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| Dawn at Uluru |
Many organised tours arrive in the afternoon, drive to the dedicated sunset watching area, enjoy a glass of champagne, stay for a night, then take some photos from the sunrise lookout before leaving for the next destination — after less than a day. Hence we feel blessed that we had the privilege to drive here and have the opportunity to stay for a few days, thus digging deeper and getting a better understanding of this significant site.
The sheer size and stunning beauty of Uluru make you feel humble, they put everything into perspective. For the local Aborigine community, the Anangu, this is a sacred site. Uluru is like a storybook that illustrates the “Tjukurpa”, the story about creation of life and land and the relationship between man, plants, animals, and landscape. On a ranger-guided tour we listen to the Anangu story about the beginning, when a giant Mala wallaby and a mole (of course one of the marsupial variety …) shaped the land.
The next day it’s Kata Tjuta that we explore on an extensive hike through the aptly named Valley of the Winds. As a result of the whole set-up of national park and resort, Kata Tjuta, located around 50 km from Uluru, attracts fewer visitors than its “big brother”. Which is totally unjustified, because these huge boulders are simply stunning. They rise up to more than 500 metres from the surrounding desert plains, much higher than Uluru (348 m). It’s good fun to explore the narrow gorges between these “many heads”, which is the English translation of the Anangu name Kata Tjuta.
We stay for a few more days, hike around the base of Uluru, a 10 1/2 km walk, enjoy the cool pool, the glowing sunsets, and the clear night skies with countless stars. Eventually we have to pack up our tent to head to our next destination, Kings Canyon.
[Yulara, Uluru-Kata Tjuta NP, 1.-6. September]
