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Our first stop on our return to Australia was Sydney. We broke up the Australian part into two stages - the first part was Tasmania, Melbourne and Queensland in January/early February, New Zealand, then back to Sydney and the Red Centre in late March (yes, we’re really far behind with the blog). This worked out better weather-wise (Sydney was having 117 degree weather in January) and route-wise; we would have had to change planes in Sydney anyhow.
One of my two favorite places in Sydney is the Opera House. You can see performances of dance, opera, concerts and theater here, but we were there between seasons and nothing was playing at the time. We went to a viewpoint across a bay, where a wedding was taking place, with the Opera House in the background. Very cool. My other favorite place is the Taronga Zoo, which you have to take a ferry to (with great views of the Opera House on the way). Even if you don't want to go to the zoo, you should still take the ferry or a harbor cruise for the views. The animals at the zoo, especially the giraffes, have the best view across the water,
to the Opera House. We only saw one koala, and it was sleeping in a tree - so adorable! The zoo also has some penguins, the last ones we would see on this trip (unless we go back to the Southern Hemisphere?).
Near the Opera House is the Sydney Harbor Bridge; for about US$190, you could climb 1332 steps for the “bridge climb.” We passed on that. Sydney has some very famous beaches. Bondi, one of the world’s greatest beaches, is only 8 km (5 miles) from the city center, and reachable by bus. We saw some surfers on the bus going to Bondi; have surfboard, will travel.
We then flew to the Red Centre, which includes Uluru (Ayers Rock), Kata Tjuta (the Olgas), Alice Springs (from
A Town Like Alice fame), and the desert surrounding the area. We had a three-hour flight from Sydney to Uluru, or you can take two or three days driving from anywhere to get to Uluru, just to see “a rock” and the culture of the place. That said, the hotels were mostly fully booked, so it is quite a popular place!
The name Red Centre comes from all the dry,
red dust in the area. But it rained shortly before we got there, so a lot of greenery popped up, and even some flowers, and the flies. One of my most vivid memories of Uluru and the Red Centre is of the flies. As we found out the hard way, after it rains, the flies appear, in your face, up your nose, in your ears, on your lips, everywhere. Our best purchase - $10 fly nets, which are worn over the head, like what beekeepers wear to protect their faces from bees. Without the net, you do an awful lot of swatting. Later, I wanted Pete to take a picture of me holding a baby kangaroo, without the net covering my face. Did you ever try keeping a straight face with a fly on your lips? :-)
Simply put, Uluru is a huge rock in the middle of the desert. Above ground, it is 3.6 km (2.24 miles) long, and rises 348 meters high (1141 feet); it is believed that another two-thirds of the rock is below ground. It is a spiritual and sacred site, owned by the Aborigines, Australia’s indigenous people. The Aborigines do not forbid people to
climb the rock, but wish that visitors would respect their traditions and beliefs, by not climbing (although we saw quite a few people climbing).
“Nothing can prepare you for its almighty bulk, spiritual stories, remarkable textures and camera-worthy colors (Lonely Planet, Australia, 2017, p. 839). ... or for “its immensity, grandeur, changing colour and stillness of ‘the Rock’” (LP, p. 871). “The first sight of Uluru will astound even the most jaded travelers” (LP, p. 875).
The big thing to do at Uluru is to watch sunrise and sunset, and the changing colors in between. In the afternoon, it is “an ochre-brown color, scored and pitted by dark shadows. As the sun sets, it illuminates the rock in burnished orange, then a series of deeper reds before it fades into charcoal” (LP, p. 876). This is repeated in reverse for sunrise. You can also watch the sunrise or sunset from Kata Tjuta. It was also amazing to be out on a clear night; the night sky was beautiful. We went for a sunrise and a few sunsets; just gorgeous (and the flies go away when the sun goes down).
People can hike or bike around the rock,
but it’s extremely hot and dry in the area; many trails are closed by 11:00 if the forecast is expected to get above a certain temperature. There are also some trails near Kata Tjuta - “trails weave in amongst the red rocks, leading to pockets of silent beauty and spiritual gravitas” (LP, p. 839). Again, you have to watch the weather forecast; trails close if high temperatures are expected.
There’s not much to see in Alice Springs (although it has a Target - okay, I was a bit homesick!!), but it has a few Aboriginal art galleries (with some beautiful artwork). One thing that was high on my “to do” list in the area was to see the kangaroo orphanage run by Kangaroo Dundee (Brolga). I had seen his show last year on BBC, and was fascinated by the work he does. He and his team take in orphan kangaroos (joeys) - usually when the mother was killed by a car. He recommends all drivers in Australia carry pillowcases, in case they come upon a dead female kangaroo on the side of the road. Look to see if any joey in the pouch is still alive and if so,
put it in the pillowcase (which resembles the feeling of the mother’s pouch) and take it to the next town. Most towns have lists of caregivers who can take care of the joey until they can be released into the wild.
Brolga has about 50 orphan kangaroos on his property, of varying ages. He had three joeys that were carried around in pillowcases (which represent the mother’s pouch). Each person on the tour was able to hold a joey; some kids fed other joeys with a bottle.
Some fun facts: If need be, kangaroos can jump 8 meters (about 26 feet) and can run up to 70 kilometers/hour (44 mph), although their comfortable pace is 20-25 km/h (13-16 mph). Kangaroos (mostly male) practice kick boxing with their friends. We were able to see two do this; amazing to watch. The male kangaroos can stand up very tall; Brolga is 6’7”, and some male kangaroos may be even taller than him. Although Brolga raised these kangaroos and at one time was considered their mother, when the alpha male kangaroo matches the caregiver’s height, the kangaroo sees that caregiver as a challenger, not as a mother. Brolga showed a video
of Roger, the former dominant male in the group, one that Brolga had raised, chasing Brolga around a tree. Roger no longer saw Brolga as his mother, but as a challenger. Kangaroos are extremely strong, especially their hind legs. Brolga said that male kangaroos have kicked two people to death, and maimed three others, dismembering them. Ouch.
After Australia, back to Bali ...
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