The Red Centre

 
December 6th-8th

If you draw a straight line from Perth on the west coast to Cairns on the east coast, the mid point is Uluru – now the most popular tourist stop in Australia, but traditionally one of the most sacred sites of the Anangu people – one of the thousand or so aboriginal tribes who lived off and nurtured the land for hundreds of years before the Europeans arrived

There is a geological explanation as to how this massive sandstone dome – height 348m, circumference 9.4km – came into being. But seeing it erupting out of a wide expanse of flat, semi-desert plain, it is easy to understand the aboriginal sense of wonderment and the sacred lore that surrounds “the rock”.

Arriving at the airport, the first sensation is the furnace blast of dry heat. Daytime temperatures soar to over 40C throughout our stay, which means most sightseeing starts at dawn, or towards dusk. We are staying at the Ayers Rock Resort – you have to – which runs free shuttle buses from the airport to its four hotels, one apartment complex and campsite. Our hotel backs onto a faux town square – which comprises a terrible restaurant (hair found in burger), an okay café, two tourist shops, a supermarket, hairdressers, bank, post office and, our first port of call, a tourist information office. We study the various tours on offer over an iced coffee and decide to go star-gazing in the desert that night, to get up early the next morning for a sunrise base-walk around Uluru that will explain its cultural significance, take it easy for the rest of the day, then go to see the rock again at sunset. For our last morning we book another sunrise walk, this time at Kata Tjuta – a larger, though not as famous, rocky outcrop formed at the same time as Uluru. Tours booked, we head of the pool and laze in the shade for a few hours. Realise this is the first time I’ve done this since Singapore over a month ago, and have the strange sensation of being on holiday. Make note – must do more of this in coming weeks.

Though the sun blazes down all afternoon, by dusk clouds are gathering and our star gazing trip is cancelled. There still seem to be plenty in one half of the sky, so we decide to take a walk and see if we can spot the South Cross ourselves. After half an hour we could still only recognise Orion – can anyone explain why this is the only constellation you can see in both hemispheres?
The next morning we are up at 4.15, smother ourselves in sunblock and join six other bleary eyed travellers to see sunrise at Uluru. As we are walking round the base, we miss out the classic photo-opportunity of the whole rock lit up by the first rays of the sun. But we get a close-up view of the rocks turning a vivid orange-red. And our leisurely four-hour walk round the base gives plenty of time for photographs of this fascinating natural monument, which has all kinds of nooks, crannies and caves, many of which are important sites in aboriginal culture, where the ancestors performed heroic deeds.
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Surprisingly it is also surrounded by trees. This semi-desert landscape does get rain from time to time, and there are a few waterholes at the base. Not all of the trees need rainwater. The desert oak spends the first 20 years of its life as a stick thin tree while putting its roots down 20m or more to the water table. Only then can it develop its canopy.

During the walk our guide explains how the rock was formed and why some spots are considered sacred by the traditional Aboriginal owners, the Anangu, and are still used for their gatherings. Much of the cultural lore also had a practical significance, for example as a way of teaching children to respect their elders and not to get in the way of dangerous snakes. Three of the world’s deadliest snakes are to be found near Uluru. And the dingos around there aren’t too friendly either. We also find out why the Australian athletes wear green and yellow – it represents the green leaves and yellow flowers of the wattle plant that grows all over the bush. And why the flag includes a kangaroo and an emu – they can only walk forwards, not backwards. And we finally find a way to tame another form of Australian wildlife – those pesky flies, which are so prevalent that they should have a place on the flag. The cure may not be stylish, but it works.. It’s a mesh bag that you put over your hat and fasten with a drawstring around you neck – apparently they land on your face looking for moisture as the atmosphere is so dry here.


Towards the end of our walk, at 10am, we passed the infamous spot where people can still climb Uluru – though the Anangu ask that they don’t. By then it is so hot that the climbing route has closed for the day. Looking up the path is so steep and narrow that I can’t understand why anyone in their right minds would attempt to climb, but 30% of visitors still disrespect the Anangu’s wishes and do so. Many are completely unprepared for the strenuous climb and accidents, even deaths, are not uncommon. Some of these stories are tragic, others are comic, such as the sheer stupidity of the man who attempt the climb wearing Crocs on his feet and was surprised when the rubber started to melt and continued in bare feet and burnt them; or the couple who strayed from the path, got stuck and had to be rescued by helicopter, and had to pay $4000 for the privilege.

We took shelter in the hottest part of the day – when temperatures soared to 47C – and returned to view the rock at a champagne sunset. Unfortunately the clouds gathered again, so we were not treated to a visual spectacular – but we enjoyed the champagne anyway, and in happy haze treated ourselves to a ridiculously expensive meal at the resort’s posh hotel, surrounded by the Japanese tourists who could afford to stay there.

The next morning sees another early start for our trip to Kata Tjuta. This time we do get to the viewing spot for sunrise – but the sun rises straight into a cloudy sky. But we have really come to do another walk, this time in the Valley of the Winds, which lives up to its name. This is the first walk I’ve done since leaving NZ that’s not suited to mums with prams, with a few steep gradients and rocky paths throughout. But even when the sun comes up it’s not too hot – it’s not yet 7am after all - and there are even more trees within the rocky outcrops to provide shade. Although these were formed at the same time as Uluru, their structure is different. While Uluru is a single sandstone mass, Kata Tjuta is made up of volcanic stones wrapped in red sandstone. The rocks here are higher – over 500m – but wearing away more quickly than Uluru. In a hundred million years or so, the sandstone will have gone, leaving behind a mass of granite stones. Having walked through the canyon, we take a circular walk through the bush, with views over yet more bush, going on for as far as you can see. This has to be one of the most elemental landscapes I’ve experienced. But there is plenty of life here – and not just poisonous snakes. We spot several different birds and three kangaroos – the latter more difficult than it sounds. If they are not hopping about, they look exactly like the grey stones dotted all over the bush.