viaggio and freedom

Uluru and Kata Kjuta National Park is the most known national park of Australia and a World Heritage-listed site. Uluru is the aboriginal name for Ayers Rock, the world's most famous monolith and the icon of Australia; while Kata Kjuta is the aboriginal name of the Olgas and means many heads to explain the enormous domes that rose millions ago east of Uluru. The geology of the rocks is explained at the visitor information centre and in the national park at the cultural centre that lies in the shadow of Uluru. History of the Olgas and of Ayers Rock is well explained in the park and a big importance is given to the Anangu culture. The Anangu are the aboriginal people that lived the area before and during the presence of white people around Ayers Rock and the Olgas. As demonstration of the importance of their culture, the park is managed by local aboriginal guides together with white people and lot of tours include explanation and history of the aboriginal dreaming stories and traditi...

Watarrka is the aboriginal name of Kings Canyon that is situated in the red centre, 4 hours drive from Alice Springs or 3 hours drive from Uluru (Ayers Rock). The canyon is from 100 to 150m high and it was formed over 440 million years ago. It has eroded over millions of year to form a gorge filled with jagged red cliff peaks and plants that are the left over of a past age. In the gorge there's a permanent rock pool, that forms the so called "Garden of Eden" and bring you back in an ancient time when vegetation and dinosaurs inhabited the area. The Kings Canyon Resort Hotel brochure writes: "Kings Canyon is for adventurous minds, for couples, for families, and for travellers searching for something out of the ordinary [...] to experience the wonder of ancient Australian landscapes on their own terms". I will say Kings Canyon is quite impressive and majestic and a walk on the rim is a must. The walk is 6 km long and not to easy for unfit people, at least for...

The West MacDonnell Ranges includes waterholes, junctions, gorges, dams, rivers and much more. A trip there is memorable and worth. There's incredible sights and breathtaking views from some of the lookouts set in every spot of the ranges. Including national park and private reserves, there is plenty of places and activities to do. One of the highlights of the ranges is considered to be Standley Chasm: one break in the ranges, less than 9 meters wide and 80 meters high is at his top during noon, when the sun is shining in the sky and change the colour of the rocks. Another private reserve is Glen Helen Outback Resort: it was built in the 1900's, it's located on the banks of the Finke River and offers every sort of accommodation and a refreshing gorge. Both the places can be reached through the Namatjira Drive, that starts approximately 50 km out of Alice Springs. Leaving Alice Springs on the Larapinta Drive, the first place you encounter on the west MacDonnell Ranges is ...

Alice Springs is a country town in the middle of the Red Centre of Australia. One of the brochure says it's a "modern town rich in history" and proposes a heritage walk in the CBD. It is easy to walk from one side of town to the other as well as find signs and information about the main attractions, such as either the Royal Flying Doctor Service or the School of the Air or the reptile centre. There is plenty of tours and companies that help you to plan your perfect holidays around Alice Springs, or your visit to some cultural places. Out of town, just 5 minutes by car from the main street, there's the Old Telegraph Station, now a museum to discover the history of the first pioneers and the first residents of Alice. It is the best preserved of the 12 stations along the Overland Telegraph Line, which was established in 1872 to relay messages between Darwin and Adelaide. A visit is worthy: there's lot to learn about how the telegraph line worked, about the mors...

Darwin is a sort of funny and young city. Everybody loves Darwin and its climate, especially during the dry season that goes from May to November. The city is attractive and full of attractions and places to experience. On the local guide that you can find at the visitor information centre there's a full list of attractions, that spreads from indoor to outdoor, from cultural activities to sportive ones. The guide deals with Darwin, its suburbs and most of the Top End. I've already written about the Stuart Highway from north to south and some of the places that are interesting to stop by and in this post I'll write about Darwin itself. I've been there more than three months ago, end of June and beginning of July. At this time the weather is not really wet, the temperature is nice and warm and lots of places come alive, as the Mindil Beach Sunset Market, one of my favourite spot in the city. Settled in 1869 due to the development of gold mining and the Overlan...

Leaving the northern territory after almost three months, I'm heading to South Australia on a road trip. The road trip started already more than one week ago and it took me to explore the red centre way of the Northern territory, the part of territory I was missing and the most natural and/or touristic one. After I'd left the cattle station in Barrow Creek, I've reached Alice Springs for a big shopping day and some commissions, in order to get ready for the big adventure: a visit to the west macdonnell ranges, to some beautiful gorges and relaxing spots, a 4WD ride through the Mereenie Loop, home of the Arrernte people, that connects last gorge of the westmacdonnell ranges to Wattarka National Park, where the Kings Canyon is situated, and finally a visit to Uluru - Kata Tjuta National Park to see The Olgas and Ayers Rock, learn about the culture of this places, learn about their scientific formation, live the environment and atmosphere of this places, especially duri...