Uluru - Ayers Rock
Uluru, a large sandstone rock formation in the Northern Territory, (208 miles from Alice Springs, the nearest large town); is one of Australia's most recognisable natural landmarks, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of its most important indigenous sites. In 1872, British surveyor William Gosse, was the first European to 'discover' the monolith – the largest rock of its kind in the world and named it Ayers Rock, after the former chief secretary of South Australia, Sir Henry Ayers. In 1993, a dual naming policy was adopted that allowed both the traditional Aboriginal name (Uluru) and the English name (Ayers Rock) – but here I will just use Uluru.
When I landed at its airport, at 9am, it was only 7 degrees — and felt really cold, although it did warm up throughout the day to about 20 degrees. A complimentary bus took me to the Desert Gardens Hotel, where I was able to book the trips I wanted to do whilst staying in this remote place for a short time. At the centre of the resort, which consisted of a several hotels, a takeaway and a few shops; was the lookout - a hill surrounded by red sand, shrubs and wildlife. The view from here was magnificent. Ayres Rock is so red, just like the postcards, blood red, scarlet red. The colour just hits you, all of the time, not at sunrise and sunset — it is so red! This gigantic red monolith, surrounded by savannah, in the middle of nowhere, is such as incredible sight. After a walk around the resort and up the lookout, my shoes and clothes were covered in dust – red dust; no wonder this place is called the Red Centre. There were more flowers and plants than I had expected to see, but that was because there has been an unusual amount of rainfall in the previous year. Apparently, a few years ago Uluru became an island when all the surrounding land was flooded. I was warned that there were supposed to be lots of desert mice about; and told to keep everything zipped up all the time!
I was picked up at 3pm for my first trip out, to Kata Tjuta (also called Mount Olga or The Olgas), 36 giant red rocky domes spread over an area of more than 12 miles. The name means “many heads” – referring to the many domes in this group. The glorious red Kata Tjuta and Uluru rise from the earth just 18 miles from each other, an area which is home to not just desert, but of springs, waterholes, rock caves and ancient paintings. Both Uluru and Kata Tjuta have great spiritual and cultural significance for the local Aṉangu people; traditional inhabitants of this area for more than 22,000 years; now they lead walking tours to inform visitors about the bush, food, local flora and fauna, and Aboriginal dreamtime stories of the area.
We were taken to a lookout in the desert (for a photo stop) and then for a walk through a gorge; it was very hard going; trekking over boulders and uneven ground. When we finally got to the end, the gorge was completely in the shade and it was freezing cold, so we didn’t stay there long before heading back to the coach. Next, was the highlight - we went to a lay-by, in the middle of nowhere to watch the sunsetting behind “The Rock”. Uluru (whose name means “island mountain”), is the largest sandstone monolith in the world (with most of its bulk lying underground), and measures 1140 feet high and has a circumference of 6 miles.
It is famous for appearing to change colour at different times of the day and year, most notably, when it glows red at dawn and sunset. Before long, thousands of people had congregated in this lay-by from every nation on earth. They all wanted to see the glorious sun set over Uluru - they were even standing on car roofs to get a good view. It was the most spectacular sight ever; the sunset was incredible.
The giant monolith really does change colour, just like they say. It gets redder and redder and then it is gone. In seconds it went from orange to brilliant scarlet and then a dark shadow.
It was the most awesome sight; you just can't take your eyes off it. Now darkness was upon us, thousands of tourists were trying to get out of this lay-by - it was absolute chaos! Back at the resort, I had a takeaway supper and an early night, it had been a very long day; but a once in a lifetime sight that I would never forget.
Next morning, I got up at 6.30am and put lots of clothes on (as it was minus 2 degrees!) and headed off into the desert to see the sunrise. This area has a hot desert climate with an average rainfall of 11 inches per year; and an average temperature range of 38 °C in the summer to 4°C in the winter. It was quite a terrifying experience, being alone in the dark with just the sounds of the desert - luckily no wild dingoes wanted me for breakfast!
I hurried all the way to the lookout without seeing a soul, but when I arrived, there were 8 people already there (with their hats and scarves on — complaining that they were freezing to death).
The sky was royal blue and pink over the Olgas and where the sun was coming up it was pale blue, yellow and orange. There wasn't a cloud in the sky —just like the postcards again! The glorious sun poked its head up at 7.32am and was totally visible within seconds; but unfortunately, my photographs were blurred (I blame the cold and condensation!).
Next, I returned to the hotel for a hot coffee; before my next adventure - a helicopter flight to see the area from a completely different perspective.
We flew at 3000 feet and what a glorious sight it was from up there — Uluru and the Olgas were just as impressive from above. We saw the resort and the complex where the staff live - mainly underground, to keep them cool in the summer when the temperature can reach 60 degrees.
The walks around the National Park are closed to the public when the temperate reaches 37 degrees because of the risk to people's health. The helicopter ride was brilliant, the pilot was very informative, the views spectacular and I enjoyed the experience tremendously. What a fascinating place this Red Centre is, so much more than just seeing a Red Rock.
It was only discovered by Europeans in the 1870s; and fifty years later, part of Uluṟu–Kata Tjuṯa National Park was declared an Aboriginal Reserve. The first tourists arrived in the Uluru area in 1936, with tour bus services starting in the 1950s, followed by the building of motels and an airstrip. On 26 October 1985, the Australian government returned ownership of Uluru to the local people, with one of the conditions being that the Aṉangu would lease it back to the National Parks and Wildlife agency for 99 years, and that it would be jointly managed.
The Aṉangu request that visitors do not photograph certain sections of Uluru, for reasons related to ceremonies, rituals and traditional Dreaming beliefs. I hope you have enjoyed this short trip to the centre of Australia with me - it is such a fascinating place.
Thank you for taking time to follow my adventures,
Lynne
These are my other blogs :-
