With the temporary fix to the exhaust holding, I decided to stick around and see the sights instead of running straight for Alice Springs. My first destination was back to the Olgas, to explore them fully. The first hike, the Valley of the Winds, was an 8 kilometre loop.
The next walk was shorter, into Walpi Gorge.
On the way back out, I stopped at a sand dune that gave a commanding overview of the whole formation.
Then it was on to Ayers Rock, one of Australia’s most iconic features. It’s larger than you think, easily visible from 50 kilometres away (the distance to the Olgas).
The obligatory pose shots.
One of the main attractions is that you can climb Ayers Rock all the way to the top. It can be a hairy climb, particularly the first very steep bit!
There were pools of water, left over from the rain, and even patches of hardy grass on the surface.
Higher up, the views become spectacular.
The Olgas, off in the distance.
The summit, achieved!
Some more sights from the top.
Then it was time to descend – arguably more difficult than coming up!
Ayers Rock, like the Olgas, glows a vivid red in the sunset light, so I made my way to a lookout and settled in for the show.
As one last visual treat for the day, today happened to be a lunar eclipse. This far west, it was only partial, but the backdrop made for amazing viewing.
