Uluru
Even
before I laid eyes on Uluru, I was so excited by the thought of actually seeing
one of Nature’s greats. And let me tell you, I was not disappointed! It was
huge, loaded with meaning for Aboriginal people, beautiful, intricate,
contrasting, textured, utterly ‘organic’, and best of all, we saw it in the
rain!!! That
was something else! Felt like I’d won the lotto! Both Elliot and I were nearly
brought to tears seeing this rare sight (as was one of our camping neighbours).
We lost count after about 17, of all the waterfalls we could see cascading down
the sides. We still cannot believe how lucky we were to be in the right place
at the right time. Didn’t matter a bit that we got soaked!! I guess there’s not
much you can say about Uluru. Words don’t do it justice. It’s just another
thing you have to experience to get any sense of how awesome it is. Awesome in
the true sense of the word. So, without further ado, here are some photos…
A lush
wooded area at the base of Uluru.
This is the biggest waterfall at Uluru when it’s flowing. It also feeds one of the five permanent waterholes at Uluru, and is a sacred to the Aboriginal people here. They would never swim in it, and would wait just near the entrance to the waterhole to hunt the animals when they came out from drinking there, as they didn’t want the animals to associate the waterhole with danger.
And
this is it in full flow…
…with
Elliot and I getting soaked at the bottom! Felt like I was at Niagra!!
The
cloud came down really low, obscuring the top. Waterfalls of all different
sizes, were countless.
Just
one example of the string of pools (lots around the rock), that would fill then
pour into the one below, ending in a waterfall.
A very
pretty bird (don’t know what though!). The rain brings out the wildlife, as you
can imagine in the desert. They have such little time with water around, that
they get busy real quick when they have the opportunity. They never know when
their next chance will be. Rain brings life, and we felt so privileged to see
it.
A ‘Piti’,
handmade bowl
used by Aboriginal people for a number of purposes. Made of Mulga wood, as it’s
the most durable, it would be prized off the trunk with a sharp hand axe, then
hot sand poured down the crack made to enable easier removal of a good, intact,
thick strip of bark.
Kata
Tjuta
No
doubt, Kata Tjuta can rival Uluru in my opinion. Bigger, higher (by about
200m), more intricate, greener, and with many more ‘unexplore’, hidden corners,
it holds real mysticism. Both Elliot and I thought the 7km or so walk through
Kata Tjuta was a lot more interesting than the base walk around Uluru because
of this. Endless photo opportunities; and the landscape was so fresh and green
with new life after recent rains. Another magical place…
Kita
Tjuta at sunrise
Getting
closer…
Like
paint has been thrown over the rocks.
Lots
of life after rain (‘Hairy Mulla Mulla’ is the purple flower).
Capped
with greenery.
A
‘Euro’ – type of Wallaroo, and rock/desert dweller. Apparently, it’s the only
mammal that can live off Spinifex, a type of grass that proliferates in the
desert. Really cute and fluffy this one was!
Saw
some bushes dripping with these flowers.
Whole
place full of life!
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