Erldunda to Uluru ...

Erldunda Roadhouse is also known as Desert Oaks Resort, so called because of the desert oak trees growing there.  I picked up a few of the small cones, cos they were quite neat.

We saw many more desert oaks on the drive to Uluru.  They had different forms, depending on their age and to me the young trees looked like Cousin Itt (from the Addams family)! 

It seemed to me that many then morphed through a heart lollipop phase also, before they spread into a larger tree-shape. Marvellous!

In stopping to take photos of flowers, we spotted this wonderful ant nest - and I've since learned it was made by nocturnal mulga ants, who use the fallen mulga stems to protect their home from heat and rain.  It seems the  mulga trees also provide nesting material and food.

We lunched at Curtin Springs and enjoyed their burgers, away from their dining space - cos that area was off-limits to Bandit.

I booked a powered site at the Ayers Rock Campground in January, to ensure we could be as close to Uluru as possible.  Given it had been on the wishlist for most of our lives, we opted to stay for a week.  

Mr Dog was fine to be at the caravan park and we planned to find a dog-sitter to mind him while we explored Uluru.

We arrived mid-afternoon, set up the Spacevan and then relaxed.  I was looking through brochures when I spotted a fabulous striped lizard!