What a truly awesome day! We had a 7:00 am flight from Cairns to the ‘Red Centre’ of Australia and Ayers Rock. Ayers Rock rises 4000 meters in the air and is a double Unesco World Heritage site. One for its geology and one for its cultural signficance. It is named for Sir Henry Ayers, the chief secretary of the colony of Adelaide. The rock was government run until 1986 then it reverted back to its original Aboriginal control and name Uluru. Before we went to Ayers Rock, our coach transferred us out to the Olgas also known in the Aboriginal language as “Kata Tjuta” translated as “many heads.” On the way there, our coach stopped and picked up a ‘thorny devil’ and brought it into the coach so we could all have a look.
The Olgas are a collection of 36 domed red rocks. The name comes from the discoverer who named it after Olga, the wife of the King of Germany. The Olgas are a series of red ignous rocks located 32 kms to the west of Ayers Rock. Each of the 36 domes has a story in mythology and is very significant to the Aboriginal Dreamtime (legends). We walked for an hour in the Olgas and marveled at the red rock formation. Flies were everywhere. Thankfully we had our head nets to keep out the bugs. Not an attractive look but very efficient. Thank you to Women’s Travel Network for their foresite. People who didn’t wear the hats got tired of breathing in and swallowing flies. The temperature was only 33 degrees with a breeze and no humidity. What a difference from the 40 degree humid temperature in Cairns.
Our coach driver talked a little about the aboriginal people of Australia. They have a belief in Tjukurpa which defines the laws and practices of a land steeped in ceremony and tradition. Stories are told and passed along from generation to generation. There are three important numbers: 0, 1, and many. For example, I have no kangaroos, I have one kangaroo, I have many kangaroos. Familes share in the education of the children. A grandather or uncle may take a child on a walkabout for a month to learn the history, tradition and culture of the land. Men are hunters and leaders of the village and women do the day to day work.
In the evening we were picked up by our coach and transferred to a secluded place in the desert for a spectacular Sounds of Silence Dinner We walked through the Outback to a clearing where we sipped champagne, ate canapes and watched the sun fall from the sky. I guess the snakes and spiders were told to stay away.
We were then introduced to a feast of Northern Territory delights including barramundi, kangaroo and emu as the sounds of the didgeridoo echoed across the landscape. We were treated to one of the world’s best sunsets and stargazing and shown the constellations of the southern hemisphere. The handle of the big dipper can be seen in the southern hemisphere low on the horizon. Two strong microscopes showed us two new galaxies. The night was clear, bright and airy. An amazying evening. Here is the sunset over Ayers Rock.
Tomorrow we are getting up at 5:30 am to enjoy the sunrise. Tonight we stayed at the absolutely stunning Sails in the Desert hotel.