Top of The Rock

... ;Visiting Temples,getting friendly with the locals and learning the history in Cambodia;Enjoying the fantastic food in Singapore,Meeting the Twelve Apostles,Visiting the Rock,Cuddling Koalas,Kangaroos and Snakes in Oz,Spectacular scenery in New Zealand...

... slide. We passed many water cisterns on the way to the top, most of which were for rainwater, but a few were spring fed. At the top of the Rock we found the ruins of a former castle with many walls standing. We read later that the walls had been partially ...

... creatures, Shields Shrimp, which were about 40mm long and living in about 20mm of water in a nearly dried up hole at the top of the rock Both started our trek at around 1030 am with Terry and crew getting back to the cars 20 minutes before we came down ...

... - this caused many more questions from the little brat.  The were also black marks on the rock where water had hit the top of the rock and cascaded downwards marking the rock.  There were also wave caves named so as it looked like you were sat ...

... clouds began to part revealing an amazing sunrise with the first rays of light splitting through the clouds up behind the rock creating beams of red over the top in an almost orchestrated light show. Getting up close to the rock at last we all set off ...

Sunrise at the Rock. We woke up VERY early to catch the beauty of the rock then after breakfast most everyone climbed to the top. We climbed to the chain but stopped there because althought the kids may have made it, Mommy would have had a heart ...

... sunscreen applied and water bottles filled we headed out to Ayers Rock to do the 9km base walk.  I had decided I wouldn't climb the rock since it is a sacred site for the Aborigines and they liken it to climbing over the alter of Notre Dame ...

... of the canyon we all were stunned to see the canyon itself. It is vast but with only a small waterfull falling from a crack in the rock. The water has allowed for a lush green oasis to develop, full of palm and gum trees. To see the creek properly, it is ...

... out for a while halfway up the rock, while Darren went on and finished the climb. Once Darren returned after making it to the very top of the rock, we started on the way back down again. Since we were facing the other direction, it was harder on the knees ...

... our entrance passes and parked at the visitor centre. A member of staff there gave us some information on the walks around the rock and the climb up to the top of it.   Ayer's Rock, in case you haven't heard of it, is a large red sandstone ...

... , it must have rolled up on its side to cause the sediment layers to be positioned like that.   There is a climb to the top of the rock, a la Half Dome with chains up the side, but the Abos ask you not to climb it.  The history of the Abos in ...

... earned iced drink at the visitors centre before heading for the 2km cultural walk to see the plant life and Aboriginal sites around the rock.  We then headed to see the Sunset over Ayers Rock.  This was pretty spectacular and certainly the best ...

... , it was hard to imagine her digging for witchety grubs and biting into the abdomen of big juicy honey-ants. The climb to the top of the Rock goes over the traditional route taken by ancestral Mala men on their arrival at Uluru. Because the path is of ...

... hoards of tourists drawn to the sight seeing meca of Uluru - Ayers rock. The resort is strategicly located a 30 minuite drive from "the rock" and 50 minuites or so from the nearly as impresive Kata Tjuta - Olgas. This allows them to charge crazy prices ...

... real, and it looks just like the movie, only the lions are upside down and asleep rather than roaring at the top!  At the top of the rock we spotted the sleeping head of a huge male, while the lionesses decorated the landscape with the occasional nod ...

An early morning, so we were down at the rock ready to climb about 7.30am which was close enough to sunrise and 10 minutes ahead of 10 tour buses. Stopped frequently, but Ashley and Brendan both made it easily.  Was overcast and mildly windy.  ...

... bar listening to some guy jam away on his guitar (I LOVE live music). This guy was playing all kinds of stuff, but we knew he had the rock in him and by the end of the night, he was playing Tool (sweet mother of all things good),rock band this and metal ...

... . The next stop was at a lookout over some falls and then a walk down to the Florence Falls, where we could swim in the rock pool at the bottom. This was very pleasant but the rocks were a bit slippery. Non deterred the boys were climbing up the side and ...

... unimpressed by the huge tollgates they got set up around this natural beauty and the $25 per person (!) charge to see the rock. Avoiding the fee proved pretty tricky.I will remind you again that I was with an Israeli, so of course we got away ...

... and an assortment of sage, prairie lupin, prairie star flowers, sage buttercups and phlox on the plateau at the top.  A herd of mule deer live on the Rock, some of which we saw late in the afternoon.  Rattlesnakes are common in this area, though ...