Advertisement
Published: March 7th 2007
Melbourne
Such a beautiful city and so little time to really explore it!Our first stop after leaving Tasmania was, once again, Melbourne, where we made the most of our one day/one night stop over. The city was humming, even on a Sunday and we enjoyed browsing the shops, galleries and attractions, knowing we couldn’t even begin to do the city justice in such a short time. We enjoyed a visit to the huge Victoria Market Place, more for the ambiance and the food offerings than for the merchandise, which was dominated by a lot of imported trinkets that held little appeal to us. The Sunday Art Market on the south side of the river was near closing by the time we arrived, but we did manage to make a few purchases from the beautiful work on display there.
That evening we took the bus (the city transit system is fabulous in Melbourne) to the well known Lygon Street district, where the restaurants lined both sides of the strip and the owners were eagerly ‘hawking’ their wares, offering free drinks, wine, and appetizers in attempts to attract the many diners. A good Italian meal was the end result, and, well satisfied, we returned to our great little apartment for what seemed like a too
The Olgas
These 36 huge domes are now called Tata Ngatu short sleep before the 6:30 a.m. taxi for the airport.
We were not sure what to expect as we flew into Ayers Rock, now called Uluru in deference to the Aboriginal origins of the area. The airport exists solely for the purpose of bringing people to ‘the rock’ and the only settlement is around the Ayers Rock Resort, again a purpose built facility with a range of accommodations constructed to allow visitors to access what is arguably one of the most well known sites in the country. Photos of the giant red monolith standing starkly in what is close to the geographic center of the continent have given rise to the name, the red center, and it is on most tourist’s itinerary.
ATT Kings bus service provides free transport to the resort which has a range of accommodations from campsites, to budget dorms, to 5 star luxury hotels. Because it is a monopoly, the prices are unbelievably high, even for our little ‘standard’ room in the 3 star Lost Camel section. The good news, however, was the air con worked fabulously, a pretty important amenity as the temp each day was 41 degrees!
On the drive in from
Nancy in 41 degree temps!
It is impossible to capture the scale of these rocks...or the impact of the heat! the airport, the bus driver suggested to the passengers that we might want to consider buying a fly net to wear over our heads as there had been a recent hatching of new baby bush flies, and the crop had tripled in the past weeks. “I don’t think so”, I mumbled to myself. I had always found those net things quite goofy, and I was pretty confident that we Canadians knew how to deal with flies! Yet, I couldn’t help but notice how many people were wearing them as we checked into the hotel….and it didn’t take me long to change my mind. In fact, it was possibly the best $8.50 pp we spent!
Those little bush flies were unbelievable. We had certainly experienced them before, during our last trip to the outback in 97 and again somewhat in Tasmania. But this was a whole other experience. They were present by the hundreds, attracted by human warmth and sweat…and at 41 degrees that meant everyone was a ready target. They don’t bite, and look like small house flies, but they swarm and want to get in your nose, and ears, and mouth…even with the netting, they required a certain mind
A Few Bush Flies
They were everywhere...by the hundreds! set to not drive you crazy!
Having said this, they were the only negative aspect of our visit. We booked two tours, one the first evening to walk into the Gorge at the Kata Tjuta National Park. This area, formerly called the Olgas, is a 50 km drive from Uluru and consist of 36 steep sided domes of rock. Our guide gave us the first insight into the history of the area and explained about the Handback, a ceremony held in 1985 to officially give all this land back to the Anangu or native aboriginal people. Since that time, they have leased the land back to the Government and the two groups (government and Anangu people) jointly administer the work of the parks. This is a pretty unique arrangement and both groups feel they have benefited from it in many ways. The sacred sights and culture of the original inhabitants are respected in all tourism endeavours and the park people have become knowledgeable about the ways of the Aboriginals so that the culture is shared with tourists and preserved for the future. The Olgas were stunningly beautiful, but we were most excited for our sunrise walk the next morning.
A Dark Start
Taken around 5:30 a.m....and yes, I was there! Those who know me well will find it hard to believe, but I arose at 4:45 and was on time for the 5:30 am pick up for our sunrise base walk around Uluru! The Anangu people request that tourists not climb the rock and we wanted to respect that, so we knew a base walk (total 11.2 km) would be a special way to view the site…and we were not wrong. We began in the dark and our small group of 8 was inclined to whisper (through our bug nets) as we walked past the first section of the rock, one of the many sacred sites where one is not permitted to take photos. As the sun rose, the miraculous reds of this enormous rock seemed to glow from the dusty earth on which it sits. We learned of the Anangu legends that are represented by various holes and shapes in the rock face, we saw the overhanging caves where the Aboriginal children would have been taught about the past, and we viewed amazing centuries old rock paintings. As the light changed, so did the colours of the rock, which are actually a grayish shade but have been stained
Uluru Morning Light
Base walk gave us a great look at this sacred rock. by so much iron content in the sediment. We ate our breakfast after the sun was higher in the sky (a tricky task spooning yogurt under the fly net and hoping that the pesky flies didn’t get there first!). The walk went past the start of the Rock climb (it is 348 meters high) and we marveled at the steepness of the ascent. The climb was closed due to the high temperatures…it is a dangerous climb at the best of times with a total of 35 people having died while attempting it. With a forecast high of 41C, it would have been impossible and we felt immensely satisfied to have experienced the rock from the ground level. (temps only 36 by then!)
When our walk was finished, we joined an American couple we had met and visited the Cultural center which included amazing examples of Aboriginal art (I was very tempted to purchase a piece but the thought of the Visa bill prompted some restraint). There was also a Sorry Book, a volume of letters and cards from people all over the world who had visited Uluru and had taken a piece of the rock home with them as a
Tiny people
Hec looks so small..and this is just a tiny portion of the rock. It is over 9 km around the base...a total walk of 11.2 souvenir. This is strictly forbidden and is believed to bring bad luck to the offender. Hundreds of people had written these letters and actually included the rocks, asking that they be returned to the rightful resting place…some even described exactly which section of the rock they had taken them from. It was quite amazing!
It is not hard to understand why the 1325 sq km of land surrounding Uluru and Kata Tjuta have been declared a World Heritage site for both its natural and cultural history. It is a unique and sacred spot, and without meaning to be dramatic, one could sense the spirituality in the place. We were both glad we included it in our plans.
Arriving in Perth was an emotional homecoming of sorts. We had such wonderful memories of living here in 96-97 and we were excited to revisit some of our old haunts as well as catching up with a few dear friends. We spent 4 days with the lovely Eril Jane, a wonderful friend from Hector’s exchange school. She treated us like royalty, preparing fabulous meals, escorting us on walks in the spectacular Kings Park (2000 acres of amazing parkland right in the city
Blue sky different colour
As the sun rose the colours continued to change (and the temperature continued to rise. Only the flies didn't change! center), treating me to a birthday lunch in the wonderful Swan Valley winery called Sitelli, and even hosting a memorable birthday dinner party! The city is every bit as beautiful as we remembered it, and despite being part of an economic boom, it is still relatively easy to get around. We walked the beach, strolled the streets of Fremantle, went to the Somerville outdoor movies and wandered the school grounds reminiscing. It is our favourite city in the country and we were with a most wonderful friend and host. The time was too short.
We then hired another little Toyota and drove the 5 hours south to the seaside town of Albany, where our friends Graham and Sheryl now make their home. And what a home it is! The hundred-year-old stone house is a real treasure, situated on acres of pasture and bush. They even have a small historical cottage, which has been completely (and luxuriously) renovated, where we unpacked our bags and spent a wonderful three relaxing days. Making the visit even more enjoyable than the great bird viewing was the time spent with their three gorgeous dogs, Barney, Harry and Mizouri! Walking the dogs on what seemed
Cave
Ledges and caves provided shelter for teh aboriginal tribes and a place to prepare meals and teach the children. like their own private beach is a memory we will cherish. The cool sea breeze made the mid 30’s temperatures enjoyable and the laughter,(the games of Balderdash were hysterical) and the conversation of dear friends was really special. We loved Albany and can easily see why they have abandoned the city life for this little oasis in the countryside.
We say good-bye to them tomorrow and to Eril (and Perth) two days later. Neither parting will be easy. Both these 10-year-old friendships picked up as if they had never been interrupted…and we know how rare and valuable this is. We eagerly await their visits to Canada where we can show them our corner of the world.
The flight to South Africa will surely be exciting on the one hand, but will also be tinged with sadness as we leave a country that we have truly come to love. Good-bye Australia…perhaps forever.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.085s; Tpl: 0.037s; cc: 8; qc: 24; dbt: 0.0339s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
Sarah
non-member comment
Wow!!!
You brought tears to my eyes! Great post. Makes me want to go back!! Miss you. Safe travels:)