Uluru and Kata Tjutas in the Red Centere

 April 3
This was virtually a travel day to get from Red center to Melbourne. We landed in town about 8:30 pm and went to our hotel.

Most Amazing facts and learning from our time in the Outback:
*Over a million feral camels are on the outback. They were brought to help build the communication system and then let go to wander the land, but they have had an impact on the desert by drinking a lot of its water. There are also millions of feral cats and the Park systems have set up traps to catch them.Both these animals were introduced into Australia.
* There is a lot of water hidden below the ground that the Anangu seek and follow. We found two gorges where there was deposit of water while we hiked around Uluru. Rainfall is variable but the park has notices about flooding, which has occurred in the desert.
* They manage fires and the outbreak of a fire in the Outback with concentrated patch burns.
* the Kata Tjutas and Uluru are made up of red sandstone with feldspar and gravel, granite and basalt- very red rocks.

The Aboriginal people speak Pitjantjatjara (pit jan jah jarra) and Yankunytjatjara (yan kun ja jarra). There are 17 consonants and 3 vowels.

The Tjukurpa
Understanding this law for how the Anangu live is most interesting. Tjukurpa is the foundation of the Anangu life and society. Tjukaritja, ancestral beings, created the world and from it the religion, law and moral systems. They pass these stories on generation to generation- it is an oral culture. Dreaming or Dreamtime is often used to describe the way the Anangu and other Indigenous Australians see their origins. The Anangu land is mapped through the events of Tjukurpa and full of meaning. Where you are born, live and where you die is highly significant. So, they refer to several parts of Uluru as grandmother or grandfather because they are part of the land and identify with the land. Their moral life and the expectations for how they live and behave are passed on through the stories they tell over time. Many of these stories are written around Uluru and cave drawings depict some of the teachings as well. The Tjukurpa is also passed on through songs, memorization and dot paintings. Designs are sacred and you can't photograph the people working on them or the artwork itself at Uluru. They consider them sacred.


April 2
Today we had breakfast before going out to Uluru to hike around he Rock. We were on the trail by 9:30. It was 10.8 kilometers around the base of the Rock and it was 1000 feet high. There were multiple places to see original Aboriginal cave drawings. The Anangu have an oral tradition and nothing is written down so many of the stories are drawn though the use of symbols in the art to tell about the journeys of the people. They also have a staring moral code and their stories always have a moral to hem as part of their culture. We also found two waterholes amongst the Rock hidden away in the rocks. The Anangu follow the water and their nomadic lifestyle is due to looking for fresh water. Uluru had certain parts that were designated as male or female spiritual sites and photography was not permitted. Their culture is very much segregated by gender.

After finishing he tour around the base we walked to the Cultural center where we saw many Aboriginal people working. The museum retold the stories of Uluru and the history of the people.

Then we prepared to go the Sounds of Silence dinner to witness the sunset over Uluru. We had sparkling wine, canapés while we listened to an Anangu play the digerideroo. We also saw some traditional dances of the people. We were then led to our dining area. We were served sweet potato soup followed by barramundi, lamb, chicken, kangaroo, lots of vegetables and bush plums sauces. In between the main meal and dessert there was a star talker who explained he Southern Hemisphere sky. We were then able to look through a telescope during dinner to see he moon and Saturn. We saw four moons of Saturn and the two galaxies around Saturn. The skies were entirely clear full of stars. Our dessert buffet included a quondong dessert which is like a berry treat. They constantly topped off our glasses with wine throughout the meal. Our dinner companions included a couple from Sussex, England, a young man from Sydney who worked in the army, a young couple from the U.K. Who were now living in Sydney, and a young couple from the Northern Territory who worked in the mines and taught school. Very fun evening!

Desert painting as an art form as seen in this cave express the Creation stories (Tjukurpa). They generally are depictions of Tjukurpa stories. The Anangu (central and western Australian Aboriginal people) have responsibilities for the protection and teaching of the different Tjukurpa and there are strict protocols for imparting the knowledge. There are also strict rules regarding photographing some of the rocks of Uluru, because they are considered sacred sites and part of the Tjukurpa stories. Most of the drawings in the caves of Uluru called Mala and Kuniya.

April 1
We got up early to take in the sunrise in the Kata Tjutas and Uluru. Getting off the bus we were offered teas to accompany the sunrise. It was beautiful! The lighting in the sky is somewhat surreal. We then went into the Kata Tjutas and hiked to the Valley of the Winds. The red boulders were stunning, steep and beautiful. The guide pointed out many bush trees and birds and explained how the Aboriginal people or Anangu people used the trees to cure warts, fever etc. We saw bush plum tomatoes, the tree whose leaves smelled like Vicks vapor rub and the witchery grub tree where the women dig the roots for the little grub and rip off its head to eat it raw or fry it. We didn't try it😬
The land around the Kata Tjuta is barren and full of brush. To avoid a huge bush fire the Anangu patch burn areas so that if here were a fire it would not burn everything. We also learned that in the outback there are over a million feral camels!! They were brought in originally to help transport materials  during the construction of the Australian telegraph system and then also used to move people, mail, and the military. They wouldn't kill old camels and just let them go. The release of these camels were released into the wild where they thrived. We also learned that there are over 10 million feral cats in the outback. They were an introduced species and they would just be forgotten or ran away.

We got back to the resort and decided to go out to the camel station and learn more about them. The resort has a shuttle running between hotels and the camel station and staff accommodations. We also toured the art gallery and museum on site. We ate at the newly opened Mange at restaurant that night. It took an hour to get our meal. Needless to say they were working out the kinks of operation.

Note: In the early 1900s the land around Uluru and the Kata Tjutas was declared an Aboriginal Reserve. In 1950 Ayers Rock National Park was established followed by Kata Tjutas in 1958. In 1971 the Office of Aboriginal Affairs cited concerns about pastoralism, mining, desecration of site and tourism pressures on their land. The Aboriginal Land Rights Act of 1976 does not include the national park and it had to do that to keep it designated as a national park. It wasn't until 1983 the the Aboriginal Land Rights Act returned the title to the traditional owners and was then leased back to the Australian Parks and Wildlife Service and run jointly. In 1985 the title deeds were finally given to the Anangu- an agreement good for 99 years.

March 31
Travel day! We all got out of Brisbane successfully! Jane and John got out also and made their way home.We landed in Uluru and were transported to Ayer Rock Resort where we stayed at the Outback Pioneer. There are five different places to stay and a shuttle runs around connecting all of them. You can eat at any one of them. We explored the area and took in a demonstration of Anangu dancing on the main lawn. We had dinner grilling our own kangaroo, crocodile tail and emu on an outside grill.