Uluru

Uluru. Iconic, sacred and just plain awesome. Massive too.  Much, much bigger than I expected. Organic in shape, it bulges and folds like a gigantic ancient creature that has simply sat down in a vast desert garden. I say garden because that is exactly what the surrounding country looks like. Desert foliage is surprisingly soft in appearance, both in texture and colour and when seen in combination with the red of the earth and rock...well, there really are no words to describe it.
  

Visitors are not encouraged to climb Uluru and I have to say I wasn't tempted to.  It was enough for me to do the 10.6 km walk around the base and see it close up. There were a few extra sacred sections which couldn't be photographed.  Interestingly those parts were the most worn and scarred, the markings giving rise to many mythical stories and sacredness that the traditional owners, the Anangu people, are keen to maintain. In one section there is a series of small caves, each one a type of classroom; some with drawings on the walls to illustrate stories and journeys, and some for practical skills like hunting. A small waterhole nearby is also held sacred.

Later we joined a large throng at the sunset viewing strip. It was a joyous evening of champagne picnics, children's laughter and cameras clicking as the sun drew away and darkness fell on this amazing red rock.

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Kata Tjuta: winds and fire

When we first saw Kata Tjuta (the Olgas) they were on fire. It had been a windy day, and fires had flared up a bit. The traditional Anangu owners manage a programme of controlled burns using traditional patchwork techniques to protect habitat, prevent wildfires, and keep the country healthy.

It did mean however, that when we went for a closer visit the next day, the main walk, the Valley of the Winds track, was closed to the public as a precaution.

We did get to do the shorter walk into Walpa Gorge. Dramatic scenery, brilliant colours, towering domes. 

Some say Kata Tjuta is even more spectacular than Uluru. Some of the domes are higher than The Rock in fact. What I can reveal is that the two were in fact made by the same alien spaceship people 500 million years ago. They were supposed to be identical monoliths 32 km apart, but the contract for Kata Tjuta was given to Gina Rinehart, who cut costs by importing thousands of cheap 457 visa workers from Aldeberan B. This enabled her to build it bigger than her unionised competitor, but the quality wasn't up to it, and over time it has eroded away to the lumpy mess that it now is.

I was more interested in tracking down my Sturts Desert Peas though. When I was here 38 years ago (crucially, in August rather than July), they were in full flower. Here's a photo from back then to prove it. I asked the man in the visitor centre, who told me to come back next month, plus pray for one more big rain event, to guarantee a flowering. Typically it only rains properly about once every ten years here. 1974 had been a very big wet year, but 2011 and 2012 were pretty wet too - and hence all the vegetation again.

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