Uluru and Kata Tjuta, FULL experience

This is day three from leaving home. Read Day One in Adelaide here. Read Day Two in Alice Springs here. (And if you prefer a shortened version than this lengthy post, find it here.)

Before dawn we check out of our room and wait outside for our bus to pick us up. It's not one of the fancy big buses. It's smaller and only seats 22 people. Comfortable enough, but still looks rugged. Perfect.

Uluru and Kata Tjuta, speed trip version

This is day three from leaving home. Read Day One in Adelaide here. Read Day Two in Alice Springs here. (And this is the shortened version of my post about this. Read the Full Experience here if you like.)

Here is some scenery along our way from Alice Springs to Uluru.

We got to stop at a service station for 15 minutes and we enjoyed the emu while we waited. 

Alice Springs

After our crazy night and day in Adelaide, we boarded the plane to Alice Springs, right in the middle of Australia. The flight crew chief is tall, bald, and wearing a black suit and red tie. A bit intimidating. But if I can handle the outback, I can handle him. 

I was excited to see the Red Center terrain. The books and movies make it sound so harsh and unlivable. This was the view from the plane.

This is now the screen saver on my computer. It got even better from here. 

Bonus trip: Adelaide!

Because we didn't want to take Henry to the intense heat of Uluru, we sent Allen and the girls first, and then Leo and I went two weeks later. Leo and I were more interested in a full "outback" experience with camping. I booked a tour that would drive us to the sights, and we'd get to campout under the stars.

Melbourne Star

The Melbourne Star is a 120 meter high observation ferris wheel. It has 21 pods that are completely enclosed. Henry has been wanting to ride in it for awhile. It is normally about $39 per person, but I scored a coupon for $15 per person.

Feeling grateful

I've got a lot to do and we are very busy and it's going to take some time to finish all the posts I've started. But I have just felt so grateful for all of these experiences. 

Saturday is a special day--at the Fitzroy Gardens and Altona Beach

Allen went in to work on Saturday to make up for lost days while he was in Uluru. We decided to meet at the Fitzroy Gardens afterward to see Cook's Cottage and walk around the park a bit.

Boat Cruise

This week was Daddy/Daughter Mumma/Bubba week. Allen took the girls to Uluru, and Shelly stayed home with the boys. It was only three days so we tried to enjoy the unique time together while we could.

After taking Allen's crew to the airport, Leo and Henry and I suited up for the local beach in Altona. I prefer that beach because (a) it's only 15 minutes away instead of an hour, and (b) it has far-reaching shallow sandbars that means Henry can walk all over it without making me super nervous for his safety, and (c) the shallow bay water is a lot warmer than the Southern Ocean water. 

Happy New Year!

There was a dance held at church to celebrate New Year's Eve. I was in charge of helping get it decorated and planned.

Suffice it to say that by the time I was done with that obligation I was not in a mood to also stay at said dance for 5 hours, and then clean it up. And none of the kids except Leo were interested in going into the city to see the fireworks.

So...

Allen took the girls to the dance for a little while with the promise they didn't have to stay the whole time (they were just there for the food).

Leo and I ended up taking a train to Williamstown to watch the Melbourne Fireworks. We watched from across the bay at the end of a long pier where there are lots of sailboats and yachts. It was still quite a distance but we could hear that the sound must be deafening if you were right under them. They shoot them from the tops of the buildings. Each explosion is the same on each building and they go off EXACTLY in unison. It was pretty cool.