Several people questioned why was i going to visit Alice Springs because in their opinion there is nothing there in the centre of Australia. But i had it on good authority that Ayres Rock, now called Uluru, is one sight worth viewing. And i was not disappointed. A three day camping trip into the middle of nowhere brought me face to face with this amazing monolith that appears out of nowhere in the middle of surprisingly green vegetation.
On the first day of the trip we visited Kings Canyon, an impressive gorge that has been compared to the Grand Canyon. In my opinion Kings Canyon cannot compare to the Grand Canyon. Nonetheless the views from it are impressive. Included in this trip was a visit to the Olgas, also known as The Sisters. These twelve structures are very important to Aboriginal customs and are the basis for much of their traditions. Blazing red rocks in the middle of the outback, they are a fitting introduction to the main item, Uluru, which we saw the following day.
Uluru, is a sandstone rock made red by the iron contained within the stone. At its base its a 14km walk around the perimeter. There is a part of the rock that can be climbed but tourists are discouraged by the Aborigines from scaling the rock, as they view it a very sacred place. On our visit the rock climb was closed due to the extreme temperatures but after reading about the Aborigine's beliefs i would not have climbed had it been opened. Furthermore it looks a really steep ascent and 36 people have died to date trying to reach the summit. I found a very calming atmosphere here at the rock and can understand why the Aborigine's worship it. We stayed and watched the sunset over the rock and the following day were up early to see the sunrise over this block of concrete- the colours were wonderful.
For both nights we camped in 'swags'. These are heavy duty canvas sleeping bags with a thin mattress inside. They are actually quite comfortable. Throughout the trip we had been told all about the many wonderful and poisonous creepy crawlies, insects and snakes that lived out in the outback. So just to make sure they weren't going to visit me, i slept with a mosquito net over my head.
On the first day of the trip we visited Kings Canyon, an impressive gorge that has been compared to the Grand Canyon. In my opinion Kings Canyon cannot compare to the Grand Canyon. Nonetheless the views from it are impressive. Included in this trip was a visit to the Olgas, also known as The Sisters. These twelve structures are very important to Aboriginal customs and are the basis for much of their traditions. Blazing red rocks in the middle of the outback, they are a fitting introduction to the main item, Uluru, which we saw the following day.
Uluru, is a sandstone rock made red by the iron contained within the stone. At its base its a 14km walk around the perimeter. There is a part of the rock that can be climbed but tourists are discouraged by the Aborigines from scaling the rock, as they view it a very sacred place. On our visit the rock climb was closed due to the extreme temperatures but after reading about the Aborigine's beliefs i would not have climbed had it been opened. Furthermore it looks a really steep ascent and 36 people have died to date trying to reach the summit. I found a very calming atmosphere here at the rock and can understand why the Aborigine's worship it. We stayed and watched the sunset over the rock and the following day were up early to see the sunrise over this block of concrete- the colours were wonderful.
For both nights we camped in 'swags'. These are heavy duty canvas sleeping bags with a thin mattress inside. They are actually quite comfortable. Throughout the trip we had been told all about the many wonderful and poisonous creepy crawlies, insects and snakes that lived out in the outback. So just to make sure they weren't going to visit me, i slept with a mosquito net over my head.
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