Imagine looking out of an aeroplane window and being able to see land for as far as you can see. Now imagine that land being completely bare.
This is what the flight into Alice Springs was like. Looking out of the window I could see nothing but rocks and desert all the way up to where the land met the horizon. It was amazing to think of all the people packed into Sydney, when here, there's just a vast area of space and nothingness.
Alice Springs is in the middle of nowhere. Surrounded by nothing but desert, rocks and trees. But with the sun blazing and a swimming pool at my hostel, it was the best place to be!
After spending two nights in a hostel, we were up at 5am to head out into the outback. Kings Canyon here we come!
Now I'm not really one who enjoys too much strenuous excercise. And being up at 5am wasn't making me the happiest person around, but as we climbed to the top of Kings Canyon and I saw the views, all hard feelings were gone. For miles and miles all that I could see was desert, trees and rocks. No houses, no cars, no people. It was like stepping back to a time before people took over the world.
Next stop was Ayers Rock. Driving again through miles and miles of desert, I suddenly saw it up ahead. It is massive. No wonder it's one of the seven wonders of the world! You have the option of climbing Ayers Rock but the Aboriginies don't like you to as it is a sacred place to them. And to be honest looking up at it, there was no way I was going to climb it! A single rope hand rail to hold onto and a sheer drop either side of it...no chance. Walking around it was amazing though, as the sun was rising on one side of me and my tour group, Ayers Rock was becoming the most amazing red colour on the other side of us. If you ever get to come to Australia, I seriously recommend coming out to the Northern Territory and seeing Ayers Rock. It's so strange when you start thinking about just how long it has been there and you can see Aboriginal paintings that are hundreds of years old. No wonder it is such a sacred place to them.