I have been to Uluru, the aboriginal name meaning rock, before. But, I longed to come back to this powerfully spiritual place. As we flew in past this huge chunk of land the emotions stirred.
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| Hieroglyphics and carvings |
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| The faces of the rock |
The first day we walked the 10 kms around the base out of respect for the local owners of the land who have held sacred ceremonies here for thousands of years. I was pleased to see that there are more spots where you can't even take photos. The trail now goes up close to a pristine water hole where you are encouraged to sit on a gum tree bench and listen to the sounds of the water, birds and 'country'. I was disappointed to see that, despite discouragement on signs and brochures, people still climb it.
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| One of the many mouth like crevices |
That night we attended a dinner called 'Sounds of Silence' about 20 kms from Uluru but within sight. After the spectacular sunset we were entertained by a Didgereedoo player who shared some local history and yarns (stories). All the table lights were turned off and we looked up to see the southern night sky. We were shown Saturn, the Southern Cross and many constellations. With the brilliant Milky Way the sky is much more stunning and plentiful than the northern sky.
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Sunset
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| 'Didge' player |
I have been reading the book 'Tracks' by Robyn Davidson. In 1981, without any prior experience, she moved to Alice Springs, learned how to ride and care for camels for two years then set off on a trip with 4 of them to cross the Outback, alone.
Today the four of us saddled up on some noble and friendly beasts and rode on the red sand beside spinifex, gum and mulga trees with Uluru and Kata Tjuta (a rock formation about 50 kms from Uluru) looming in the distance.
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| Randy and Murphy giving us a ride |
A million wild Dromidary camels roam the outback having been brought here in the 1920s to work.
Sadly, we leave tomorrow. We'll miss this special place and the magnetic power of the rock.
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