From Alice to Uluru

We made two stops on the bus before we reached Ayers Rock. The first was at a camel farm.

When the Afgans were imported to Australia to build the telegraph line, they brought with them the camels they used to travel the deserts at home. When they left Australia, they left the camels behind. There are now heards of wild camels in Australia. They are larger than typical camels in the Middle East.

The second stip was a cattle station where we were given an introduction to life there by the station manager, a man known as Uncle.

Then we were on to Uluru.

Australian Dingo

I didn't know until this day what a dingo looks like. They're the size of a cocker spaniel, a pleasant looking dog. 

This Dingo Is a Friendly Pup

 

Pretty Bird

 

Carla and Loren

When I was a little kid, I would take rides like this in Central Park or at the Bronx Zoo. Normally, it wouldn't even occur to me now to take a ride on a camel, but here in Australia, it seemed like the thing to do. And the camel seems to be having a good time too. 

Bob and Carole

 

How Could You Not Love this Guy?

Camels Have the Greatest Faces of ANY animal, don't you think? 

 

Three Examples of Outback Desert Vegetation

 

 

 

Mount Conner as Seen from the Bus

Located between Alice Springs and Ayers Rock, Mount Conner is, like Ayer's Rock, a monolith -- a single piece of stone. It's smaller than Ayers Rock, and, unlike Ayers Rock, it has a level top.

Uncle Tells Us about Life at the Cattle Stationi

 

Restroom Doors at the Cattle Station

 

We Arrive at Ayers Rock

Here's our group again. Ayers Rock is the largest single rock in the world. It's about 5 1/2 miles around and reaches a height of 1,142 feet. And that's just the top; about 90% of the rock is below the ground.

It's a beautiful experience but for the extreme heat and the flies.

The Aborigines call Ayers Rock Uluru which means "meeting place."

Our guide (the gentleman in the blue shirt, at the extreme left) took us on a short walk around the the rock to show us cave drawings and explain the Rock's importance to Aborigines.

Walking around the Edge of the Rock

 

Aboriginal Cave Drawings

 

Taking a Break from the Heat

A Pool of Clear Water

 

The moat

 

Climbing the Rock

Whites have been climbing Ayers Rock for sport for a long time. Aborigines consider Uluru sacred ground and have tried to prevent climbing. A compromise limits climbing to this one trail, shown here and in the next picture. Jo asked us not to climb out of respect for Aboriginal custom. 

 

Keepin' Those Flies at Bay

Just befire sunset at Ayers Rock, the flies seem to converge in a frenzy on the faces of all present. This hat chases them away with the merest flick of the neck, which makes the beads move. 

Ayers Rock Changes Color at Sunset

As evening approached, we took a second trip to Ayers Rock to watch the sunset. There is a special parking lot for tourist buses located in just the ideal spot for this occasion. Given how few people seemed to be there earlier in the afternoon, I was amazed at the number of buses and the number of people who turned out to watch. You had to fight for a good vantage point. I ended up standing on the top of a picnic table so I could see over the heads of those who got there a few minutes earlier than we did.

This picture and the next five were culled from a series of about 20 pictures which were taken over the span of a half hour as the Sun set on the western face of Uluru. The colors turn from brown to orange to red to maroon.

Given the hype that is standard in the tourist guides, I was expecting something a wee bit more dramatic than the reality, but upon nearly three months reflection, it was an unusual and pretty sight.