Day 67: Tue 28 Jul 26 - Yulara (Uluru)

July 28, 2026

Tue 28 Jul 26 - Yulara

-1 apparent -5 this morning, reaching 21, clear with light SE winds

I was undecided this morning - drive 54 km to Kata Tjuta (Olgas) and do a couple of iconic moderate to difficult walks which would take all day, or drive 21km to Uluru to do a 10.5km Uluru Base Walk which is a flat. It was a cold morning and I wasn't prepared so I opted for the Uluru Base Walk. After paying for my National Park Pass, I left Noel and Olli and headed to Uluru at 09:00, and set off for a very slow walk. It was slow because I kept stopping to take photos, and may have broken a record for the most photos taken in one day. There seemed to be something worth photographing around every turn (for me at least, and 10.5 km turned into 11.5km) Back at the van, I took over Olli caring duties while Noel drove into Uluru for a look around and a stroll along the Mala track, stopping at the Cultural Centre on the way back. Meanwhile, I took Olli for a walk around the caravan park, and got talking to a young family staying across the road from us who are travelling full time for 12 months, and they offered to look after Olli while Noel and I could go into the National Park for the Uluru sunset viewing (Pets are not allowed). Noel arrived back at the van at 16:00, then we quickly handed Olli over and headed back into the designated viewing area for sunset. It was a magical experience, watching the colours change. Again, I may have overdone it with the number of photos taken, but I had fun. We arrived back at the van at 18:45, and apparently Olli was a very well behaved, and the kids had fun playing with him. What an awesome gesture from people we didn't know. Unfortunately, they are leaving tomorrow, otherwise they would have been happy to have him again. We have planned a paid sitter for tomorrow morning for 3 hours so we can do something special that we have planned.

Where to start with the photos....Far too many to post, so just a selection, and not all just rocks. There were some magnificent colours in wildflowers to be seen as well.