Uluru

We drove to Uluru (Ayers Rock is the English name that is not really used). the first morning we were there we started out at 4am to see the sunrise.
We were with a group of people, for a bush tucker breakfast including damper,on a sand dune about 25 kilometers from Uluru.
Sam and Kait are looking for animal tracks in the red sand. They found lots of Goanna tracks--the 2 meter long lizard. We never did see a wild one but there were plenty around.
Back at Uluru we saw the ancient cave painting and learned about the dreamtime stories relating to the mammoth rock. The Aboriginals see Uluru as a sacred place and have been having religious ceremonies there for centuries. There were many places that we were not allowed to photograph. Tourism began in 1955, with only crude camping available. In 1983, a resort was opened. And in 1985 the property rights to Uluru was given back to the Aboriginal traditional owners. We had a very nice and modern 2 bedroom apartment to stay in. It was a marvel all of its own to see how a resort functioned and survived so far out in the desert. The first trip to Uluru from Alice Springs in 1873 took 3 months by camel.



Uluru is very large. It is a 10 kilometer walk just to go around the base. It stands 348 meters above ground and goes another 5 kilometers underground. So it is huge. From a distance it looks very smooth, but up close you can see grooves, caves and waterholes.

There is a visitors center (no photos allowed) were the Anangu from Mutitjulu and Yankunytjatjara sell artwork and artifacts and provide tours and educate us about their culture.