Rolling to the Rock: Day 4
Talking glampervans with fellow travelers and getting up close and personal with the RockWe’ve been spotted!
It didn’t take long for a fellow traveler, and Caravancampingsales reader, to recognize our slightly unusual Sorento/Swift rig, with a friendly couple camped just a few sites away at the sprawling Ayers Rock Campground dropping by for a chat on Day 4 of our Rolling to the Rock adventure.
The ‘grey’ nomads, from Bowral, NSW had been on the road a bit longer than us -- about two months -- and spent the past four days enjoying the iconic sights while based at the closest ‘official’ camping ground to Uluru. ?
Having friends with a similar but single-axle Swift caravan, they immediately recognized ‘our’ gloss white Explorer 620 with its sleek profile and soaring front window arrangement, standing out on the red dirt among all the off-road tent trailers and rental motorhomes.
They were also enjoying the ‘glamping’ lifestyle, with their Jeep Grand Cherokee diesel towing a Melbourne-built 19ft Concept Innovation 590. Though I was a bit peeved to hear they were getting slightly better fuel economy than us – 13.5L/100km!
Meanwhile, Day 4 started with a much-needed sleep in, before heading into the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park (a three day family pass cost $50) and getting our bearings at the informative Cultural Centre.
We then tackled the long but relatively easy 9.4km Base walk to not only get up close and personal to the Rock but gain a real appreciation of its cultural significance and importance to its indigenous custodians.
However, half way through our three and a half hour, anti-clockwise lap, I felt a bit like our Sorento tow vehicle on Day 1, tugging on the hand of a flagging 10-year old as she struggled against some feisty headwinds.
Then there was the obligatory Uluru sunset, racing out an hour beforehand to ensure a car spot at the designated viewing area. With cameras trained to capture the ever-changing hues of the iconic landmark as the sun slowly dropped into the horizon, it all felt a bit festival-like. ??
Some got into the spirit with picnic tables and chairs, yummy snacks and glasses of bubbly. While others kicked back on lounge chairs perched on top of 4WD roof racks for an uninterrupted and unforgettable view.
After all, many like us had driven a long way to get here, and had good reason to celebrate…
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