Days 43- 44 (Wed 9 - Thurs 10)

It has been an exciting 2 days for Jessica culminating in a flight over Uluru and Kata Juta at sunset tonight in a small 4 seater Cessna.
We arrived Wednesday morning after a slow trip in as we kept stopping for Jess to try and get photos of the Wedge Tail Eagles.First we dropped the trailer off at our site and then headed straight out to Uluru. It was $25 an adult for a 3day pass to enter the park, something we already knew, but many people arrive shocked as this is not advertised in any literature. So people would drive the 450kms from Alice and pay grudgingly as they were there now. Many people only come to climb 'the rock' so are also angry if the climb is closed, as it was from Thursday to Sunday due to winds. It's a shame people only come for this as there is so much more to Uluru, including Kata Juta.
First on our list was to walk the 12km's around Uluru which we believe is an experience in itself - and I won't try to explain it,as it is something you need to do for yourself. It didn't pale the second time round... except as in other places the walk was slightly changed. It was moved further out on one side,away from the sacred sites. We enjoyed the walk even tho' it was a little hot and Jess was glad she'd completed it.
Next stop was the Cultural Centre which seemed a little too commercial but had some excellent video displays. The last thing on our list for the day was the Sunset viewing. Uluru changes colour as the sun goes down and we were not disappointed. It is a shame we couldn't do Kata Juta as well.
Thursday morning we set off for Kata Juta where we walked Warpa Gorge. This had also been altered and the uneven ground though not steep proved difficult for me as my right leg has no patella to gauge the change in contour,and unevenness of ground like this. Also my knees were very swollen from yesterday. We travelled slowly as we were engrossed in the wildflowers which in this canyon are rare and endangered. Most people walked right past wondering what we were doing while others asked and received a flora lesson! There were also small ponds with water bugs which Jess and George stopped to identify.This was a great walk at this time of year.We also drove around to the Valley of The Winds walk but it was getting late and we found it may be difficult for me so left it till next time.
We finished the day with a Sunset flight over Uluru and Kata Juta. It turned out we were the only ones booked tonight so we went up in a 4 seat Cessna,with Jess in the front seat with the pilot. Much better than last time and I knew this time to sit and take it all in and not worry so much about the camera!!. A great way to end our visit here!