Blogs from Uluru, Northern Territory, Australia, Oceania - page 6

Alarm at 4am ready for a pickup at 4.30! This morning it's Uluru sunrise and a cultural walk around the base of Uluru. Today's is a 5k walk so slightly worried!! The sunrise is even better than the sunset. The changing colours of Uluru are just fabulous as the sun starts to hit the sandstone. I was worried that I wouldn't get to feel the spirituality of the place but didn't need to worry, and the walk after with a very knowledgable and enthusiastic guide just made the trip. Even if she was a Canadian. We walked around about 50% of the base in two sections split by a coffee stop (and breakfast) at the cultural centre. Our guide explained all about the Aboriginal beliefs of the local tribes who are collectively called the Anangu. Tjukurpa ... read more

After our stay in Alice Springs, we headed south to Uluru, or The Rock, or Ayres Rock, in the red centre. The sealed road south and then west to The Rock is generally good, just broken shoulders in places, and work teams out setting things to right. As you head west up the Lassiter Highway, its not long before you see the rock, and then you realise that it is the wrong rock as the sides become more visible. There is a lookout to see the false rock (Mt Conner) as it stands out above the desert plain. The area is generally low shrubbed in the desert with a few exceptions such as at Mt Ebenezer where things are totally barren. When we did the Palm Valley trip, our guide said to cross the road at ... read more

Today the children further forged some incredible friendships with the Mutitjulu children and spent a lot of time in building a special connection with their buddies. There was a fun game of "girls versus boys" soccer match in the red sand, and buddies worked together in this fun activity, which simply pealed away another barrier layer. In breaking for afternoon refreshments the buddies participated in a "peer learning" experience, some sharing in the catching and eating of witchetty grubs, while others had some simple conversations while walking in the red earth. This melded into a partner singing activity, where together the children practised the WONDER song and worked on communicating and expressing the message of this song with each other. The final filming session is a testament to the difference that children can make in the ... read more

Our journey today began with the Mala Walk. This is the place where the Mala (rufous hare-wallaby) people camped when they arrived at Uluru in the beginning. Along this walk there were examples of Anangu rock art and the students experienced the sheer vertical walls and profound peacefulness of Kantju Gorge. Another exciting start to another day at Uluru.... read more

Towards the end of the day, after singing with the Mutitjulu children at Uluru, the groups returned to the Mutitjulu Community Centre for basketball, football (AFL), a tasty barbecue and a roaring bonfire. The crew began preparing the celebratory feast by cooking up 20 trays of sausages, a mountain of fillets of chicken and buttering 20 loaves of bread. As the smell of food wafted through the air, the whole the Mutitjulu Community descended, including grandparents, parents, uncles, aunties, siblings and cousins of the children gathered to share in this wonderful festivity. Before the serving of dinner the Redlands and Mutitjulu children sang for everyone present as a celebration of the achievements of the day. The boding experiences for all the children was uniquely special as they shared stories, played games and sang together. The evening ... read more