Uluru: A weekend in the Australian Outback

This weekend's adventure went to the huge red rock in the middle of the Australian Outback. Isabelle, Devan, Sydney and I hopped on a plane and went to Uluru (also officially known as Ayers Rock) from Friday to Sunday (May 9th - 11th). This is one of Australia's most impressive landmarks, and with good reason... It was amazing! 

Uluru is a holy place for the Anangu tribe of Aboriginal people in Australia who have been in the area for about 10 000 years, and is located in the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park in the Northern Teritory Outback. The remarkable rock is approximately 600 million years old. It stands 348meters/1142feet high, and has a total circumference of 9.4km/5.8miles. Interestingly, most of the bulk of the rock is underground. The rock is listed as both a natural site and a cultural site on the World Heritage list.

Uluru was indeed beautiful, and worth a visit. We saw it when the sun rose, during the day,  and when the sun set. The sight of the rock morphing from a red terracotta hue into a more violet and blue color was spectacular. I never thought I could be so excited about seeing a rock, but I was pretty excited (which, to the others' annoyance, I proclaimed approximately 37 times throughout the weekend). 

After the 3 hour direct flight from Sydney to the Ayers Rock airport, we were picked up by the complimentary shuttle and driven to our living quarters. Ayers Rock Resort in Yulara has monopoly over accommodation, food outlets, and other services in the area near Uluru. Though there was only one area to chose to stay in, there were a few different accommodation options (all at somewhat inflated prices). We chose to stay in a four bed dorm at the Outback Pioneer & Lodge. At $40 per person per night, this was our cheapest option. Well, except for staying in a tent on the camping grounds. The room was actually quite nice, and we enjoyed ourselves here. Nice and clean! 

We arrived in the afternoon on Friday, so we had a bit of time to explore the Ayers Rock Resort our first day. Lots of different restaurants, souvenir shops, and even a grocery store. We went up to the viewing platform near the Outback Pioneer & Lodge, and watched the sun set. It was spectacular. There were lots of clouds in the sky, so the rays created a beautiful mosaic of colors. We had an early start the next morning, so we headed to bed at a decent hour (i.e. we were in bed by 9:30pm). 

Doesn't the sky almost look fake? This pictures wasn't edited the least bit. 

Uluru during sunset 

We booked a guided walk a tour company named SEIT. For a whopping $149 we would be guided around the base of Uluru for approx 14km/8.7miles. In addition, we had to pay the $25 entrance fee to get in to the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. Little did we know, we could've rented a car, driven to the park, and walked around by ourselves. We would've saved so much money! That being said, we did enjoy the guided tour, and learned a lot more than we would have by just walking around ourselves.  

Our guide for the day, Danny, really made our walk enjoyable. Don't be fooled by the name Danny; she was a girl (so no guide-crush for us this trip). We were joined by 6 other people on the walk: Christina and Marc (originally from the US, but currently living in Beijing), Susanne and Steve who were visiting their daughter Casey (who had studied abroad in Cairns this past semester), and Susan (Danny's mom). Danny originally had the day off because her mom was visiting from Adelaide, but she was asked to work because of high tour demand. It was a great way for her mom to see her in action. At the end of the tour, we asked Susan how she thought her daughter did, and with a big smile on her face she exclaimed "I'm so proud!". We could see Danny's reflection in the rearview mirror; she had tears in her eyes when her mom said that. We all missed our own mothers that day quite a bit. 

Happy Mother's Day, Mumsy! 

Our tour started before the crack of dawn (5:45am), so we could see the sunrise. We were anticipating a beautiful, beaming sun peering out from the the horizon as we started our walk in the pitch black. Unfortunately, there were way too many clouds in the sky for us to see anything, so no gorgeous sunrise for us. Oh well... 

So many non-cooperative clouds

Despite not seeing a beautiful sunrise, we did see many other beautiful things along the way: caves, paintings, sandstone folds, and geological abrasions. The red color of Uluru is due to the high iron content in the rock which has resulted in surface oxidation. In areas where the surface hasn't oxidized, the rock looks more gray. 

During periods of high rainfall, waterfalls appear from many different areas around the rock. The massive black stains on the rock is algae growing along the path left from the waterfalls. The organisms are living evidence of storms from the past. 

Heart shaped cave 

We didn't see much wildlife on our walk except for a few interesting caterpillars and birds. Oh, and flies. There were tons and tons of flies. They were nosy little flies, too! They flew in your eyes, month, and nose. They flew everywhere, and were so annoying! After a mere hour of walking around on Friday, we quickly realized that we wouldn't be able to go on the base walk without some fly protection (hence our fashionable hats with nets). 

Sydney, Isabelle, myself and Devan in our nifty hats.

Heaps of flies. Yuck. 

Ferocious caterpillar with spikes.

We were back to our hotel by 12pm, so we had lots of time to enjoy the rest of the day. We walked around, stopped at a few of the shops, and ate at lunch at one of the restaurants. I wasn't feeling the greatest, so I ended up having to stay in our room for the remaining hours of the day. 

If you're thinking that going all the way to the middle of nowhere to see one rock is a little excessive, I have some good news for you. While in the area, you can also visit MORE rocks: the Kata Tjuta (also known as The Olgas). We were thinking about renting a car for the Sunday and driving out, but opted not to because of financial reasons. We still have another month and a half in Australia, and we have to make sure we'll be able to eat something (other than Ramen noodles) for the remaining part of our semester. We made do with one big rock this weekend. 

The next morning (Sunday), Devan and I woke up early for a second attempt at seeing a beautiful sunrise. As we were walking up to the viewing platform, we had high hopes. There weren't too may clouds in the horizon. But alas, this time the trees were the ones being uncooperative, and they blocked a majority of our view. We caught a few glimpses of the sun though. 

Our flight back to Sydney left in the afternoon, so we really only had time to have breakfast and stop by a few places to do some last minute shopping before heading to the airport. We got home to Sydney a few hours ago. Time to get to bed. Long day of tutorials and term paper writing ahead of me tomorrow. 

Until next time. 

Love, 

Suzy 

Coogee to Bondi: A Fabulous Way to Spend a Sunday

"Only put off until tomorrow what you are willing to die having left undone" - Pablo Picasso

I love this quote by Pablo Picasso because it emphasizes a certain sense of urgency to spend your time wisely. Don't put off things until tomorrow because you may not have another tomorrow. Why do something later, when you can do it now? I very much enjoy doing things right away. By doing things right away, there's one less thing to have to write down and remember to do (I'm quite forgetful). Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of things I put off doing right away. I have perfected the art of procrastination in some areas. I've managed to procrastinate finishing my Norwegian term paper for months now (yikes, the deadline is creeping up!). For some reason, I don't have an urgent need to finish that in case of no more tomorrows! 

Last week was busy, and there were lots of things to get done. I would like to say that everything on my aforementioned to do list has been completed, but alas... It is about the same as when I first wrote it. By the time I cross something out, I realize there are a few more things that need to be added. Oh well, it will all get done by the time I get on the flight to LA. Slow and steady wins the race, right? 

I can't tell you how excited I am to see everyone in California. Only 11 more days! Coming back to Sydney after two weeks of glorious, action-packed vacation has been somewhat anticlimactic. Having HEAPS to do and little motivation to do any of it is just kind of...  Meh.  


To combat the meh-ness, I figured I had to put in some fun things on my to do list as well. The Bondi - Coogee walk is a scenic cliff top coastal walk that extends for 6km/3.7miles in Sydney's Eastern suburbs. It's about a two hour walk with a steady pace without too many stops. I've been wanting to do this all since I got to Sydney, but just haven't found the right opportunity.  I find it strange how the activities that are within relatively close proximity aren't always prioritized. One figures that there'll be time later to do it, and then suddenly, there isn't any time left and it's time to go back home. Opportunity missed! 

There's no better time than the present, and I wanted to make sure that this wasn't something that made the Oh-I-wish-I-got-around-to-doing-that-list. I checked out the weather forecast for the weekend, saw that Sunday (May 4th) was going to be nice, so I typed in "Bondi - Coogee walk" in my iCal. I was happy to discover that a few of my friends also wanted to escape the monotonous, dull surroundings of the Macquarie Library for the day. Hurray for having company! 

Yesterday, Kiefer (from Canada), Jackie (from the US), and Steve (from Czech Republic), and I took the bus from Macquarie to Coogee. Kiefer likes to think that we left at the crack of dawn, but it was really quite late: 9am (he wanted to leave at 10am, and I initially wanted to leave at 7am, so we had to compromise). I guess leaving at 7am would've been a tidbit early... It was Sunday after all. After two bus rides and a quick stop at the Rip Curl store, we arrived Coogee Beach. At first, we were somewhat confused. Were we really at Coogee Beach? It was just like a mini version of Bondi! It was a beautiful place to start our walk. 

Coogee Beach 

Our route went from Coogee to Bondi (we decided to only walk one way instead of back and forth). Lots of beaches and bays along the way. 

There was a paved walkway the whole way, but you could also walk along the cliffs by the fence. Being the adventurists that we are, we chose the latter. I wondered how a 6km/3.7mile walk could take 2 hours (average walking pace is typically around 6km/hour). We quickly realized that part of the reason for this was because of all the gorgeous views that you have to stop and take in. In addition, there were some ups and downs on the walk (in terms of incline - the four of us remained friends the whole day). The walk was well posted, and I'd say everyone with an average fitness level could do it. Nothing too strenuous. Some places required a little climbing though (if you decide to not go on the paved walkway).

There were so many beautiful and interesting rock formations along the way. They weren't your average rock formations either. Lots of different shades of colors, shapes, and textures. 

Lots of people had etched their names, proclamations of love, and other random things into the more porous, sand-like rocks. 

We carefully crept along the side of a few cliffs to explore the gorgeous views from another angle. 

The water was especially gorgeous yesterday. There were so many beautiful shades of blue. In the distance we saw shades of deep blues, while closer to shore were shades of greens, teals, and turquoise. At times, my Asics matched the water perfectly. 

Long way down 

About a minute later I got away from this cliff area. It was a little freaky sitting on the edge. 

I didn't want to end up like the person on the danger sign 

I'm not quite sure where he suddenly got the idea, but Kiefer wanted to do reenact a scene from Disney's "The Little Mermaid". He wanted to pose like Ariel with the waves crushing behind him. After passing Gordons Bay, we found just the right spot to make his wish come true. 

Despite Kiefer's hair color being more brown than red, his attire not being quite as scandalous as the purple sea shell bra, and the fact that he certainly isn't a mermaid (or merman?), I thought his picture turned out great. 

Jackie and I liked his idea so much that we also wanted to do our own mermaid picture. Steve, on the other hand, didn't feel the need to channel his inner Ariel. The first wave that crushed again the cliffs when Jackie was standing there got her shoes completely soaked. I think this left her a little apprehensive of the next waves. It was also surprisingly windy on the edge there. 

I ended up with completely soaked shoes as well. Worth it? Yes. I felt just like Ariel.

The result of the thick mist created by the splashing of the waves? A rainbow. 

Beautiful rainbow captured by Kiefer 

We saw lots of surfers in the water on our walk. The waves were pretty insane at some of the places. The waves were HUGE! I doubt my acquired skills from Surf Camp would have made do in those extreme conditions. This courageous surfer was making his way out to sea right where we took our Little Mermaid pictures. I was baffled by the fact that he (and other surfers along the way) surfed so close to the rocks. 

At Clovelly Beach we observed the Clovelly Open Water Swimmers (or COWS as they like to call themselves) complete a race. They dove into the water at one side, swam to the other side, and back to the starting point. Though the distance may not seem too far, the massive waves would drag the swimmers back and forth. It actually looked quite difficult! It would have been fun to jump in with them, but we decided to it would be best to keep dry for the remaining part of the walk. 

COWS in the water by Clovelly Beach

We passed the Wavely Cemetery, which has to be the most scenic burial spot in the world. This cemetery dates back to 1877, and contains the graves of many people who shaped Australia. This includes literary figures such as Henry Lawson, one of Australia's most famous poets. 

The more lively Lawn Bowlers could also enjoy the beautiful views of the ocean, as well as the little kids playing rugby at one of the parks. 

The weather was absolutely perfect for our walk. The sun was shining, and there was a slight breeze that kept us cool whilst we climbed the hills and steps along the way. 

There were lots of other people out walking yesterday, taking advantage of the great weather. We passed quite a few adorable dogs, and I was able to contain myself most of the time. However, when I saw this adorable Golden Doodle, I just couldn't help but go up to the owner and ask to take a picture. It looks exactly like my Grandma's dog, Cooper.

Before I asked to take a close-up, I (quite creepily) took some pictures at a distance. 

Aaand my heart just melted a little. Actually quite a bit. LOOK AT THAT FACEEE!

On one of Kiefer's previous times exploring the Bondi Beach area, he came across this cool hole in ground. We obviously took turns taking pictures in it. 

Another thing I would like to do before I return to Norway, is do a few laps in the 50 meter Olympic pool at Bondi Beach. The famous Bondi Baths have been landmark of Bondi Beach for over 100 years. The pool is always slightly colder than the ocean because of its solid concrete construction. The pools are open to the public, so no need to be a millionaire to get access. You can also become an "Iceberg" here (i.e. an official winter swimmer). However, to do this, you must log 75 swims here during the off-season in July when the pool temperatures dip to below 15.5Celcius/60Fahrenheit. Brrr! I think I'd settle for just one swim. 

Once we made it to Bondi Beach, it was high time to get something to eat. Neither Kiefer nor Jackie had tried gelato from Messina's (aka Gelato Heaven). I didn't have to persuade them much before we decided that we needed to get some. Though Kiefer initially just wanted to have gelato for lunch, we ate a quick wrap/salad at a placed called Envii first. The gelato was worth the wait... Just as good as I remembered. It's a good thing we don't have one of these gems closer to Macquarie. I don't think I would be able to limit my intake. The Salted Caramel with White Chocolate is just heaven. 

The face of pure joy and happiness. 

As oppose to Jacki, I'm too busy eating to smile...

After our scrumptious treats, we met up with Steve, who had stayed a little longer at Bronte Beach to observe the surfers. We layed out at Bondi Beach for about an hour. Believe it or not, it was actually quite chilly because of all the wind. The once packed beaches were now quite deserted, indicating that winter has arrived. We tried to tough it out, but we put on a layer of clothing one by one until we were all pretty much done with laying on the beach. 

The others had things to do back at Macquarie, so they took the bus home after our failed bronzing session attempt. I decided to hang out in the city for a bit before going home. I walked all along the harbor, taking in the gorgeous views of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Opera House. I also took the opportunity to stop by some of the souvenir shops to pick up some Australian gifts for family and friends. So though I didn't cross off anything related to academics yesterday, a few other things did get crossed off my list! I'd say it was a very productive day. 

A street musician walking home with his didgeridoo. 

Canopy of bird cages by Angel Place

After yesterday's adventures it was time to get back into the academic swing of things. Taking the day off yesterday really motivated me to be productive, so today a lot has gotten accomplished. It has been a day filled with tutorials, an almost 10km/6.2mile run, online lectures, and studying for my Psychopathology midterm that I have tomorrow afternoon. Wish me luck! 

Love, 
Suzy