Alice Springs a leak
Trip Start
Jun 14, 2008
1
50
93
Trip End
Jun 20, 2009
Alice Springs,
Northern Territory,
Australia
Thursday, December 11, 2008
But such is the strange tension in which the white Australian and Aboriginal cultures exist in the Northern Territory. Uluru has always been a sacred place to the Aborigines, where they have performed many of their spiritual initiations and rituals. After settlement by westerners, the area on which it stands was turned into a cattle station. Years of dispute and international pressure finally led to the land being handed back to the Aborigines in 1985 under the condition that they would lease it back to the Australian government and allow it to be co-managed. Another condition was that although Uluru could be advertised as a national icon and tourist attraction, another, even more spectacular rock structure called Kata Tjuta (the Olgas to Aussies) was deemed to be off limits to tourists and anyone outside of Aborigine tribes. ( It's also for bidden to advertise or market the existence of Kata Tjuta outside of the Northern Territory which probably explains why neither of us had heard of it before we arrived in Alice Springs.
Lyds and Emmet on tour
)Aborigines ask you not to climb Uluru. This is printed on all literature by the Australian government, side by side with instructions on what precautions to undertake if you are going to climb the rock. i.e. wear sunblock, bring lots of water etc etc...
This sad contradiction is a stark reminder of what low esteem the Aborigines were and perhaps are still held in Australia. Why allow people to climb it at all?? Only 25% of the money raised from entry fees to the park goes back to local tribes, the majority goes on upkeep of the park. A fair division? Maybe so? It just reminds me of a discussion I had in Guatemala with my Spanish teacher. We talked about how the Mayan culture is plugged as one of the main tourist attractions for the country, yet the history of the Mayan people is one of abuse, discrimination, degradation. Their so called "indigenous image" is sexy to tourists, so it is exploited, without much real benefit to themselves. When I picture icons of Australia, sure I think of Kangeroos and Koalas, but the scorched rusted earth of the Northern Terrritory and the sun setting over Uluru are right up there as well. Aborigines have managed to maintain their lifestyle for 60,000 years...that is one of the oldest civilizations on earth. Truly an awe inspiring thought. So why so little respect?
It was with all these thoughts that we approached the rock. If it isn't one of the wonders of the world, it should be. So used to seeing its image from the front and far away, I tended to think of it as almost rectangular, smooth, with groves running up and down the centre. Up close and personal it reveals itself, its many curves, formations and undulations. We were some of the lucky few (or so people kept telling us!!) who got to see it wet, the streaks of iron and rust in it glistening wet. Yes, it rained in the Australian desert for us. Constantly and heavily. The dirt is so hard and dry that huge puddles form instantly, making our walk around the base no mean feat. It made sleeping in a swag even less comfortable!! Luckily though the rain cleared and the clouds dissipated for two hours allowing us to watch the sun set over Uluru whilst sipping cool beers out of our eskie. Truly one of the magic moments of our trip so far.
We also got to do a brief trip of Kata Tjuta, which was more look from a distance but don't touch. We got to walk on a tiny fraction of it, the part the Aborigines permit. The rocks aside, we also took in hike of Kings Canyon during our tour, which was beautiful, but very wet. I don't know it may have been a blessing in disguise as the day we arrived in Alice Springs it was 38 degrees!! It would have been nice to get some sun when we reached the watering hole though, instead of it lashing down. A great outback experience all in all, with plenty of food for thought.
