cool, we zombies are in fashion now and get the best chicks. - (see what I mean about losing my mind!)

Beautiful seats every 2 kilometres or so

The spanish speaking people out there will know why I found this funny.

A nice postcard. Amazing what erosion can do

An that's it. After that it was dark and my camera battery went flat anyway ( and so did my mobile, which was not funny at all)

While I was walking I was thinking that the bike is alone in a lonely carpark in the middle of the bush. Anyone could come with a truck and load it. At that moment, I saw a truck going on the road next to the mountain, this road only leads to the carpark. I was still 2.5 kilometres to the carpark, I grabbed a branch and, even as I was exhaused from the walk, ran the whole 2.5Km's to the carpark ready to defend my bike with the branch; to find in the end that the truck belonged to some teens having fun, they hadn't touch the bike. I just collapsed on the grass and stayed there for 1/2 hour or so catching my breath and enyoying the milky way.

From then on it was going to the camping site, which I found very reasonable at $18 a night, putting up the tent and refuelling the bike at $2.21/litre the highest so far, what a rip off.

Probably the most expensive bowser in Australia

The menu at the local joint

I decided to grill my own rump