Day 21. The Olgas ((Kata Tjuta) 1/06/2015

After packing a picnic lunch we left the park about 10 am. with Jude and Rod our passengers on this trip.  The drive to The Olgas took us about 45 minutes and as we got closer, the magnificent  Olgas were making a huge impact on  our view.  We stopped at the Kata Tjuta viewing area first before continuing on to the the area of our first hike for the day at Walpa Gorge.  A very interesting hike along very rocky path that was climbing steadily. The composition of the Olgas is quite different to Ulura and appears to be composed of huge boulders. The vegetation along the way featured all the same plants we have seen before and are coming quite familiar with such as the mature Desert Oak and the inmature Desert Oak.  The Gorge itself is quite spectacular.  The return trip took us about an hour, so on completion we decided to have our lunch. We shared the shelter with a lovely young French couple who have been travelling and working their way around Australia for the past 12 months and have applied to extend their visa for another 12 months. They were delightful and very interesting to talk to.
Our next stop was the Valley of the Winds Walk. Another rocky terrain walk but nearly as difficult as the Walpa Gorge walk. True to its name when we reached the Karu Lookout it was extremely windy but a very lovely view. The continuation of this walk to the Karingana Lookout which would have been more difficult was closed because of a reported rock fall. I must say we were not too disappointed as we were all a little tired from the hiking we have been doing in the past 2 days.
On our return, we did a little shopping before watching an Aboriginal culture event that was being held in the gardens of the village centre. Four young men demonstrated several of their dances depicting the animals that over the years they have hunted. Each dance was explained to the audience and the importance of it in their culture. Members of the audience were invited to participate and were shown short versions of the dance that they then performed for the rest of us. A fun time was had by all .
We returned to camp and waited for the last sunset at Uluru. The sky was finally clear and the final minutes of sun on the rock was quite beautiful, something we were looking forward to.
Tomorrow we head to Alice.

The Olgas

With Rod and Jude before our hike.

Into the Walpa Gorge.

More breathtaking as you venture up.

An oasis awaits.

As far as we can go.

Our second hike was the Valley of the Winds.

At the lookout and the wind was howling.

The view was amazing.

A cultural experience - very entertaining.

Finally a view of the Rock at sunset.