Friday, May 18 (Error yesterday)

Carol Webb

Just now · 

I spent the day at Kings Canyon--about 4 hours from the Ayers Rock Resort where we're staying. On the way, we saw a herd of wild camels--probably 15 or so--and one wild horse. The country doesn't change much between here and Kings Canyon--lots of scrub brush and fine red dirt.One of highlights of the day was a helicopter ride. Barbara and Herb chose to walk the rim of the canyon--about 7 miles. I chose to walk the bottom of the canyon, which is a dry river bed--very rocky. We're going to Ayers Rock tomorrow. It's a huge sandstone monolith, several miles around the base:

ULURU-AUSTRALIA.COM

About Ayers Rock - Uluru (Ayers Rock) Australia

Uluru (Ayers Rock) is one of the most impressive landmarks in Australia. Learn more about Australia's iconic Ayers Rock.

Thursday, May 18
I'm just back from a camel ride. My camel had a muzzle on her. Her name was Taz. Thirteen camels were all linked together, and the one I was on was third from last. The most interesting part was the getting up and the getting down. The camel was lying down to start with, and once I was on, she started with her back legs, and I had to lean back. Same when it was time to get off. The ride lasted over an hour, and I was ready to get off about 15 minutes before it was time to get off. We'll see if I'm sore tomorrow.

I looked up Kakadu: This is what Wikipedia says about it: Kakadu National Park is in the Northern Territory of Australia, 171 km southeast of Darwin.It is the second largest national park in the world. It covers an area of 1,980,400 ha (4,894,000 acres). The Aligator River runs through it, and I took a boat ride on it. Ironically, there are no aligators in Australia, only crocodiles, and I saw several along the way.

Today is the day I go for a camel ride. I'll give a full report if I survive.

Wednesday, May 18
We are officially in the "Outback." Barbara says that we are in the red center of the Outback. The dirt here is fine and red, and it sticks to my shoes--glad I didn't buy new ones. I haven't seen any cactus plants, but there are no tall trees and lots of scrub brush. The ghost gum seems to be about the tallest, but it's not nearly big enough to give much shade. I discovered last night that we are in the area of the setting for the Meryel Streep movie "A Cry In The Dark.." A mother whose child was killed in a Dingo attack in the Australian outback fights to prove her innocence when she is accused of murder. Knowing that adds another dimension to this trip.

Last night we were taken by bus to a location "in the middle of nowhere." We were served lots of bubbly wine and canapes, some of which contained kangaroo and some contained crocodile. There were lots of choices on the buffet, but the best was lamb chops--a real treat for people who seldom have such a choice.

Tuesday, May 15

Carol Webb

1 min · 

Carol Webb

2 mins · 

I'm in Alice Springs Airport, waiting for a connection to Uluru. It's chilly here in Alice Springs, but I think it will be warmer at Ularu. I'm told that it's more desert-like. I just looked at a map of Australia, and I have traveled around the entire north-east quadrant of Australia. The 4 hour trip from Kakadu to Darwin was pretty much all scrub trees and grass--reminded me of scrub oaks in Missouri. I did see 3 wallabys by the side of the road, as well as a baby that was only about a foot high.I'm looking forward to posting a photo of me holding a koala She was just a cuddly as she looked, but she had long curved nails that I had to detach from my bare arm. I'll also be posting a photo of me petting a kangaroo, and I'm looking forward to a camel ride in Uluru. This is a rather small airport, but it has a fantastic gift shop. I was able to buy several important gifts, including the boomarang that my son had asked me buy.

Tuesday, May 15--Darwin Airport
We're headed for Uluru for the last leg of our trip. Barbara also refers to going to Ayers Rock. It's in the middle of Australia if I understand correctly. I wish I had brought a map of Australia. We have to change planes once before we arrive at today's destination. I think the area is mostly desert, unlike the area around Darwin and Kakadu, which has lots of scrub trees, which remind me a little bit of sw Missouri with its scrub oaks. Yesterday, it seemed like we traveled mile after mile of the same scenery. I did, however, see 3 wallabys, as well as one agile wallaby baby, which was only about a foot tall. It looked almost like a toy.

Tuesday, May 15
We spent the day at Kakadu. On the way, which took about 4 1/2 hours, I saw 3 wallabys by the side of the road. A little later, I saw another one that was only about a foot high. My friend Barbara says that it was an agile wallaby which is only about 2 ft tall, so what I saw was probably a baby. The landscape between Darwin and Kakadu is pretty boring. Some of it reminds me of scrub oak, but of course the trees are not oak.

On the way back, we stopped at Nourlange where we saw prehistoric drawings--quite interesting.

I sat beside a woman from Sydney on the way back from Kakadu. She is a retired primary school teacher. Her name is Alice, and I gave her my card. Having someone to chat with made the trip more enjoyable.