Day 3: Kata Tjuṯa and a magical desert evening

No early sunrise, slept in and headed off on the dot of 9am to explore Kata Tjuṯa (formerly the Olga’s).

First glimpse of Karta Tjuta purple in the morning light

The ‘don’t risk your life’ sign was a bit off-putting but there’s safety in numbers and there were three of us so….

Took the falsely named ‘easier walk’ to the Waḻpa Gorge. A lot of mountain goating required but thankfully no ankle injuries- the hiking poles did their job.

A relatively easy, flat start- what could possibly go wrong?

Flush with success we went on to the supposedly harder Valley of the Winds walk which was a cinch – at least to the first lookout- after seeing the steep rock face to the second we bailed.

Home for a quick regroup we put on all the clothes we owned – on top of r leach other- and off to the posh dinner (our one indulgence of the trip). Picked up from our hotel at 5. First stop was bubbles and canapés at the rock at sunset, followed by three course fine dining under the desert stars. Menu included most of the wildlife Aus has to offer, infused with lemon myrtle, wattle-seed, saltbush and the like.

We were treated to live didgeridoo and a guided star gazing session. But by far the most magical part of the night was walking through the field of lights- a light installation by Bruce Munro (British artist) which is literally an enormous field of 55,000 solar LED lights. Amazing!