Walkabout 2.0: The Dead Heart

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Here is part two of two. A blog so big they had to increase the space in cyberspace! Congratulations to Amanda Kennedy, Vancouver, our lucky blog reader who correctly answered last blogs Austrivia question. Amanda correctly answered that platypuses are the worlds only other monotreme - mammals who lay eggs (the other being echidnas). Your platypus is on its way. Get that terrarium ready. Good on ya, girl.

The destination this blog is Uluru (Ayer's Rock) in the outback of Northern Territory. The quote below describes the rock better than I could and it comes from our bible of travel, Lonely Planet: Australia, .

Now let's rock. Open another window/tab and copy and past this link to hear a great song to get you in the outback spirit. Give it a go! And crank the volume!

http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=Dd_diPTrjpI&feature=related

ULURU

"Nothing in Australia is as readily identifiable as Uluru (Ayers Rock). No matter how many times you've seen it on postcards, nothing prepares you for the hulk on the horizon - so solitary and prodigious. Uluru is 3.6 km long and rises a towering 348 m from the surrounding sandy scrubland (867 m above sea level). If that's not impressive enough, it's believed that two thirds of the rock lies beneath the sand. Sacred sites are located around the base of Uluru; entry to and knowledge of the particular significance of these areas is restricted by Anangu law. The landscape of Uluru changes dramatically with the shifting light and seasons. If your first sight of Uluru is during afternoon, it appears as an ochre-brown colour, scored and pitted by dark shadows. As the sun sets, it illuminates the rock in burnished orange, then a series of deeper and darker reds, before it fades into charcoal. A performance in reverse, with marginally fewer spectators, is given at dawn."

Vaisutis, J. Coordinating Author. Australia. USA: Lonely Planet, 2007. 862 - 863

Good on ya! Now play that song again!

DMG

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Photos

Day 11: The Yorke Penninsula, SA
The sun rises as we hit the road back to Adelaide and the 37 degree heat.

Welcome to Alice Springs, NT
After a short Quantas flight (keep your seatbelts on) we touch down in the Northern Territory.

Feral Camels
Beginning in the 1850s, Camels were imported to help settle the central, arid areas of the Australia. By the 1930's rail and road transportation made the camel obsolete. Today it is estimated that there are over 500,000 wild camels in Australia. Imagine the roadkill these suckers leave.

Alice Camp 'n' Drive
Equiped with everything a modern swagman needs, including the swag bags we used to sleep under the stars.

Uluru
One of the world's greatest natural wonders, Uluru and the surrounding area is of deep cultural significance to the traditional owners, the Pitjantjatjara and the Yankuntjatjara peoples (who refer to themselves as the Anangu).

Family Time
Still smiling.

Enjoying the View
The girl, not the rock! ;)
There it is, my first emoticon!

Poseurs
This is Gabe, quietly taking it all in.

Rock Art
The Park Ranger explains some of the ancient art that was left in this stoneage classroom. This cave was only used for the education of young males.

Gabe in the Kitchen
Gabriel sits and listens in an area used for cooking. He is actually sitting in a grinding stone.

Breathtaking
This photo gives you some idea of the immense size of Uluru.

Tailgate Party
Chicken & cheese on a roll and watermelon washed down with lemon squash and water. Lots of water!

The Parking Lot
Note the trail up the side of Uluru. Even though it continues to be popular amongst tourists, the Anangu ask that people respect Aboriginal law and culture and choose not to climb Uluru.

8:30 AM
The sun still hasn't crested the rock.

The Bloodwood and the Desert Oak
Used in traditional medicine, the bloodwood's red sap was used to treat warts.

Kata Tjuta
Due to the heat and distance, this was as close as we got to Uluru's little sister. The name means 'many heads'. We'll have to get a closer look next time.

Ned & Kelly
Two outlaws trying to find protection from the flies. Earlier we were laughing at the tourists in mosquito nets. Ha.

Finke River
Like most rivers in this region, the Finke is intermittent, which means that it rarely flows. On maps it begins and ends in the desert without a source or a drainage area. Australia is the driest continent on the planet and water shortages are a reality here. But to the 'Centralians', drought is a way of life.

Seriously Outback
It's 445 km one way from Alice to Uluru. Besides some traffic and lots of landscape, all we saw were three gas stations, 2 feral camels, and a ton of wedge-tail eagles.

Road Train
One of the few signs of life on the outback highways. Try passing this badboy on a curve.

Day 13: Alice Springs, NT
The Mbantua Gallery on Todd Mall. Note the gum trees that lose their bark, not their leaves.

Jacaranda mimosifolia
"Christmas where the gum trees grow
There is no frost, there is no snow,
Christmas in Australia's hot
Cold and frosty's what it's not.
When the bloom on the Jacaranda tree is here
Christmas time is near."

That's all Folks!
Thanks for joining us. Hope you had fun

Last Train Out Of Sydney
...is almost home.

Comments

[Mary]

What
does Amanda win for being so smart??? She could use cash prizes??? She obviously gets her brains from her mom...

[Phyllis & Tya]

We LOVE looking at all of the AMAZING pics!!! May the GOOD TIMES continue!!

[Aunty Ang]

Big #@$* road kill
Had to laugh out loud at the road kill comment. Don't hit it guys!

[Alan, Lynn & Clan]

Finally contact is made.
Nice to hear from you. Tried numerous times to contact you thru email. Looks like the adventure is going well. How long do you expect to be down under? Would loe to make the trek someday. All is well in Edmonton. Getting ready for wintery weather soon. Looking forward to January as off to Mexico. Take care and keep in touch. Al

[David Eady]

You look like a tired little brother!
Don it looks like the last train to anywhere! (the rest of you look great). Does anyone have time to work? What? Dave

[Caroline]

Good fotos
Hi - we have just got back from a similar trip! Such a pity you didn't get to the Olgas: they are not that far away: so different, but still beautiful. It is allowed to walk in. I actually loved them more.