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Dale Stenseth's Australia Page
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Ayers Rock (Uluru), 2173 ft, August 22, 1998
The rise is 1115 ft above the surrounding area. I believe Uluru is no longer open for climbing. The trail around the base is 5.8 miles.
We spent 4 weeks in Australia and another 2 weeks in New Zealand. The flight to Sydney from LA is 14 hours (3 movies). We stayed a few days in Sydney, then flew to Ayers Rock Airport. We stayed 2 nights in Ayers Rock, then flew to Cairns, Darwin and Perth. We took the train from Perth to Adelaide. We flew to Brisbane and stayed a week on the Gold Coast (Surfer's Paradise). We took a bus back to Sydney (a mistake). After a few shows at the Sydney Opera House, we flew to New Zealand. We had a packaged tour in New Zealand that covered both islands and the Milford Sound. This was a great trip!
At Ayers Rock, we stayed in one of the tourist hotels. Most tourism is in the spring or fall. The winter is too cold and the summer is too hot. There are shuttles from the hotel to the Uluru park at dawn and sunset to watch the rock change colors. My Australian friend warned me to watch out for snakes and spiders. 'Don't stick your fingers or toes anywhere dark.'
The Rock was closed for hiking due to high winds, after the morning sunrise, so I hiked around it. When I returned to the parking lot on the east side, the wind had died down and climbing was allowed. I noticed plaques at the base of the rock naming people who had died on the rock. The first part of the climb has a series of posts with a chain to assist climbers.
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