Day 12 Uluru

Living in the green belt of the Northern Beaches of Sydney, we’re usually woken by the raucous laugh of a Kookaburra or the screeching of a Cockatoo, or an occasional Crow’s groaning call. I expected much the same in the dry arid environment of the red centre but surprisingly, not so. After being initially awoken by Jacqui as she climbed over my sleeping body to find a vantage point for some sunrise photography, and then again when she returned upon discovering the camera had no battery, I was thirdly woken by the cheerful warbling of the native Honeyeaters and the Desert Wren. Who woulda thought it???
After breakfast we made our way into the park and we were all truly staggered by the enormity and presence of this symbolic heart of Australia. I’m certain that I could come back every day of the year and see something different each day. We took photos early in the day, in the mid day, and again at sunset and while some of these photo’s were taken from the exact some spot, the angle of the sun gave each shot a unique feel. The size of this thing is amazing and no picture could do it justice…so we took many, from all around it. As we walked around it, we learnt about the aboriginal communities that lived in its shadow. We learnt about the schools and the meanings of the symbols used in the pictures and even about the names of the colours used in the artworks. Our children now know that tjutu means red, that purku means black and that wanka-wanka means yellow and their school diaries will have all types of colour when they present them in early 2010. We also managed our 1st Qantas type picture. Everyone had a bit of fun.
After the morning spent exploring the rock, we came back to the camping ground for a swim and a relax in the sweltering afternoon heat before tackling a BBQ for dinner. Sadly for Jacqui, she sat in an ants nest during dinner causing a faster than usual meal before heading off for a shower.
More adventures, (and ants) beckon tomorrow.
Cheers,
Jorg