The Red Centre of Australia

We were up early to get our shuttle bus back to the airport in Cairns and then a flight to the remote  outback town of Alice Springs which is located 1500km away from Adelaide and Darwin almost right in the center of Australia. This is the Northern Territory which is made up of mostly red desert land which could be seen as we flew in...

This is a very harsh land with long mountain ranges to the east and west of Alice Springs...

It was very hot there reaching 45 degrees mid day so not a lot of walking. And there are millions of flies so many you have to wear a fly net...

Lots of sidewalk cafes but how people sat outside in the heat and the flies meant they were a lot hardier than us...

The town is located near many Aboriginal settlements and it seemed that lots of the people were in town as everywhere we went there were children roaming around the streets and people hanging out under the shade trees...

There is an issue with misuse of alcohol so there are armed guards outside the liquor stores and we witnessed a number of street fights which was very upsetting. The residents of the town don’t bother interfering and seemed to accept this way of life. It reminded us of Canada’s treatment of their Indigenous peoples and it seems to be a prevalent theme here as well.

However Alice Springs is very artistic town with beautiful aboriginal art available everywhere...

Their art often tells of their dreaming stories passed down by their ancestors as well as art depicting their way of life, this is the artist statement on the piece above...

The large Yeperenye ( caterpillar) was a major creative ancestor of the Arrernte, the Aboriginal peoples of Alice Springs...

Aboriginal people in Australia weren’t given the right to vote or be recognized as people in the Census until the mid 1960s and they still have a way to go to be fully accepted. An art exhibit highlighting the role of the Aboriginal people in the war effort was an eye opener and I really liked this piece...

There is also a lot of history in this little town including the establishment of the Royal Flying Doctor Service which started in 1928 to fill a need to provide medical assistance to the outback people and is still flying today...

Today it is one of the largest and most extensive aeromedical organizations in the world providing primary health care and 24 hour medical services to people over 7.69 million square Kms. I think this is just one example of the pioneering spirit of people in the outback who are very proud of where they live and work. This was quite obvious from all the people we met and spoke to during our time in Alice Springs.

One of main reasons people come here is to visit Uluru, the famous red rock which is an iconic symbol of outback Australia. We did the longest day trip ever, 18 hours to see it for ourselves.

The landscapes we drove through...

Red dirt as far as the eye can see...

Salt flats in the distance...

We spy a large rock formation in the distance which is called Atilla, where the feared Ice Man, the creator of cold weather lives...

The road goes on and on...

360 Kms later we arrive at the Uluru-Kata National Park which is located on Aboriginal spirit land, the park is co managed by the people and the government.

We arrive to do a short hike into Kata Tjuta and it is hot! 

Kata Tjuta is made up of 36 mounds of rocks which is spread over 20 Kms. Its name means “many heads” and is a sacred site for the men in the Anangu Aboriginka culture with many of the legends surrounding the site being kept secret. The Anangu people have lived here for 22,000 years and these sandstone domes are believed to be 500 million years old.

The formations are quite overwhelming when you get closer and we started our hike into the gorge...

We didn’t get to the end because the heat and the flies got us...

Another view of the domes, they really do glow in the sunlight...

Then on to our final destination the famous rock called Uluru, the spiritual heart of Australia, rising 348 meters it is one of the world’s largest monoliths. It towers over the surrounding landscape and is quite the sight in the middle of the desert...

The Aboriginal peoples consider this site very sacred as their ancestors live here and they have inhabited the land for 30,000 years. The Europeans drove them away and it is only since 1985 have they reclaimed this land as theirs. 

We had an excellent guide who took us for a couple of walks into and around Uluru...

There were many caves here and we stopped by the Family Cave where the people would stop on their travels as it gave shelter and it was near the watering hole.There are cave paintings here that have been carbon dated from 30,000 to 500 years old, it was amazing to see and hear the guide’s interruption...

The watering hole nearby...

The wallaby pouch, a cave where women went to give birth...

The end of the day saw us near the viewing platform to watch the sun set over Uluru complete with a BBQ...

It was spectacular changing colours as the sun was setting...

From oranges to purples and pinks...

And a picture to show we survived a 1000km day tour, trillions of flies and 45 degrees of heat to visit this place. We were only here 3 days but both of us felt it was a special place and wished we could have explored the history, culture and landscapes in more depth. I think no trip to Australia would be complete without time spent in the Outback...