Day 7 ... Sunrise and sunset at Uluru

No mega-miles to travel today, and with sunrise at 7:07am the only thing that got me up early was the usual discomfort. However, with all the adjustments I had thought of, sleeping on the ground was no longer an issue.

As I negotiated the slight rise from the camp ground, I could feel the anticipation rising within me. It was swathed in a purple glow. It was iconic. Yeah, I guess it was big. I was hoping like hell that this was not going to be a deja-vu moment. It really hit me in the solar-plexus though when Jarrod corrected me. No, it is not a kilometre away, Julie; it is 20 kms away. Gulp! Really ... I did not believe him at first - then I remembered that sign from last night. Once again - bugger me!

I just gazed in awe. I felt no need to set up comedy shots. I felt no need to chatter.  I was content just being there. Before me was the biggest monolith in the world: a sacred place, a freak of nature.  A rock standing on its end, with another 6km of it in the still buried within the earth. About 3 hours later when we drove to it and cruised around to the car park, it was simply jaw-dropping.

Jarrod did discourage us from climbing Uluru. All the signs discourage people from climbing. I was pleased that we were so discouraged - I would not have made it! Shhh - I do myself an injustice - there is no way that I would have climbed it. However, I include here a photograph of my father on the top of Uluru eating an orange. He climbed the rock on 20th July 1990 which was 7 weeks after he turned 69.

As a group, and keeping together, we circumnavigated Uluru - the rock. As we went, Jarrod told us many of the dreaming stories associated with the rock. He would ask us what we wanted: the western science story or the dreaming story. Apparently, we should no longer refer to The Dreamtime as this is belittling the indigenous creation stories. Nor should they be myths or legends. Invariably, it was the dreaming story that we asked for. The stories of snakes, and fights, of eggs and boomerangs sustained us on the 3 hour walk. It was over flat ground and not in the least difficult. This was the day I took the most number of images.

I was so chuffed that noone insisted on climbing the rock. That pleased me.

Later on in the afternoon, we headed out to the sunset viewing platform - I kid you not. It turned out not to be particularly crowded. But the rows of buses down in the carpark all with their immaculately turned out attendants - penguins to a tee. They set up tables with immaculate, white, linen cloths. They serve French Champagne out of Waterford Crystal. The antithesis of everything I stand for. "Ooh dahling, aren't the colours splendid?" Spare me ...

Another lovely night around the campfire and a vote on whether we wanted another sunrise at Uluru or a sunrise at Kata Juta, the Olgas. To a person we went for Kata Juta. Why do something twice when you haven't done t'other at all? The team was working well. All but a couple had worked out that it was better to pitch in; that it made the trip more enjoyable. I retired a very happy little vegemite.

Comments

[Julie]

The entire trip was colours and textures, Kim. As you can tell from the text, it was a seminal journey for me.

Claude, many aspects of the journey were challenging - physically challenging. There is another aspect that I have not touched upon in the text and that is the temptation to switch to *Mother Mode*, ie, the temptation to look after one's companions as one would one's children just because they are the same age and of similar sensibility.

However, the value to me was not diminished by the challenges - indeed, the challenges added value.

[Claude]

Those photos you took are just fantastic. It looks like an incredible trip. Am not sure this is something I would be up to, physically speaking. Thanks for sharing all this

[kimbofo]

The colours in these pictures are so vivid.

I love the texture of the rock face: like honeycomb in places.

Am enjoying reading your travelogue, but can't always comment because I'm stealing my neighbour's wi-fi (the connection is weak and keeps dropping out) as we are currently without internet access.

[Julie]

Yes, I am sorry about the photo of my Dad on Uluru missing. I was so annoyed about not being able to get the layout of the images right, that it totally went out of my mind. Now I have searched high and low and am not able to find where I stashed it. I will have to get it off the wall in the nursing home on Saturday and scan it in.

Yes, at this stage we are only about 300kms from Alice. We do a lot of walking over the next 3 days. The option was there to return to Adelaide with Jarrod in the truck. He charges straight down the Stuart Highway and gets there in two days. However, I had opted to fly from Alice to Sydney. Even before the journey began, I knew my physical limitations.

[Claudia]

The photos are splendid. I seem to miss your father on the Uluru? I did click everyone for the bigger size. Only one did not respond. On the map, you don't seem to be too far from Alice Springs. Do you return home the same way, or more directly?