KING'S CANYON EDGE

The edge is not place if you don't like heights - there is a complete vertical drop of thousands of feet....a few german tourists found a novel way of looking over the edge - but as a geologist looking at the vertical joints I prefered to stay back a bit with a long lens.

KING'S CANYON

Henny & Joan's son Hank works at King's Canyon as a chef and we had a great catch up in the evening with front seats to an Aussie roadshow run by a couple who were a kind of a mix between Dame Edna, Elvis Presley and Bazza Mackenzie - though I thought their wind up kangaroo had the best voice.

Knig's Canyon is a massive canyon incised into sedimentary rocks hundreds of years old. You climb up the side of the rocks making perfect steps everywhere then walk around the rim of the canyon...weather was almost 40 degrees and if you wandered out the back off the track it was easy to see how you could get lost and die in a short time without water.... I'd prefer to be lost in NZ mountains where at least there is wet moss and no thirst !

BIRDS AND LIZARDS

We spent time in the fabulous Museum of Central Australia - not large but well done and contains one of the worlds most famous dinosaur bird fossils.... I've photographed another bird alongside for scale - hopefully you can work out which is the oldest..... there are a few clues if you're stuck - one has more feathers..... and a more delicate bone structure -

We then went to the reptile park - Had a demo about snakes which was a relief - only 1 - 3 people a year die in Aust from snake bites and I discovered that most Aust snakes attack the lymphatic system not the blood - so you pressure bandage the entire limb - with the end of your fingers or toes sticking out in case they go purple andf drop off ( in which case you redo the bandage a bit more loosely - ( before they drop off ) _) all of which is good to know when in Aust - bur or no use to Kiwis back home.

I felt sorry for all the reptiles, lizards and snakes stuck in cages and wanted to let them all out - but the manager said they did not have enough pressure bandages in stock, They offered to let anyone wrap snakes around their neck . but I was busy behind my camera at the time - Finally Diane held an old lizard - not for long - then passed one on to me and grabbed the camera.... not being the greatest of animal handlers, I looked for a nearby backpacker and offered a free lizard fairly quickly.....

JUST A FEW MORE OLGAS

Managed to squeeze a few more Olga shots in.....plus an emu we met at the petrol station - and a view of a typical road - I've discovered cruise control on the rental car - it's great set a figure and go for it - especially since the speed limit on the main road is 130km...... the locals are moaning because up until recently there was no speed limit at all....

THE OLGS - ( KATA TJUA )

About 40 km west of Uluru are the Olga mountains - dozens of massive domes quite different from Uluru - the rocks here are in their normal horizontal layers - and made of massive conglomerate rocks - from fast moving mountains - like the rocks you see in West Coast NZ rivers,.... piled up in layers hundreds of million years ago -then weathered into strange domes... This website is supposed to send an automtic email to people wth the website to click on - but in case you get an email and no click - just enter www.lifelogsnz.blogspot.com

By the way - most males find shopping exremely difficult - so I've just found the ultimate solution - Diane browses shops - and I can spend a few minute or several more in an internet cafe ! - woops she has just come in I better close down - will send more from Perth.... cheers Brian

A Last look at ULRU

Here is one more shot.......try double clicking to see it bit larger.....

MORE AYER'S ROCK ( Uluru )

A few more photos of Uluru - There are hundreds of Australians who come to see Uluru at least once ion a lifetime - So along wit the tourists are carloads of parents showing their children the great Australian Mecca - sitting on tops of 4 wheel drives at sunset - many of whom have driven across the desert from all sides of Australia. I love the challenge of Z mountains and weather - and have just discovered that for Australians their challenge is to beat the desert heat and try and travel across it - loaded up with heaps of spare fuel and water bottles...... for me I'll stick with the NZ alps as my challenge...

Ayers Rock - ( Uluru )

Uluru rock is a coarse sedimentary sandstone several hundred milion years old, which has been folded so it now sits vertical.... extremely magical and worth driving around several times and spending hours looking at it..... Here are several photos.....could spend a week capturing it if we had the time..... However the first flat top montain is not Ayers Rock it's Connors Mt and is seen on the way to Ayers.....

THE DESERT

A few shots along the way - We drove off the main road for 30km om a desert track ( uninsured ) - to see a meteorite crater - this road if you kept going would eventually take you to Perth after several days and I' m sure a lot more pot holes and empty creek beds - Red dust everywhere - Lucky I cut my toenails for this shot..... the lizard is called a Thorny Devil.... Every several hundred km is a roadside stop with petrol etc.... and shops with red dust floors.

ALICE SPRINGS

Spent the last 3 days driving around the desert - between Alice Springs - Ayers Rock the Olgas and Kings Canyon..... not like kiwi distances - almost 2000 km driving in 3 days ! Accomodation costs a fortune here as the tourists are a captured market - so I solved that by hiring a tent. The tent is great - all campling gear for $15 a night instead of $150 a night - just a couple of little problems... Australia is made of rock ( not soft Kiwi grass ) and the sleeping mats they gave us are about 3mm thick ! So don't mention the sleeping mats to Diane when we get home.... ...

everywhere you go the land is covered in thick red dust .......
This place is a geologists dream - here is a photo of one geologist and also a photo of Alice walking along the rim of on old meteorite crater. and sunset at Alice

The Blogsite

Hi a final note - while on holiday I've been trying to learn how to upload photos on the run - not that easy and some of you may have got several unwanted emails..... the email is supposed to give a direct link to the web - but not sure if that;s happening - so just incase you can find this blogsite with holiday photos by clicking www.lifelogsnz.blogspot.com cheers Brian

Leaving the Beaches

Hi - after a weekend in Cairns we leave for Ayers Rock - tomorrow - here a a few parting shots - the coast up here is full of sugar cane plantations - thought we would show you how talll they are - cheers Brian