After an hour drive south to cairns airport we bid farewell to some of our tour party as we fly to Alice Springs and then Ayres Rock. Our bus driver missed the turn for the drop off twice due to unclear signage,the third time the barrier didn't recognise his TAG but a friendly cop pulled up and triggered the barrier for us to do another approach to the correct lane. When he did we all cheered and he did a little dance and took a bow. Can't imagine a copper in the UK doing the same!
The bush is the weirdest countryside we have ever seen,a vast expanse of nothingness with hardly a sign of humankind from the air . Alice springs has a burgeoning aeroplane graveyard due to its climate. We had to get off the plane,walk into the departure hall and more or less back on the plane for the short flight to The Rock,as our tour leader calls it. It is quite impressive viewed from the air,all alone in the afternoon sunlight. A coach picked us from the airport and drove us to the resort through the brick red coloured land with spindly trees and bushes. There is only one hotel complex here and we are basically captive in accommodation akin to Nissen huts,albeit with Wifi (free for once too). It is an overpriced monopoly but thankfully we have bought some wine with us!
After a reviving cup of tea we got to meet the 3 new members of the next part of our tour and then we were off in our own bus to view The Rock from close up and learnt about its part in aboriginal culture. As the sun set we walked up on a sand dune to watch an awe inspiring phenomenon.By the time we got back to the hotel it was pitch black and time to enjoy the cook your own BBQ of outback meats:croc,emu and kangaroo.