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Published: August 27th 2009
Day 120 - Uluru
For whatever reason last night was a very restless / sleepless night, I was restless which meant Dar ended up sleepless which is never a good combination when you’ve got a big day ahead of you.
The magic that is Uluru awaits us so we join the madding crowd travelling out there for sunrise. Whilst we’re still getting out of bed just past six o’clock, others are already whizzing out of the campsite! Sunrise is scheduled as 7:06 and it takes about 20 minutes to travel out to the viewing area so there’s no time for showering today!
The gates to the park apparently open at 6am but we think that’s a myth and we’ll tell you why later! As it was we went through the gates with a queue in front and behind us at about 6.30am. Imagine that, queuing to get into a National Park!
For the 2nd time in two days we have in our sights the awesome beauty of Uluru and for the 2nd time in two days we have an entirely different view of it as we’re travelling to the far side to witness the sunrise. There are
hoards of people here already and the car park is stacked full of coaches, 4WDs, campervans and cars. Sunrise is a beautiful part of the day in any area but standing within the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park is particularly special and to see the changes in colour across the land is spectacular.
For those of you who aren’t aware, Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park is home to what was called Ayers Rock (now Uluru and pronounced Ool-or-roo) and The Olgas (now Kata Tjuta and pronounced Kart-ta choo-ta). In 1985 this land trust was handed back to the Anangu, the traditional land owners, by the Australian Government. An approach of joint management between the Anangu and the National Parks has been in place since and the land was leased back to the Federal Government by the Anangu for a term of 99 years.
The leaflet that is handed to all those visiting the National Park includes an introduction and welcome to the Aboriginal Land and asks you to look around and learn in order to understand it’s people and understand that the culture is strong and alive.
Aboriginal culture teaches you that the land was created by the Tjukuritja,
the creation ancestors, and that in their travels they left behind visible marks in the land. These ancestors were supernatural beings with different characteristics, some people and some animal but they could change shape from either and vice versa. There are ‘stories’ associated with Uluru, Lungkata the Lizard Man and Itjaritjari the Mole Woman are just two of them but they go some way to the interpretations of some of the markings you see on Uluru.
We decide to drive from the sunrise section back to the start of the base walk and it’s here that we can see the early morning climbers starting to go up. There are lots of activities you can do these days at Uluru, it’s certainly not all about doing the climb although the onslaught of people rushing to do it would have you think otherwise. Rather than climbing Uluru you are encouraged to do the Base Walk which is a 9.4km self guided meander around the base and is a great way to spend a few hours. There’s also the Mala Walk which if you time your activities correctly you get to do with a Ranger so it’s a more informative experience.
What did we do? We climbed Uluru then went on the Mala Walk with the Ranger and then completed the Base Walk.
Speaking for both of us, we have a strong appreciation for the Aboriginal culture and it fascinates us yet we could not suppress the urge to climb Uluru, or Ayers Rock as we knew it growing up all those miles away. Having read the literature within the Cultural Centre we know that by climbing we are being hypocritical and excuses like ‘well everyone else was doing it so one more isn’t going to make a difference’ are worthless.
It’s true to say that when we saw the first lot of climbers this morning the adrenalin began to pump and we rushed to join them. We were prepared with proper walking boots on our feet, 4 litres of water in our rucksack and of course the small camera to record our feat. The climb is by no means easy and if at any point you think I’m making light of it then I’m telling it wrong, it’s pretty full on in places but totally do-able if you take your time and catch your breath every now and
then.
The ‘track’ is marked with white paint and follows the traditional route taken by ancestral Mala men when they first arrived at Uluru. It comes across that this is the reason you are asked not to climb, the sacredness of this important place and the significance it holds within the Aboriginal culture back then and still today. However, reading the literature there is also the strong message that the local people suffer much sadness when anyone dies or is injured whilst climbing on their land. So far 35 people have died, mainly as a result of falls or heart attacks brought on by the strenuous activity. It is this reasoning which is more prominent in some areas that ask you not to climb. However, at the present time the choice is yours - in the not too distant future you may have no choice as the climb may be closed following the result of discussions over the coming months.
The initial section is a free scramble up the rock face before you come to a chain where the steepness is accelerated and anyone suffering from a fear of heights would start to think twice. When you are
standing at the base of the climb the sheerness of it makes it look impossible and it is steep and although there are sections where it is possible to climb without the chain we used it quite a lot and found it very useful when taking a breather as clinging on to it stopped you sliding downwards! There was a distinct feeling that it was never-ending, just as you thought you were getting close to the top another section would stretch out before you that you previously couldn’t see! A third of the way up a lady behind us began to really struggle and sat down on the face of the rock. We stopped too to catch our breath and you did feel yourself sliding downwards which was a bit un-nerving, it’s a long way up! It’s been likened to climbing a 95 story sky scraper!
When we reached the top of the chained section it’s here that you start another free scramble, but this time following a dotted line painted track, up, over and along the rock until you reach the marker. It’s quite a distance before you reach it and by this time we realised that we’d
over done the ‘take fluids’ bit so offered a bottle of our water to a couple without any. They gladly took it and Darryl was more than happy to lighten the load in the rucksack! We met a lad here who was on his way back down already. He'd climbed at 6am to watch the sunrise from the top, hence we think it's a myth that the National Park doesn't open til six!
By this time we’d claimed Tony and Jane as ‘climbing buddies’! We couldn’t have bumped into nicer people and it was great to chat and walk and climb but soon, despite them being a little more ‘mature’ in years than us they seemed to speed away in front. Tony had said that he wasn’t certain he would attempt the climb at all because he’s always had a slight heart condition but we’re left in awe of the pace he’s setting now! It’s fair to say we all enjoyed every strength sapping minute of the whole experience! We teamed up again at the marker and they kindly took our photo to savour the memory for years to come.
So there we were on the top of
what is possibly the most famous landmark in all the world.
It would be very easy to get carried away and forget to look out at the surrounding area so we took the time to wander across the top of the rock over looking Kata-Tjuta which is so very impressive. The view from 348 metres above the plain (863 metres above sea level) was incredible and we spent time just looking out so we wouldn’t forget what we’d seen. Finding water pools during the climb and grassy areas was a surprise, we’d not thought about what it would look like once we were on it!
Whilst we were chatting, we were unaware that we were being photographed because we were standing ‘in the clouds’! Luckily the guy who took the photos recognised Jane as we were starting the climb back across and offered to email them to her so we’re really looking forward to seeing them.
So many people of all shapes, sizes, ages, creed and religion climbed the rock this morning. We were relatively lucky that not too many people were at the top when we got up there, we reckon about 10 if that. But
whilst we walked to admire the view we turned around to see a rush of people heading for the marker so the private party was short lived. The atmosphere was electric with people bouncing up and down on the marker, jubilation was all around.
Climbing back down to earth was interesting but a slow process for me which was ok as it meant Dar had loads of time to take photographs! We didn’t take the bigger camera, no room in the bag what with all the water, ha ha, but the little point and shoot casio stood up to things pretty well and we’ve at least got some great snaps of our memories.
We had time at the bottom of the climb to watch plenty more starting off and a few coming back down. We ate our well earned sandwiches and just relaxed for a little while. The ranger guided Mala Walk was scheduled for 10am which gave us about thirty minutes to catch our breath, good timing or what!
Richie was our Ranger for today’s guided Mala walk and his knowledge, appreciation and understanding of the area and culture was immediately apparent. He spoke softly to
grasp the attention of the waiting group, rather than booming so everyone was deafened; a refreshing approach which we all responded to rather well! The walk included stories about Uluru and how the land came to be this way, the question of whether there is a geological connection between Mt Conner, Uluru and Kata Tjuta as visually from a distance the rocks look comparable. We’re told that there is only one degree of separation if you draw a line through the three, so perhaps in the times of the inland sea that was once here these great formations were somehow joined.
There are several sites around Uluru which are sacred to the Anangu and an element of the ‘learning’ still takes place here. Anangu culture is not one where knowledge is recorded, it’s an oral culture and therefore the learning is best carried out within the sacred sites. It’s a very spiritual culture and there is a belief that by, for example, taking photographs of sacred sites or areas of learning and then removing that photograph you may also remove a part of the sacred place and maybe even remove something spiritually. This is why there are areas around
Uluru where you are asked not to take photographs.
Richie explained all of this to the group but unfortunately the explanation came after an encounter with a group behind us on a private tour with two members of the Anangu. Some people in our group thought it was right and proper to take photographs of the two Aborigines and it did not go down too well but Richie handled the situation brilliantly and our group moved on.
Tjukurpa (the creation stories) tell of Itjaritjari the Mole lady and her children who used to practise their digging skills above the rock in their cave. The holes are still there for you to see today. The stories are complex and detailed but really intriguing and a great insight to the Anangu culture and dialect. Interestingly it’s thought that over 3000 different Aboriginal dialects existed in years gone by whereas only 250 are used now. They are complex and it is not easy for one dialect to be understood by those using another.
There were many interesting facts and while we didn’t take it all in we found the walk very enjoyable. When Richie bid us farewell, in Pitjantjatjara (the
local traditional dialect) at the Kantja Gorge water hole we were left to soak up the surroundings of this very special place.
It was still early in the day and the Base Walk was next! Our legs were still operational so before they seized completely we set off for the leisurely 9.4 kms. It’s very interesting seeing Uluru up so close, we had no idea there were so many crevices and even the shape of this great monolith surprised us as we’ve only even seen the ‘postcard’ view before now. There is an Aboriginal community settled near to Uluru, Mutitjulu, the base walk comes fairly close to this community area although not close enough for it to be visible. A group of local kids come onto the walking track, a couple of them are on bicycles and the rest of walking. They look to be on a journey to somewhere but we don’t know where! Further along we spot them climbing over the rock and having a great time laughing together, it’s good to see.
We reach the waterhole which shares its name with the local community, Mutitjulu and meet a young woman and her little girl already
Up in the clouds on Uluru
With thanks to Stefano and Christiana for this great photolooking out over the water and on to the rock. It’s a beautiful setting and great to see so much water here since the small amount of rain they had over a week ago. In a flash the local kids appear, from the bush, from the walkway, they come from everywhere! They’re chatting to each other in their native tongue which is interesting to listen too and we wonder if they’re going to swim in the waterhole so Dar asks one of the boys. His reply was simply “I might do, it’s my country”. With that one of the girls climbed through the fence and walked straight into the water and most of the boys followed shortly after. They swam, splashed about and then a couple of them clambered a short way up the rock where on either side they must have found pools of water because after a few splashes later they’d set the water falling into the pool below! One of the boys stayed out of the water and sat by us, watching the others all the time. We asked why he wasn’t swimming with the others but he said he might do later and then started to
Head in the clouds on Uluru
With thanks to Stefano and Christiana for this great photo of the four of us point features of the rock out to us, like the heart shape that was to our right which neither of us had noticed. He was a friendly little boy who spoke good English and told us that he hoped to go to college when he was older. There’s a new generation here but it’s not an easy path laid out before them, the cultural differences are huge and nobody wants the traditional dialect to fade away, nor the traditional beliefs yet somehow these young people will be task with having to level that off against a life in today’s modern society, is that even possible? Only time will tell.
With weary legs we finished the base walk and spent some time looking at the climbers, who were still going up as late as 4pm. We decided on another well deserved ice cream at the cultural centre, we walked a long way for that today!
So that was our day at Uluru! We’re puzzled now when we think back to all those people who told us not to bother with the trip down here, that it was ridiculously expensive and that there was really nothing to do! We seem
to have found a few things one way or the other and would urge everyone to seriously consider coming here when visiting Australia. Yes it’s a long way to go but wow, what an experience. We’re very glad we came.
Back at the caravan park we spot Tony wandering by so call him over for a chat and to see how the rest of their day panned out. They invite us over for a beer & nibbles and we’re soon chatting about the trip whilst the sun goes down behind us. We’ve put our photos from today on a memory stick so Tony & Jane can look through and pick out any that include them! We’re all heading over to Kings Canyon on the same day so we promise to return the beer & nibbles favour then and bid them a pleasant evening.
Darryl knocks up a terrific Thai Green Curry, just beautiful and after that we head to bed, shattered!
We’re too tired for dreams but hope you all sleep tightly!
Lots of love
Dar and Sar
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Jan Kettle
non-member comment
The Wonder of Uluru
Thanks for your wonderful commentary on your day on and around Uluru - it is a truly awesome place. xxx