Julie and I were supposed to be hiking the 5,000km Continental Divide Trail in the US in 2020, but COVID-19 derailed that plan. Instead, we will have an adventure in Australia, circumnavigating the country on our bikes, a distance of about 16,500km taking approximately five and a half months. We will use minor roads where possible and occasionally catch ferries across rivers and inlets to avoid busier inland routes. We will camp some of the time and stay in motels, hotels, etc, at others. There will be stretches of up to five days with no accommodation or resupply available, so we will need to be self-sufficient.

Round Australia Bike Ride - Day 084 - Curtin Springs to Yulara

Day:  084

Date:  Wednesday, 23 September 2020

Start:  Curtin Springs

Finish:  Yulara

Daily Kilometres:  136 (click for Julie's Strava and photos)

Total Kilometres:  8633

Weather:  Cool early, then sunny and warm

Accommodation:  Tent

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Scrambled eggs on toast

  Lunch:  Pie & donut/Pie & chocolate cake

  Dinner:  Chicken, cheese & mayo sandwiches, corn chips and ice cream

Aches:  Nothing significant

Highlight:  It's an Australian cliché, but watching the last of the sun's rays for the day illuminate Uluru (Ayers Rock) in shades changing from orange to red as we sat on a log at the end of a long day enjoying our snack dinner was superb, and kind of marks a milestone in our journey.

Lowlight:  None really

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

We didn't need to start our day too early, given we only had 83km to Yulara, our destination for the day, so we waited for breakfast to be available at the roadhouse and ate soon after 7am.  By 8am we were heading west towards Yulara in the cool early morning sunshine with a nice breeze at our backs.  The road rose and fell gradually as it climbed over endless red sand dunes vegetated with desert oaks and scrub.  We kept our eyes open for wild camels, but the desert seemed devoid of life.  We didn't even see many birds and almost no roadkill, but I'm sure there's plenty of wildlife out there if you know where to look and when.

As we got closer to Yulara, we could see the upper parts of Uluru across the dunes, but never got a full view.  It seemed orchestrated that way to build the excitement as you got closer.  Even when we reached Yulara around noon, after a very fast (for us) 80km, you could still not properly see Uluru, or Kata Tjuta (the Olgas) ... just tantalising glimpses.  Yulara is a designed resort with a range of accommodation and a small shopping centre.  All very well cared for and organised, like an oasis in the desert.  We checked in at the campground, hoping to get a cabin, but had to settle for a tent site.  It's expensive, but the facilities are excellent, so you don't mind so much.

After setting up our tent, we walked the kilometre to the shopping centre, which includes a small supermarket with reasonable prices, and got some lunch and supplies for the rest of today and for tomorrow.  After returning to our tent, we mounted our unladen bikes and headed towards the base of Uluru, 21km away, into a headwind most of the way, arriving around 4:30pm, a little later than intended.  Nevertheless, we still had time for a leisurely ride on the trail that circumnavigates the awesome monolithic icon.  The closer you get, the more awe-inspiring it becomes as you see the huge eroded fissures, caves, gorges and fallen boulders that are not visible at a distance.  Around the base are sandy flat woodlands, accentuating the sheer abruptness of the rock rising from below.

After our ride around the rock, we returned to the sunset viewing area carpark joining scores of people set up with camp chairs, drinks and cameras to watch the fabled sunset at Uluru.  It didn't disappoint and we enjoyed the show (see above).  We then had to ride back to Yulara in the afterglow of sunset being passed by vehicle after vehicle, reminding me of the end of a drive-in show in the old days with everybody leaving at the same time and heading "home".  Back at the campground, we showered then had dessert in the well-equipped campground kitchen before heading to bed after another good day.

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