We have no phone service at all so we can’t get any messages from home or check on how the school Term started for everyone. Hope it all went well.

We are heading to Uluru today and we are all very excited to finally get to this iconic place in Northern Territory, Australia. We are expecting a top of 38 degrees today. After a quick shower in the van (Chris and Vicki are still having issues so their shower was cold), we hit the road at 8:00am. We didn’t realise that we had to change our clocks back, after moving them forward in South Australia, as there is no daylight savings here.

Another hot day on the road, kept company with some sensational 80’s music. Ray and I had a dance outside the car with the music blaring while waiting at the first toilet stop at Kulgera. Aaron was mortified and pretended that he didn’t know us. We told him he had better get used to it because we intend to boogie our way around Australia so he might want to start hitchhiking!

I took a photo of the misspelt sign and Ray mentioned it to the owner. He said it has been the best form of advertising because its been sent in to so many magazines and TV shows. He even encouraged us to put on on our blog.

We had to stop at Curtain Springs on the road into Uluru for fuel. No LPG as the pump wasn’t working so we filled up the unleaded. $2.11 per litre. When Ray lifted the pump to put it on the car the screen jumped to 80 cents. This is before pulling the trigger. Ray queried it and was told that is the charge for the petrol sitting ready in the hose. There must be a lot of unknowing tourists being ripped off out here……

Just after we spotted Uluru for the first time (a breathtaking sight), about 80kms out, we noticed trouble with our van window. One of the clips had broken earlier in the trip and we patched it closed with duct tape. We are planning to get it fixed in Alice Springs. Due to the heat, the tape gave way and is useless. Enter Ray and his trusty cordless drill! We had no other option than to pop a couple of screws in to keep it shut. Home maintenance never stops, even when your home is trailing behind you!

We arrived at the rock, set up, had lunch and then took a look around the resort shopping centre. We had our first shop bought coffee which Ray couldn’t stop praising. He must have drunk a lot of them on a regular basis to miss them so much. The prices aren’t too bad considering where we are, except for alcohol. There are strict controls here over the purchase of alcohol. Tourists must show their accommodation passes at the bar where take away alcohol must be purchased. Only one bottle of wine OR a six pack can be purchased per adult per day. There are hefty fines for anyone buying alcohol for locals and large signs warning that the consumption of alcohol in public is open to persecution.

Harry and I found a wonderful fan at the local BBQ Bar. As well as cooling us with air, it also sprayed water. We danced in it for ages.

We have decided to walk the perimeter of Ayres Rock tomorrow. The temperature promises to be a bit more reasonable for strenuous exercise. 25 degrees is the forecast. We spent the remaining hours of the day at the pool before a pasta dinner to ready ourselves for the climb tomorrow. An early night and we are set!

PS. The boys haven’t found the time to shave yet. It’s the battle of the greying stubble.