Yulara

 
 
 
DAY 2:
This morning we woke up, rolled out of bed and drove to the Sunrise viewing area to greet the morning, Each time you enter the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, a visitors pass ($25 per adult, children free) must be shown. In our haste to get to the Sunrise viewing, we had not only misplaced our pass, but had forgotten to take the battery out of the recharger for the camera. Fortunately, the lady let us into the park on good will and we found that we had our video camera instead.

The sunrise hitting the Rock was spectacular – it was a vivid orange colour. Well worth rolling out of bed and waiting for breakfast.

After the sunrise, we made our way to the Supermarket complex where we found a café and bought, yes, you guessed it – a coffee! The kids enjoyed a hot chocolate and juice. In this complex of shops we found a display of canvases painted by the local Aboriginal people. We purchased one… be sure to come and have a look one day when we get it framed. We really wanted a momento of our trip which was traditional artwork.

During the morning, we decided that we had not spent enough time in Yulara and needed to book for another day at the Alice Springs Desert Park. It was decided that Estelle and Lauren would also book themselves in for an afternoon session of Dot painting and Ben and James would book themselves in for the Night Sky Experience (telescopes etc).

Having made the bookings we made our way to some of the other Pradopoint members sites for Brunch – eggs, bacon and juice. It was a great time to relax and unwind with new friends.

The rest of the afternoon was relatively quiet with a trip to the playground equipment before getting ready for a Pradopoint photo of the entire group with Uluru as the backdrop. Organising 100 people into a photo was interesting in itself, and of course the cars were then lined up for a photo shoot.

Dinner was held at the Pioneer Restaurant which was a smorgousboard. Some local delicacies were available – Emu, Kangaroo and Crocodile (all very nice). The desserts were a hit with pavolvas, mousse, pecan pie, blackforest cake, mango cheesecake and chocolate cake to name a few.The kids were well catered for on one long table and supplied with endless chips, nuggets, pizza and ice blocks. Various sponsers had also organised prises ot be given in various catagories (best outdoor rig, least modified car, prado jester, gadget guy etc. Unfortunately, they did not have one for ‘Towing large white whale’, otherwise we would have won for sure!

This has been the final day of Pradopoint. Of course, there is the mandatory talk of next year’s destination (possibly the Cape or the Victorian Highlands). We have thoroughly enjoyed our time with these new friends and haven’t felt like we have lived in each others pockets. A week well spent enjoying all the Northern Territory has to offer.



DAY 3:
After saying goodbye to our Pradopoint friends, we travelled 50 km to the Olgas (Kata Tjuta) where we were able to take a walk into Walpa Gorge. We followed a rocky path between two of the Olgas. There are various plants that aren’t found anywhere else in the world. The air was still, only the sounds of birds could be heard echoing within the Gorge. An hour later, we returned to the car, ready to grab a quick lunch and for Lauren and Estelle to head to the cultural centre for Dot Painting.

Two o’clock could not come fast enough for Lauren – craft is definitely her thing! As we entered the area, we were greeted by and interpreter and Valerie (our Aboriginal painter). We sat around on stools while Valerie and the interpreter sat on the ground. Valerie smoothed the surface of the dirt and then proceeded to draw some Aboriginal symbols. She told us two stories of the dreamtime through symbols. We all remained silent while she drew and the interpreter explained her drawings. We learned symbols for water, men, women, spear, Emu prints, basket and many more. After some story telling and question time, we were then encouraged to use these symbols in our own dot paintings.

We were provided a canvas and paints for the next hour to express our creativity. After a couple of hiccups (the child next to Lauren sprayed paint all over Lauren’s canvas and clothing, and then after painting her canvas background, the wind blew Lauren’s in the dirt), we created our ‘masterpieces’. Lauren is looking forward to framing and displaying hers in her bedroom when we return.

A quick game of Yatzee and Scrabble in the afternoon was quickly followed by dinner (much salad was eaten because we can not take it into South Australia tomorrow), showers and the boys started getting ready for their Night Sky Adventure.

The night sky was beginning to cloud, but we strolled off to the bus stop to be escorted to the Observatory. Upon arrival (in pitch black) we were greeted by Ian, the resident astronomer and he began to explain and point to stars with his powerful laser pointer (I am sure they are the illegal type following the incidents with aircrafts). Anyway, we looked at a few through a powerful telescope and the clouds closed in further. Hurriedly, he pointed out Saturn and we cued to see the planet. It looked just like a star to the naked eye, but with the aid of the telescope, we could make out the rings. Clouds came and went and we luckily were able to see most things that were on offer – a good night all round.