July 28th, Australia Day 157

I awoke with a start in my swag under the Australian night sky with a quarter moon shining, but that was not what had roused me from my slumber. Within moments of waking, I became aware of the constant baying of dingoes all around me. It was quite literally around me, 360 degrees, and it sounded as though every dingo in Australia had congregated to this spot. They never did approach my swag, as far as I know but the most unnerving part was when they stopped baying because then I could not tell where they were, even with the shining moon. Almost as suddenly as they had started, they stopped, to be heard no more that night and I settled back to sleep for the few hours I had left until breakfast.

The day began before dawn again, as today we would go see the sacred sight of Uluru (oo-loo-ROO), also known as Ayers Rock. It is a sacred sight to the local Anangu (ah-nan-GOO) aborigine people, who now "control" the site, but it is also sacred to Australians in general, being a symbol of their country, much in the same way that the Statue of Liberty is to Americans. Several years ago the government, in a land agreement, agreed to return control of Uluru/Ayers Rock to the local aborigines who, in return, have leased it back to the government for 99 years; it is run as a national park. The English name of Uluru, Ayers Rock, comes from the name of a governor of South Australia in the 19th Century, since South Australia controlled what would become the NT at the time.

As we drove to Uluru/Ayers Rock, we came upon another rock formation called Mt. Conner. It is a box shaped mesa, really, and our tour guide called it "Fooluru" since many tourists mistake it for the more famous landmark on their first trip to the area. In the area, there was also a dry lake bed which was very white, which leads me to believe that it may consist of a salt flat. Finally, the real Uluru/Ayers Rock came into view and seeing it for the first time in person was a moving experience. You must understand that Uluru/Ayers Rock is essentially a giant stone monolith that sits on an otherwise flat and almost featureless terrain. It is the world's largest monolith, meaning it is composed of a single type of stone, sandstone in this case I believe, and I am told that it is part of a larger formation, still buried, that broke off and fell to the desert floor after being pushed up by tectonic forces.

Around Uluru/Ayers Rock, there were a few options, one of which was climbing the formation. The other options all consisted of walks around the base of Uluru/Ayers Rock where there were excellent views of aborigine paintings and other sacred sights. The Anangu ask you not to climb Uluru/Ayers Rock as it is a sacred site to them and they feel it is disrespectful to their culture to do so. As well, if anyone is hurt or killed on their land, part of their tradition dictates that they cut themselves as a mark of mourning. Add to that the climb itself is very difficult and for most of the steep way up, the only thing you have to help you is a chain. I chose to climb Uluru/Ayers Rock, not out of disrespect, but because I will probably never get another chance to do it. By the time I return, the politicians will have probably wised up and prohibit climbing the monolith and so I figured that this would be my one and only chance.

The climb up was quite difficult but upon reaching the summit, a splendid view awaited me. I could see that there were flat plains nearly unbroken to the horizon. In the distance I could see Mt. Conner as well as the closer Kata Tjuta (KAH-tah JOO-tah) formation, also known as The Olgas. The path to the top of Uluru/Ayers Rock follows the path that the Mala Men, something like Wallaby Men, took to the top in the Anangu mythology. From what I can gather, Australian aborigines believe that the land was formed in a period known as the "Dreaming", the "Dream Time" or the "Creation Time", when spirits roamed the Earth and creating the formations that can now be seen. An important spirit for Uluru/Ayers Rock was a she-serpent named Kuniya (KOO-nee-yah or KOON-yah) who once made her home in the monolith. In any event, after a brief time at the top, I descended down Uluru/Ayers Rock, which was no less difficult than the ascent. I also took great care that I did not transport anything out of the area as this is also against Anangu law. In the visitor's center, there is a pile of stones and soil that have been sent back by people who had removed them from the area and were now regretful, some claiming that their actions had cursed them. I decided that I had already tempted fate by climbing Uluru/Ayers Rock and I would not do so again. Besides, what need do I have of rocks and Canada Customs would take them from me anyway upon my return.

Later that day, after all climbing and hiking had been completed, we returned to a spot to watch the sunset upon Uluru/Ayers Rock. The sun actually set behind us and its light was cast upon the monolith and it changed colour as the sun dipped ever closer to the horizon. The best was just before sunset when it became a blood red, as the pictures will show. The British man on the tour remarked that it was interesting to see so many people gathered to watch a rock change colour but it was an interesting experience nonetheless. We made our way back to our campsite, a different one from the previous night, and I fell asleep in another swag although this time I slept with the rest of the group by the fire as access outside the grounds was restricted.

Photos now available at: http://australiaday157.blogspot.com/