How I explored Australia’s Red Centre by hitchhiking
.:ULURU:. I made it there on May 11, 2018. Amazing!
Uluru or Ayers Rock is a symbol of Australia. It was one of the places I really wanted to visit. And I did.
I hitchhiked more than 400 km to get there from Alice Springs. Two cars. I had only waited for 5 minutes before each car stopped. Maria from Colombia. Sinead, originally from Ireland, but living in Australia now. She was very serious looking when she stopped but we ended up talking a lot. And she even hugged me when she dropped me off. She had lived in Canada, Spain, England, Morocco, Yemen, Zimbabwe. I find it intriguing to have a conversation with people with so much life experience.
I was so happy and smiling. My smile froze and jaw dropped when they told me the price of camping with my own tent. 39 Australian dollars. I repeat: WITH MY OWN TENT. Unpowered site. I was staying at a campsite in Yulara. I felt like I had no choice and I will remember it as the great Australian rip-off.
The following day I hitched a ride to get to Uluru which was just 20 km away. I did the so called base walk and some other educational walks.
Uluru is fascinating. Uluru changes with every step I take. Uluru changes with every second that passes. It is never the same. It’s beautiful. It’s impressive. It’s massive. It’s spiritual. You can also see animals in the rock. Can you spot an elephant?
The indigenous people ask visitors not to climb it. It’s a sacred place for them. Yet people still disrespect their wish and go up.
Not far from Uluru there is another imposing rock formation – Kata Tjuta. But unlike Uluru it’s not a monolith and you can walk through. You can do the walk of the winds.
How did I get there? I hitchhiked. Two cars to get there from Uluru and two cars back to the Yulara campsite.
The day after I had visited Uluru and Kata Tjuta I decided to hitch hike to King’s Canyon. It took an hour and 25 minutes or so before I got a ride. And I was lucky. The guy went all the way although he wasn’t sure where he was going when he picked me up. His name was Paddy and he was originally from New Zealand.
We ended up hiking together on the rim of the King’s Canyon and also having dinner and a couple of drinks. What a great day! Sometimes waiting longer pays off.
