The Hochmuth Adventures 2018 - CAFE - California, Australia, Florida and Europe: Trip to Australia - Day Nine - February 9, 2018

It was tremendously early start for us today. Up at 4:40 to meet our guide Georgia at 5:15 for the sunrise tour of Uluru. With the extreme temperatures it was recommended that we go early - it was 78 degrees at 5:15 - and some of the trails around the sites were closed in early afternoon. It was a small group only 10 of us with the other couples from Austria and Sweden. We drove into Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park and got some background information on the local indigenous people the Anangu. This is a sacred place for them and they allow some access but there are what they call sensitive areas that you can’t go to or take pictures of. We stopped on the road and got pictures of Uluru and Kata Tjuta (from a distance). They are impressive sights. As the sun came up the colors on the rock formation changed. We had tea and banana bread as the sun rose. From there we went closer to Uluru so we could touch the rock formation and see the caves. The caves had drawings and our guide explained their significance. She also shared the Anangu legends regarding some of the marking and formations of the rock. We took a short walk to the Mutitjulu water hole. This water is not from a spring but is accumulated rainwater. We also were surprised that the vegetation while not lush was greener and fuller than we expected. This was the result of more rain than usual the past two years. After we drove around the base of Uluru we returned to the hotel. We had two hours to pack and rest up before leaving for the airport. We had an uneventful 3 hour flight from Uluru to Sydney and then had a two hour wait for our 3 hour flight to Cairns. There was a delay because of stormy weather in Sydney so we arrived in Cairns at 10:15 pm. - an hour late. There was a shuttle to pick us up at the airport. We needed to get directions for our snorkeling excursion tomorrow at the Great Barrier Reef. We need to be there at 7:40. So it will be another short night.

Views of Uluru