The Big Red Rock
Trip Start
Mar 15, 2006
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30
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Trip End
May 30, 2007
Alice Springs,
Australia
Saturday, July 15, 2006
As soon as I arrived in Alice Springs I booked on a tour to take me out to the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. You may know this better as going to see Ayer's Rock. This was a really great tour. I'm kind of getting used to going out to one place or another for three days and getting all grubby, be it in a jeep, on a boat or in a bus. This one would certainly be no exception, as I came back with everything a slightly unusual shade of red.
I joined the cheapest tour in town, at $250, thus making it probably the most fun as well
A distant sunrise with the Rock
. Our driver and guide for the trip was a really cool guy, Mark, who was determined to make us the clowns of the tour buses. As its an 8 hour drive each way to get to the park, this was certainly no bad thing.We spent two nights sleeping in our 'swags' around the campfire, a thick canvas bag that you slip your sleeping bag inside of, with a flap that goes over your head. I'd heard that it was going to be seriously cold out here at night as its the middle of winter, but I was surprised how warm and cosy they actually were. This has got to be one of the advantages of going with a cheaper tour. Whilst other groups were settled in tents or whatever at big campgrounds, we were completely away from them in the middle of the desert, and how often do you get to sleep under the stars like that?!
I guess the reason everybody heads here is to see Uluru, but we stopped and did 3 hour walks at three different sites, its just for some reason Uluru has become the biggest and most well known. Kings Canyon is an interesting area of odd mounds, sheer drops and little waterholes. Then there's Kata Tjuta (more commonly known as The Olgas) which is just fascinating. Its very close to Uluru but looks quite bizarre, a mass of huge rock lumps all sanwiched together, and quite entrancing
A spot of table dancing for the return celebration
. When I saw these I actually felt like I would be far more interested in them than the big rock itself.What I didn't expect though when heading for the rock is to be quite so surprised by how different it is from expectations. I have seen so many pictures of Uluru over the years, I think you develop this idea of this completely symmetrical rock on its own in the middle of nowhere. Then you get there.
I decided I would go and get a permit in case I want to use any of the pictures I took for exhibition or sale, and suddenly I find out why I had these ideas. There is a thick booklet of regulations explaining where pictures can and can't be taken from and it turns out only the ones from the sunset side can be used, not the sunrise side. This means all those images on postcards are from exactly the same place (where it looks symmetrical).
The rock when up close has a huge amount of unusual texture it, and is formed with great crevices around the sides. I can't tell you what its like from the top as its made very clear that the Indigenous people don't want you to climb it as its sacred to them, though many do. Unfortunately both our sunset and sunrise at the site were marred because of thick cloud not letting the light through, so I didn't get to see the the much hyped changing colours
As amazing as the main attraction - The Olgas
. (What great luck when they haven't had rain for 12 weeks!)As I said, Mark was determined that we were the clowns of the tour, and as we entered the 'Circus' of tourists for sunset, I was given the responsibility of being Conductor as we drove in. With Oasis blaring from the stereo, I had to direct our groups arm waving out of the windows to the rythmn. So in we went, running, flying and drumming, much to the startled stares of the wealthy daytrippers. Apparently I'm in the wrong profession.
I didn't see a great deal of Alice Springs, but my short time in the centre of this huge country has been well worth it. I finally feel like I have found a bit of the real culture and background of this land.
