Today started with a bit of a long drive up in to Nitmiluk National Park – the traditional lands of the Jawoyn people. We headed to the western side of the Nitmiluk, to the absolutely stunning Leliyn (Edith Falls). These falls defy the idea of a hot, dry desert in the Northern Territory – everything around here is lush and green, and the waterfalls are flowing fast. The two waterholes you can swim in are just huge! We started with…
Tonight we’ve arrived in Katherine. It seems to be tricky to find absolute clarity on the traditional owners of the lands we’re on tonight – but what seems to be clear is that Katherine has been the place that the Jawoyn, Dagoman, and Wardaman Aboriginal peoples converge, and so it has been an important meeting point for tens of thousands of years. You’re getting the last two days in one helping, as last night we stayed on a beautifully remote…
The morning started with a quick check up for Debbie at the chiro again – and things were seeming much better, which was great to hear! We headed out to the Alice Springs Desert Park, planning to spend most (all) of the morning there. We knew there was just so much to see, and we also know how much the kids like the Reptile Park back home. We made it there in time for the 10am bird show, which was…
After a few early mornings, it was wonderful to not need to rush out the door this morning. And the fact that the kids slept in until after 7:30am was definitely a sign that they needed a bit of an extra sleep as well! Our first stop this morning was the Alice Springs Telegraph Station. It hadn’t really occurred to me until we were there this morning, but you can definitely create a connection between the creation of the Overland…
Tonight, we’re in Mparntwe (pronounced m’barn-twa) – the Alice Springs area. The Arrernte (pronounced Arrunda) are the traditional owners of this land, and we’re grateful to be here on their land tonight. We acknowledge the Arrernte elders past, present and emerging. I was expecting a long, tiring drive today – but in reality, it was pretty quick (relatively speaking), and we were here by 1:30pm! With such a small room in Watarrka (Kings Canyon), it made packing up nice and quick…
The Rim Walk around Watarrka (Kings Canyon) is definitely something everyone should experience in their lives. It is an incredible walk with scenery and lookouts that photos will never do justice. We arrived at the Watarrka car park at about 8:15am or so – even though today was only going to be a max. of 19º, we still liked the idea of getting the majority of the walk done before lunch if possible. After a last refill of water bottles…
We’re currently looking over the stunning Watarrka (Kings Canyon) where we’re spending the next couple of nights. Watarrka is on the lands of the Martutjarra people, and we acknowledge their elders past, present and emerging. After only a short drive from Uluru, we’re currently sitting up on the Luritja sunset deck at the Kings Canyon Discovery Park – a stunning view as the sun sets this evening, and we’re all writing in our travel diaries. We’ll hopefully stay here until sunset…
Today we headed out early-ish again, with the aim of getting out to Kata Tjuṯa before many of the crowds and tour buses. Whilst we would love to have done the full Valley of the Winds walk, a 4+ hour walk is probably just one step too far for a couple of the kids. So we opted for a couple of the shorter walks. A quick note, there’s only a few photos today – there are quite a few sections…
Happy birthday, Alexander! I think I explained earlier, but this year everyone’s birthday present is an experience as part of our holiday. And Alexander received an Uluṟu sunrise tour. We were all up at 5:15am this morning, getting dressed and ready to head out to a sunrise viewing tour called Desert Awakenings. We headed out on a fun 4WD bus in pitch black, across a long dirt track. At one point, I looked at the map on my phone and…
This afternoon, we arrived into the incredible lands of the Yankunytjatjara and Pitjantjatjara people – Yulara and the Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park. We acknowledge that this is the land of the Aṉangu people (what they call themselves in their language, and ask others to do the same), and are so grateful to be welcomed onto this land. We acknowledge the elders of both peoples past, present and emerging. I loved that today was a short drive from Erldunda into Yulara. It…