Saturday 12th May
A chilly start to the day at Erldunda;
no chance of using the pool
but i did see something which started me thinking.....
Then it was on the caoch and off to the Olgas and Uluru.
Nothing quite prepares one for the first sight of Uluru, - unless it is Mount Conner on the horizon.
Sometimes known as Foolaru by witty locals, Mount Conner is on private land not far from Curtin Springs on the Lasseter Highway. The Lasseter Highway is named after LH Lasseter who claimed to have found a massive gold reef near Kata Tjuka, but his claim was never substantiated. Our first stop however was at The Olgas, or Kata Tjuka to use the traditional Aboriginal name (meaning many heads).
There are 36 of these enormous domes rising out of the sand and the tallest is in fact, 200 metres higher than Uluru. The rock formations are basically due to the same geological causes as Uluru, and are very similar to granite. The rock itself is not read but a greyish pink and the red is caused by feldspar coated in iron oxide.
There are several walks through and around the Olgas, and we walked through one of the valleys.
to where the rocks meet.
The rich oranges and burnt yellows of the domes were even more apparent in the sunshine.
Stopping only for photographs,
we then made our way to Uluru.
It is difficult to write about Uluru. Its image is so iconic as to be a cliche, and I couldn't stop smiling at the thought of actually being there. It does literally loom out of the surrounding bush and it is truly awesome in size. The Anangu are the traditional owners of Uluru and to them it is a sacred place.
It measures 348 metres from the desert and the walk around the base is 9.4 km. It is estimated that at least two thirds lie beneath the surface. After a visit to the cultural centre we began a series of guided walks round the base and it was here that I was most surprised. No two views of it are the same but it was the folds and valleys in the rocks where the different shapes and textures were to be seen that I found most interesting.
The Anangu ask that people do not climb Uluru as it is a sacred place, but many people still do. I was glad that as a group we made the decision to respect their wishes when I saw the climb!
The speck on the hill I discovered through my binoculars was someone on his mobile phone!
From another angle,
We were shown caves and told about their significance in the Aboriginal dreaming ,
looked at some of the early cave painting, which incidentally, pre date Lascaux,
heard the stories connected with the various marks on the rock,
and finally discovered a permanent water hole,hidden in the fold of the rock.
By this time we wee nearing sunset so we went back in the coach for our barbecue (and champagne) dinner to watch the light fade over Uluru.
It's true, it really does change!
A perfect end to a fabulous two day trip. The guides were phenomenal and my head is buzzing with the sheer quantity of information we have been given, most of it in the highly amusing, laconic , self deprecating style of the true Aussie! Awesome and wonder and all the other words fall far short of the experience itself, truly magical.
Sunday 13th May
A leisurely breakfast, a swim and a n hour in the sun then off back to the airport. Mothers Day in Australia.
Arrived home just in time for a cup of tea with Bev then settled down to write up the blog....
A chilly start to the day at Erldunda;
no chance of using the pool
but i did see something which started me thinking.....
Then it was on the caoch and off to the Olgas and Uluru.
Nothing quite prepares one for the first sight of Uluru, - unless it is Mount Conner on the horizon.
There are several walks through and around the Olgas, and we walked through one of the valleys.
to where the rocks meet.
The rich oranges and burnt yellows of the domes were even more apparent in the sunshine.
Stopping only for photographs,
we then made our way to Uluru.
It is difficult to write about Uluru. Its image is so iconic as to be a cliche, and I couldn't stop smiling at the thought of actually being there. It does literally loom out of the surrounding bush and it is truly awesome in size. The Anangu are the traditional owners of Uluru and to them it is a sacred place.
It measures 348 metres from the desert and the walk around the base is 9.4 km. It is estimated that at least two thirds lie beneath the surface. After a visit to the cultural centre we began a series of guided walks round the base and it was here that I was most surprised. No two views of it are the same but it was the folds and valleys in the rocks where the different shapes and textures were to be seen that I found most interesting.
The Anangu ask that people do not climb Uluru as it is a sacred place, but many people still do. I was glad that as a group we made the decision to respect their wishes when I saw the climb!
The speck on the hill I discovered through my binoculars was someone on his mobile phone!
From another angle,
We were shown caves and told about their significance in the Aboriginal dreaming ,
looked at some of the early cave painting, which incidentally, pre date Lascaux,
heard the stories connected with the various marks on the rock,
and finally discovered a permanent water hole,hidden in the fold of the rock.
By this time we wee nearing sunset so we went back in the coach for our barbecue (and champagne) dinner to watch the light fade over Uluru.
It's true, it really does change!
A perfect end to a fabulous two day trip. The guides were phenomenal and my head is buzzing with the sheer quantity of information we have been given, most of it in the highly amusing, laconic , self deprecating style of the true Aussie! Awesome and wonder and all the other words fall far short of the experience itself, truly magical.
Sunday 13th May
A leisurely breakfast, a swim and a n hour in the sun then off back to the airport. Mothers Day in Australia.
Arrived home just in time for a cup of tea with Bev then settled down to write up the blog....
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