After an early drop off at the airport and a quick goodbye to our chauffer and friend, Chris, my travel companion and I left the tropical rainforest of Cairns and set out the 2.5 hours to the Red Center, otherwise known as the Outback. A hot blast of dry heat gave us a hardy slap on the back as we stepped off the plane in Uluru. Looking around on our way to the Ayers Rock Resort, we realized we were in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by crimson red earth and spots of green brush, Echinacea trees and desert Oaks, a site that surprised me. When I think of the Outback, I pictured desert – plain, flat, barren, dry, tumble weeds blowing by desert because that’s what I know, what I’ve experienced. The Outback is so much more as I will soon discover.
After getting settled in our budget accommodations at the Outback Pioneer, we were pleasantly surprised that we were not rooming with 20 other people, as was our expectation when booking “budget” accommodations. The term “budget” is often synonymous with “backpacker,” which usually refers to recent high school or college graduates who are taking a “gap year” or two between when the continue on to school or go out to get a job in the real world. Backpackers travel from place to place on the cheap, staying in some places for a few months at a time to work and earn money which funds the rest of their travels. Instead of a dormitory style room, we had our own room with shared bathroom facilities, much like when camping only nicer. It was just right for our needs and our version of “roughing it” while exploring the rugged terrain of the Outback.
Later on in the afternoon, we joined our tour and headed to the famous Ayers Rock, known by its aboriginal name as Uluru. This rock is I believe the largest monolith in the world and stands out like a huge speed bump on the flat terrain. Walking around the base of Uluru and learning more about its history and cultural significance to the aboriginal people, I began to realize it’s more than just a big, red, rock. It is a testament of the aboriginal creation story, laws, and way of life for the people group of the area. Each hole in the rock, each crevice and black line holds significance for the people, some places being deemed “sacred sites” where respect was to be shown by not taking photographs.
This sandstone rock upon closer look contains many secrets, especially for the aboriginal people of the area, some of which we could see in the art painted on the cave walls. It’s texture, scaly in appearance is actually due to the reason the rock is red. The rock is rusting. The rust on the sandstone is separating, causing the rusty sandstone to rise up and chip off. Many people are interested in climbing Uluru but the aboriginal people do not encourage for a couple of reasons. The climb to the top is part of a rite of passage for the aboriginal men and is sacred. Also, over 30 people have died on the mountain. The aboriginal people believe if someone dies on the mountain, their spirit is trapped inside the mountain. A special cleansing ceremony must be conducted to release the spirit out of the mountain. If the ceremony is not done right, it can cause the aboriginal people conducting the ceremony to die. To avoid having to do this, it is encouraged to not climb Uluru.
With a new perspective in mind, we raced the sun to a viewing area where we could watch the sunset on Uluru. Watching the glow of the sun change the reds and oranges of the rock to a brownish/ blue hue was magical. With a glass of champagne in one hand and my camera in the other, I toasted to a nice introduction to the Outback and the end of a fabulous day.
Scavenger Hunt item completed:
8b. See Ayers Rock.
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