My Mum celebrated her 60th birthday on the top of Uluru (what was then known as Ayer's Rock), so when I considered going to Australia for my big 50 I thought it would be such a nice tribute to her to spend my 50th there, so I planned my entire trip in order that I would be on top of Uluru on November 8th. Now at the time, I didn't know, as of October 26, 2019, you are no longer allowed to climb to the top of that beautiful red rock, but I still made a plan to be near it.
My Mum and Dad also did a backpacking trip with a bunch of young kids that sounded interesting, so I researched camping Uluru tours and found Mulgas Adventures
Here is what was included in the package....
Look at the last line. 18 - 49 years of age. Hummmm..... might be a problem, so I emailed them and said that I start the trip as a 49 year old, but will be 50 by the end. Will that work? They responded that it wouldn't be a problem as long as I don't mind some rowdiness and am fit enough to do the hikes. Not a problem. So going into this I already knew I would be the oldest person in the group, but I am totally okay with that. Let the Mulgas Adventures begin!
I arrived in the tiny Uluru airport after the chaotic wonderful morning of going to the Melbourne Cup to be greeted by...no one. No sign with my name on it. No bus parked outside. I did see three other young girls looking similarly bewildered and figured they were probably also in the group and was just about to approach them when a small bus with a cattle bumper and a trailer attached to the back came barreling through the parking lot. A pink haired young Australian girl popped out and said, "Hello, sorry I'm late. I'm Olivia or Liv to my friends. Make sure you have 2 liters of water, a hat, sunscreen and proper shoes because we are headed straight to Uluru to begin our hike."
Nothing like getting right to it. We stopped to pick up the other part of the group and all 21 of us got dropped off at a trailhead. Again Liv said, "Right, head down that trail, don't take photos of anything with a sacred area sign, drink lots of water and I'll meet you in about 40 minutes at the next meeting point. " No guide. Just 20 bewildered kids and myself dropped off in the middle of no where with instructions to just stay on the trail. Too excited that I was in the actual vicinity of this giant red sacred site I was happy to just follow instruction and be on my way. So I walked and started to get to know some of the others in our group while at the same time admireing the natural beauty around me.
Liv did meet us, and formal introductions took place. There were 4 men, 17 women including myself ranging in age from 18-30 from France, Switzerland, Italy, Hong Kong, Canada, USA, Norway, England, The Netherlands, South Korea and Australia. Quite a diverse group. After the meet, Liv took us on a cultural walk and explained why Uluru is a sacred site and the Tjukurpa or creation stories to go along with it.
It was sunny and hot. I was grateful I had picked up a bush hat in the gas station we stopped at on the way there, but just as we rounded the bend of the last section the wind started picking up. By the time we got to the spot where people used to climb the Rock it was a full blown storm with gale force winds and thunder and lightning in the distance. It didn't rain but was definitely threatening to do so. Knowing that this was where my Mum had stood 28 years earlier and knowing how cheeky she is I couldn't help but to wonder if maybe she had a little something to do with it.
We all piled back in the bus and headed to the sunset viewing area. The storm had blown through and the sun was just starting to show through as it was setting. We had snacks and champagne. Yeah!!! I looked at this motley group of mostly 20 year olds and then at all the other tours who had gathered at the sunset viewing. Although age wise, I probably fit better with the other groups who looked like their average age was 60, but I felt grateful to be in the group I was in. Age is a matter of mindset, and they are fresh thinking and full of hope for a great life. Exactly where I want to be.
So after the colors disappeared out of the sky we headed back to our camp. We all pitched in to set up camp and cooked dinner then rolled out our swags in a circle and slept under the stars. A swag, by the way, is like a canvas sleeping bag with zippers on both sides, a flap that rolls out for your head and a thin foam mattress attached to the bottom so you get a comfy nights sleep. Then you put a sleeping bag inside it. Very practical.
This was my last night on this side of 50. What a spot to spend it! I woke up in the middle of the night, probably right around midnight, and the sky was so clear I could see the Milky Way and stars that went on forever. I just smiled to myself and cozied back into my sleeping bag.
The soft music started at 3:30am. The wake up song that Liv promised us. Like zombies we all stumbled out of our bags, rolled them up, brushed our teeth and tried to get a little food in us. It was sunrise over Uluru and Kata Tjuṯa time and my 50th birthday. I had told everyone today was my birthday in the meet and greet, so many stopped me to say happy birthday. We all piled back in the van and were silent for the 30 minute drive to the sunrise viewing point. When we arrived, I got out and started up the path chatting with Maria from Norway when I looked down at my feet. In the jumble of waking up and excited for my birthday, I forgot my boots. I was wearing my flip flops. I didn't really matter for sunrise because it's a short five minute walk to the viewing platform, but we were going straight to our 7 km hike around Kata Tjuṯa afterward. Not a good start, but I refused to be hard on myself and thought, "You know what? I just walked 13 miles around Sydney in healed sandles and these flip flops. It won't be a problem. So a little shaken, I made my way to the viewing platform. To be honest, not the best sunrise. Australia is still on fire everywhere and the winds from the day before brought in a smoke layer, but there were a few moments that it broke through the smoke and shined. It just wasn't that picturesque postcard Uluru sunrise. But again, I didn't let it get to me.
Back in the bus we went and arrived at Kata Tjuṯa just as the sun was tarting to get over the smoke layer. Kata Tjuṯa or what used to be called The Olgas is an active sacred men's site for the aboriginal people. Because of this we could not take pictures except close ups of flora and fauna and we were not told the children's stories of the site like we were at Uluru. Uluru is not an active sacred site. We did, however, get a very cool geology lesson from Liv and then started up the mountains. I did fine. I watched my step and was extra cautious. At one point I took off my shoes to climb up a steep rock, just like the aboriginal people do. I was one with nature. The top view point was Valley of the Winds. So stunning. It is a gorge of red rock with bright green trees running through the center. We all took moments to take in the beauty and you know what, it was actually nice that we couldn't take pictures. Everyone actually looked with their eyes and not through their phones or camera lens. We were just getting ready to head down the other side when Claire from France said she wanted to sing a song. In the meet and greet she said she loves to sing, so I was excited to hear a beautiful song in a beautiful place, but then everyone joined in. It was happy birthday to me. I was so overwhelmed by the beauty and kindness that I literally felt my heart swell. So grateful to be where I was in that moment.
Yet again we got into the bus (this will be said often😁) this time for 3.5 hour drive to our next overnight camp near Kings Canyon. I got the front seat because it was my birthday and out of the corner of my eye I spotted a herd of wild camels. Yes, you heard me right, wild camels. See camels were first introduced to the outback in the 1840's to assist in the exploration of Australia and between then and 1920 over 20,000 camels were imported from India. You could guess why, unlike horses and donkeys camels could carry heavy loads, were suited for the harsh dry terrain and didn't need much water. These guys are the children of those camels, so I've yet to see kangaroos or emus, but I got to see wild camels. Really wish I hadn't eaten that camel burger for lunch.
We stopped to get firewood and were all looking forward to a night around the campfire, but when we got to our new camp the winds started picking up and the clouds began to threatened rain. Not good, but before the rains came a few of us got to relax in the camp pool and visit the donkey. He was not wild. We had a yummy BBQ dinner. I won't tell you what this meat was.
Then just as the rains started to come Liv said she really wished we could have had a fire because she had a special treat. She was going to make me a birthday cake on the fire. Stupid rain, but she improvised and I got a small hostess style cake with a match in it and every sang happy birthday again. What a lucky girl I am.
The rains also brought another problem. We normally sleep outside under the stars in our very cool swags. Very practical, but not great if it's raining, so we cleared out the cooking house, which is like a giant screened in room and crowded in like a giant sleep over. At first I was disappointed because the night before was so cool to wake up with the stars above, but this was actually really fun.
Yet again the music began at 3:30am. This time our destination was Kings Canyon before sunrise so we could make the climb to the top of the ridge and watch the sunrise from there. I was sure to remember my boots. So we began the ascent in the mostly dark with the sky just beginning to show color. It was fairly steep, but was more like a really tall staircase made out of natural stone. The view once we got there was worth the 3:30 am wake up. The smoke was still there some, but the color through the clouds looking over the valley below was well ... just wow.
We stayed a while, took a ton of pictures because this is not a sacred site, although, I would argue otherwise and then continued along the ridge. We played the echo game, where we shouted Eeee Weee at the same time over the canyon and heard it come right back to us. That was very cool. We learned that gum trees self amputate when the are trying to conserve water and spotted a pigmy koala.
I think my favorite part of the hike was going down into the Garden of Eden. It was like something out of a movie, birds singing, palm trees and a large watering hole nestled in the canyon walls. Swimming was not allowed, but with all the things that can kill your in Australia I don't think I would want to go in anyway. Kings Canyon was by far my favorite hike.
So, you got it. Back in the bus for a 3.5 hour ride back to the first camp. More swimming, more sleeping under the stars, more great conversations with intelligent young people, another sunset and sunrise overlooking Uluru, it was another great night.
The next day we got to visit a camel farm with my first kangaroo sighting, and then we all went our separate way. Myself, Conor from UK, Claire from France and of course Liv got to spend another 5.5 hours in the trusty bus, but it was a pretty drive, and I got to see emus and got to have our last beers together in Alice Springs. A nice wrap up to the trip.
I really am so grateful to have been a part of that group of 22. They never made me feel out of place or like I didn't belong with them. They made sure to include me in conversations, card games or whatever they were doing, and Mulgas Adventures and our guide, Liv, were top notch. If you're ever heading out that way and looking for an authentic experience I would definitely use them. So to put it all together this experience was just what I was looking for to welcome the next half of my life.
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