Another early start for a final sunrise view of Uluru which was a bit better than yesterday with less cloud but chillier so we were glad of our breakfast when we returned to the hotel to pack and leave. We took one last trip to the Rock to where the climb starts. This is a very sensitive thing for the indigenous people and is not encouraged by tour operators and is likely to die out within the next ten years as people realise the cultural aspects of the rock. We walked along the Mala trail to another dried up waterhole which has an intriguing sign No Swimming and also you can see the high water mark which reminds you of how much water can be around,as do the water level poles that stand by the roadside. This area was once an inland sea and even though it appears to be a desert there is a vast water supply beneath our feet. Our walk took us past a few sacred sites where photography is forbidden but also some cave paintings and signs of the aboriginal way of life. After our final visit to the rock it was time to head off along the only sealed road for a 5 hour drive across the bush to Alice springs. The first hour was spent driving across arid and sandy terrain,we then passed the first station,a roadside stop and cattle farm owned by a very controversial chap who is both a hero and villain in the area.We carried on through more Heath like country ,to the next station which is owned by an aboriginal company for our lunch stop. This is the other station from the rock to the main highway across central Australia (250kms) which is still another hours drive.At this road junction we stopped again to view the Emus there and a couple of the vast land trains that use this road. This stop is the last station and habitation before Alice springs another 250kms away.
As we arrived in Alice springs we passed the not so secret usa listening station,giant golf balls
like in Yorkshire,and also crossed the famous Ghan railway that links the North and South of Australia as Alice springs sits on a break in the mountainous ridge that dominates the area .