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Published: December 30th 2008
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Thought it would be a good idea to escape the cityscapes of Christmas tinsel and holiday music and head to the outback. Christmas in Uluru. What could be better? Maybe I should of thought about the fact that it is the middle of summer here and apparently desert landscapes can get quite hot! This is probably why I don't like to plan things, my less intelligent side tends to make those decisions.
I have always wanted to see Uluru and had read so many wonderful things about the place that I was worried that it would be disappointing. It's hard to live up to built up expectations. I was a bit apprehensive about going there. What if it wasn't this mystical place that is so often reported by visitors? What if I got there and it was really just a big old rock? As my plane approached the runway, I began to think that I might have been mistaken in coming here at all. And now that I have been there, I can assuredly say that Uluru is - a big red rock.
Granted it is an extremely cool rock.
I did not get the mystical feeling (perhaps
I am a bit to cynical for those feelings), that so many say they get upon setting there eyes upon the mammoth rock. I do think it is rather inspiring and walking around the base of the rock all alone (we ran into very few tourists in the late afternoon - probably due to the 102 degree temperature), you could clearly tell that this was a special place for the aborigines (even without the signs requesting that you don't photograph specific areas due to aboriginal importance). Uluru is a fascinating place where you can attempt to understand the basics of Tjukurpa (commonly though incorrectly called the dream time in English) or the governing law (religion) of the Anangu people. There are of course guided tours everywhere as well as the appropriate areas for viewing the sunrise and sunset each day. The color changes of the rock are as advertised, they go anywhere from, red, purple, ashen and brown throughout the day as the sun moves over it. As I wandered around the rock trying to understand it's existence as a tourist site, I did manage to at least understand the whole mystical ideal surrounding it.
First off, it is
Kata Tjuta
It apparently rains in the outback hard to get to. I took the easy but expensive way of flying straight to Uluru. Some people fly, others drive. The drive is not a short one. Alice Springs is the closest city to Uluru and it is a good 4-5 hour drive to Uluru. Others who are more adventurous take the Stuart highway South to North and drive for days before arriving at the rock. I imagine that after driving through harsh desolate land hour upon hour, then seeing this bulging red rock emerging in the middle of nowhere would be rather awe inspiring. This led me to think about the Aborigines as they roamed about for miles, barefoot across barren landscape in search of food, water and a little shade. I believe I would be the most mystified person in the world if I approached Uluru from this perspective.
So I spent a few days with Karen and Matt exploring Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. Kata Tjuta translates to "many heads" and it is clear how it got its name. There are numerous domes throughout this area. This is an even more sacred Aboriginal site than Uluru. It has stories that Aborigines do not share with the
Matt throwing a spear
I didn't realize that the Aborigines were fans of Chelsea! public and some of these stories are apparently withheld from their own population. I like the idea of preserving your culture by holding on to your stories and beliefs. I am amazed that it works with the number of tourists that pour into the red center every year.
The real jewel of the outback trip, however, came in the form of King's Canyon. The hike itself is easy enough (there is an initial steep climb but after that it is simple cruising around). With 100 degree temps , we again found ourselves walking around the rim of the canyon with only a couple of other people. I liked the solitary feeling of the hike - it gives you the impression that you have found something out there that hasn't been trampled upon. Upon reaching the canyon rim, you are surround by miniature mounds of rock domes everywhere. Matt said it reminded him of Tatueen from the Star Wars movies!
In the middle of the canyon is the Garden of Eden. It is flush with trees, cycads and tadpoles in the waters. It was a much need refreshing pool in the middle of the outback. The water was cool
as the canyon walls sheltered it from much of the days sun. It was a truly rewarding day, a great way to spend Christmas day.
A little aside to those wishing to travel to the Red Center during the summer: Beware of the flies. They are everywhere and they are curious little buggers who want to explore every available crevice on you. Karen said it best after a particularly fly filled hike and dinner; "Do you want flies with that?" Get comfortable with having at least 7-8 flies on your face at all times. Or you can buy the beekeeper net hat and wear that proudly around Uluru and the surrounding outback.
From there it was time to off road. As you can imagine, Matt and Karen were pretty excited to finally go off-roading in Australia. I bet it was even better for them since it wasn't their own 4WD that was going to take the abuse. Driving the dirt roads for the next six hours really highlighted how hard the living environment is in the Outback. Everything just dies out here. We saw numerous cars abandoned in the brush, tires, clothing, camels, horses and even a washing
machine died out here. The camel freaked me out the most. They are supposed to be the ultimate desert dwellers and they too died in the outback.
Maybe I was just feeling guilty for having eaten camel for three straight days. The restaurants in the outback seized the opportunity to bring in customers by serving traditional outback fare. Smoked camel, emu sausages, kangaroo carpaccio, bbq roo, camel pies, crocodile mignon all readily available for you to consume. I must admit that I was rather excited at the opportunity to ingest the new animals. For the most part they were delicious.
It was a wonderful week in the Red Center but I will be glad to be back in cooler (88-90) weather. Going to take a few days off back at Karen and Matt's place in Brisbane and then it is off to Sydney for New Year's.
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