If you’re reading this blog, chances are you have been reading it for a while, and if so, you’ll know that ever since our first trip together in 2017, I have loved travelling with my father.

(Side note, a little while ago I hit the 10 year anniversary of this blog – a milestone I kinda can’t believe!)

When covid hit, ultimately our travelling became pretty limited to Australia and often even only certain states due to ongoing off and on again state border closures. In early 2022, I asked Dad if he wanted to go do a little week away somewhere in Australia. He of course was keen, and after a bit of discussion we decided that a red centre road trip was just the ticket.

We scored some relatively cheap Qantas flights ($180 each way from Adelaide to Alice Springs), booked a car, I planned the itinerary and we were cooking with gas.

We landed in Alice and after a day chilling out around town and getting settled into our hotel, we kicked the car into gear and set off in search of some water holes.

First on the agenda was Ellery Creek or Ellery Big Hole. This site is one of the most popular spots in the West MacDonnell ranges and it isn’t hard to see why.

I threw the drone up to try and get some perspective on just how enormous this swimming hole is – if you can realllllly squint you can see me in the bottom centre of the frame, but boy, I certainly don’t stand out, even amongst the dark tannins of the water!

Next up was Ormiston Gorge. This spot was much busier than Ellery and was almost like a beach in the outback. There was sand, people sunbaking on beach towels and kids playing in the shallows – it was an undeniable oasis.

Dad and I had an absolute blast here and spent way longer than I expected we would just frolicking, swimming and making a kind of rock game, where we fished around for rocks on the river bed and tossed them, trying to land them on a log. It was very simple, childlike fun, but both of us spent the time grinning and laughing like fools.

The next day was a long blur. We drove the big five hour drive from Alice Springs to Uluru. I actually don’t have any photos to include from this day, we spent the long drive listening and singing along to music and me taking a cheeky nap in the back seat.

After arriving to our hotel, settling in and having an early nights sleep, we set out bright and early the next morning on some walking trails around Uluru.

*Please note that Uluru is the preferred name for the site. Ayers Rock is a colonial name and is slowly but surely (and rightfully) becoming almost exclusively known as Uluru*

We decided to do the walk around the entire base the following day, instead we opted to ease in to things with the gentle and easy ‘Liru’ walking trail.

Buy these dorky nets before you come and thank us later, the flies out here are bananas

Compared to the base walk, this was a much quieter and more peaceful walk. We only came across a few other people and enjoyed some stunning views of Uluru whilst also spotting a whole bunch of truly beautiful native Australian flowers and plants.

Liru walk is an easy 4km round trip walk. The ground is flat and it can easily be completed in an hour or so.

That evening, Dad and I headed to one of the designated sunset spots to do exactly what you would do in such a spot – watch the sunset! It wasn’t the most spectacular of sunsets, but it was wonderful to watch how much the view of the rock changed with the dimming light.

The next morning was the one I was most excited for. Dad and I decided to splurge a little bit and book a sunrise helicopter ride over Uluru and nearby Kata Tjuta (the Olgas). I must admit, this trip wasn’t actually as expensive as I thought it might be and overall, I think it is certainly worth the moolah.

Dad and I arrived bright an early and waited patiently while our pilot did all the safety checks and prepared our aircraft for flight.

Once up in the air and within minutes we had the best ever view of Uluru in our sights.

I mean… look at this next photo! I simply couldn’t wipe the grin from my face. This had been something I had dreamed of doing for so long and it was even better than I could imagine.

After we had circled Uluru a few times, it was time to zoom over to Kata Tjuta.

I love this next picture of my dad. This is the joy of travelling with a parent, seeing them happy and so joyful is just wonderful. These are the memories of dad that I will treasure always.

Kata Tjuta is certainly not as big or grandiose as Uluru, but I actually think the glow of these rock domes at sunrise is absolutely just as spectacular as Uluru itself.

After we landed and indulged in a big old buffet breakfast, Dad and I were finally off the undertake the big 10km walk around the entire base of Uluru.

This walk isn’t technically difficult by any stretch and it is almost completely flat, but there is minimal sun protection from the rock, so it is taxing in the sense that you’ll be hot and a bit over-sunned by the time you’re done.

Make sure to pack adequate water, some snacks, a fly net and above all else – a hat!

I would also highly recommend that others do NOT do as I do – wear a proper pair of sneakers! I walked this entire walk in my birkenstocks and not only did my feet get revoltingly dirty, but I also ended up getting an arch strain on one of them that was quite debilitating for weeks. I kept telling people it couldn’t be the birkis fault because when I was like, 23 or 24 I had walked 25km in them at Petra, to which people did not hesitate at all to remind me that I’m a fair whack older now… *cries*

That evening, Pops and I had booked in to see the Field of Light, an enormous art installation by artist Bruce Munro. Initially this installation was to be a short term showing, but due to how popular it has been it has been extended indefinitely.

We were shuttled to the site via bus and handed delicious canapes and champagne as the sun began to set.

As the warm red glow of the bygone sun illuminated the back of Uluru, the lights began to show themselves.

Once the sun had set completely, we had the opportunity to wander around and watch the rivers of light from close up. The colours were constantly changing and this you could stay in one spot and see completely different things.

Getting half decent shots will require a tripod, but a word to the wise, people visiting this site seem completely oblivious to their surroundings and I had multiple people knock or kick my tripod and nearly knock off my camera.

The next morning was our last in Uluru before we headed to Kings Canyon. We decided to rise early (breakfast beers in tow) and head to the sunrise lookout point.

We had skipped walking a lap of Kata Tjuta as my foot sprain was killing me, but we did stop there for a quick little looksie.

Now injuries aside, I was determined to complete the Kings Canyon rim walk for sunrise. This 6km climb takes 3-4 hours to complete and has a notorious first ascent of 500 steep steps that has been dubbed ‘heart attack hill’.

Because the hardest part of this walk is the beginning, almost everyone undertaking it will start just before sunrise. It is also worth noting that due to extremely hot daytime temperatures and minimal shade or coverage it is not unusual for rangers to close off the entrance to the walk by 10-11am.

Now, by this point my foot was bruised as fuck and seriously swollen, so Dad and I ended up completing the walk way faster than the average person, purely because I was so sore and I just wanted to get it done. We had conquered heart attack in around 15 minutes and the entire walk in just over two hours!

Now, we may have been speeding through the walk, but that doesn’t mean we didn’t take time to stop and marvel at the incredible landscape around us. The 300m high smooth cliff faces in front of us were like nothing I’d ever seen.

Once we had kicked that rim walks butt we got back in the car and started the long drive back to Alice Springs. We had had an epic week away and it was so lovely to go on adventures with my dearest Daddio again.

THE LOWDOWN

Uluru-Kata Tjuta park pass: This pass is essential for anyone visiting Uluru and entry to the park is manned by machines that scan your passes. A three day pass will set you back $38 AUD
NT Parks Pass: Watarrka national park (which is home to Kings Canyon) requires you to have an NT parks pass, which will set you back $10 AUD per day or $30 for two weeks. It is worth noting that NT residents are exempt from this
Car hire: There are a tonne of car hire places in Alice Springs, I would recommend opting for a 4×4 – especially if you intend to take the shortcut 4wd only track from Kings Canyon to Alice (we saw multiple smaller cars with busted tyres and having trouble on this road so it really is essential)
Sunrise heli flight: Scenic flights can be booked through Fly Uluru and I highly recommend opting for a sunrise flight
Field of Light: The Field of Light star pass (including transfers, champagne and canapes) will set you back $110 and can be booked here
Remember: Wear proper shoes when undertaking any walk! Also, remember those fly nets!