Uluru, or Ayer’s Rock, is probably the most recognizable
site in Australia next to the Great Barrier Reef. It is a humongous rust
colored rock with a flat top that rises up out of the flat desert almost in the
dead center of Oz. It’s what everyone talks about as a “must see,” and is of
great significance to the Aboriginal groups in the area who own the land and
share the management of the park. When we were originally planning to be taking
the train or bus to Alice Springs, the only options were to go with an
organized tour group, which started at a few hundred dollars per person. We
were sure it was an amazing sight, but not one worth that type of money.
But, since we had a rental car and could be on our own
schedule, we decided to check it out. We went to Kata Tjuta (or The Olgas)
first because we wanted to spend time hiking there. Since Uluru is a sacred
site, the Aborigines as that you don’t climb it, though many still do. Kata
Tjuta is a collection of tall dome-shaped rocks in the same parkland as Uluru.
They are also sacred but there are trails that go around them and wind through
the crevices created by the wind. This was a great hike, and as soon as we got
past the first viewpoint, we were basically on our own. The trail was tricky
enough to give us some exercise but not so long that it would take the whole
day.
The red rocks reminded us of The Valley of Fire in Nevada,
or Red Rocks in Denver. They are amazing formations that never grow old to see.
Assuming they are created the same way, they were once ancient beaches covered
and petrified over centuries, then slowly uncovered and shaped by the wind. We
love this stuff.
After our hike, we splashed off and headed over for a quick
look at Uluru and the cultural center. The Center was really well put together
and explained the meaning and stories about the area and the rocks, called
Dreamtime Stories, and gave us a peak into the workings of their communities
and how they functioned and still function today. Uluru itself is amazing, and
it probably would have been worth while to stay with the masses to watch its
colors change with the sunset, but we had to make it a few hundred more
kilometers to our hotel in Alice Springs. So we just took a quick picture and
headed out.
In the outback it becomes dangerous to drive at night because of
the boing boings, much like deer in the US. There are also roaming cattle and
horses, not to mention the camels, dingoes, donkeys, emus and wild boars! We
came close to only 1 emu, 3 groups of
boing boings, 1 camel herd and 2 dingoes – and luckily for all of us, they
stayed out of my way!
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