And so to Uluru
Early morning in Coober Pedy and I’m still feeling drunk. Breakfast of a Berocca for a change along with the coffee. Such are the pleasures of the day. We have a 750 Km drive to Uluru to do today.
So much of the day becomes driving. Few stops along the way. The Breakaways give a spectacular view of South Australia. The vast plateaus were possibly formed when an inland sea eventually evaporated. These plateaus would have been islands back then.
A brief stop in Marla and it’s on the state border. From South Australia and into the Northern Territory. Once again, the clocks change. The rather perverse half hour South Australia has on the Australian Eastern Time becomes the full hour when heading into NT.
We stop for lunch at an Aboriginal settlement and visit the Iwantja Arts Centre. This place helps Aboriginals, encourages their art, and tries to help against the problems that now beset so many indigenous people. We had lunch here and left being waved off by local boys who are addicted to sniffing petrol.
And so to Uluru, also known as Ayer’s Rock. This is a World Heritage Site for a very good reason. It is breathtaking. So much a symbol of Australia, photographed a billion times and one of those rare moments when the reality really does take the breath away.
Uluru is sacred to the Aboriginals, especially the Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara tribes who live here. Many other indigenous people come from around Australia. In July 1873, William Gosse first visited Uluru and named it Ayer’s Rock after Sir Henry Ayers who was then Chief Secretary of South Australia. Ayer’s Rock became the common name until 1993 when the dual name of Ayer’s Rock-Uluru was adopted and reversed to Uluru-Ayer’s Rock in 2002.
One of the fascinated parts of Uluru, apart from the sheer beauty, is the way the colours change throughout the day. Watching the Rock change as darkness falls allowed those of us who were tired from the day’s drive take one last look for the night.
