The Red Center
Yulara, Australia
Upon our arrival in Australia’s Red Center, we discovered that, for us, the best and most cost effective way of seeing the natural attractions of this region was to rent a car and "do it ourselves." The available tours were short and expensive and we wanted the flexibility to spend as much or at little time at various places... and do the walks we wanted to do without time limits or distractions.
However, little did we know that the vehicle that we'd end up with would be bright yellow and although it was fully equipped with a radio... there would be no reception anywhere 50kmn outside Alice Springs. What we would've given to have a few CDs along for the journey!! We probably would've even settled for a dodgy French radio station. (See; July 21, 2003)
Still, the solitude of the long, open highways gave us time to focus on wildlife spotting. We saw Rock Wallabies, kangaroos, Eagles, Cattle, Wild Horses and the most interesting thing of all... road trains! These Aussie creatures are massive!! Used for transporting goods, cattle and/or pretty much anything across the vast open emptiness of the outback, these trucks weigh something like 125 tons and are 10 car lengths long. Passing them at well over 160 km/hr (100 miles/hr) made Heide (the passenger) unquestionably nervous!
We did, however, manage to arrive at Kata Tjuta National Park in one piece and have spent the last 3 days exploring. The big draw card is, of course, Uluru or Ayres Rock -- the large, red rock seemingly in the middle of nowhere that changes colors and moods in various different types of light. We enjoyed a sunset and a sunrise at the rock and it's true that it does change colors but neither of us were "moved" by the experience the way natural wonders sometimes effect the psyche. When it comes right down to it.... Uluru is just a big rock.
And, in fact, contrary to what we think is popular belief... Uluru isn't alone! There are numerous other large rocks in the area similar to Uluru. The Olga’s are actually part of the Kata Tjuta national park and we found them in many ways more attractive than Uluru. (The fewer number of tourists in the vicinity had to be a factor!) These 35 domes are clustered together with the largest being some 200 meters higher than Uluru but with the same wonderful light absorbing qualities. We completed the valley of the winds walk.... a 7km circuit which would've been pleasant except that there are about 750 million flies in the park that love buzzing your head, eyes and ear drums when ever you are outside. We literally had to beat them off with sticks!
The only place to really escape the flies with in the park is the "Cultural Center." In the 1970s the park was "handed back" to the traditional Aboriginal owners who use the cultural center to share traditions stories and some parts of their cultural heritage with the general public. The center is educational and we did gain some understanding of the Aboriginal ways and history, but the center felt in many ways incomplete. Geological explanation of the rocks is completely lacking from any information point within the park and even the stories and explanations of Aboriginal sacred sites are shallow at best. We'd both like to do some follow up reading about Uluru and Aboriginal culture to enhance our experiences at Kata Tjuta National Park.
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