Today was all about tours. First of all, we were picked up at 9.30 am and Julie had her first trip in a light aeroplane. We were very lucky because we were the only 2 passengers - private flight!!!
We were off to see Uluru from the air. We took off from the airfield...
...and our pilot explained that Uluru is 1 giant rock, tipped on its side by mountainous upheavals, millions of years ago. Most of it lays below ground, much like an ice-berg.
You can see the sediment layers, nearly vertical instead of horizontal.
We also say Kata Tjuta in the distance.
Soon we had to turn round and flew over Ayers Rock Resort.
Our Hotel is in a rough U-shape, at the bottom left of the buildings, just below where the visible ring road runs vertically away from the camera.
The land was very red from the air, due to the amount of iron in the sand.
Soon we were back on the ground.....
...and it was time for another dip in the pool to cool off in the mid-day heat.
...then it as back to a coach for our afternoon 'base of Uluru' tour. First stop was a cultural centre, where we learnt about the 4 tribes who had come together to form Anangu ('We the People'), whose culture has protected the area around Uluru for at least 35,000 years, possibly double that. We learned about their culture, customs, law and creation stories, all of which is wrapped up in what is known as ' Tjukurpa '. (Google it for more!!!). We also saw Anangu art, which is for sale widely across the area, for anything from $20 to several thousand, depending on how big a piece you would like to buy!
Uluru gleamed in the late afternoon sun.
We were not aloud off the coach without a litre of water at hand.
The vegetation was surprisingly green.
We touched the base of Uluru, and visited water-holes where water had discoloured and worn away the rock....
....and caves where the Anangu had left reminders of 'witchety-grubs' (centre below) ....
...of meeting places and ceremonies...(white concentric circles), ...
.....and the coming of 'Mala Mala', the white-skinned people, which translates as 'pretty but useless!' (See our hands and heads above and below)
We learnt about the creation-stories in Tjukurpa and the 'evidence' that the stories were true, in rock formations and marks of the surface.
Then we were off to the sunset viewing point for that perfect Uluru sunset. Here we also bought a small Anangu painting direct from the artist! However the key event was of course, the sunset, and every photographer tries to capture the deep red of Uluru in the sunset, and (between champagne and nibbles), ...... I think I did OK!!!
And that was day 2 over, so it was back to the resort for a beer, burger and a nightcap. We were in bed early (about 10.30 because we were up early for the sunrise the following morning!!)
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