Many will have heard of the Mexican wave, but our arrival on the small airstrip of Ayers Rock saw us experiencing the Ayers Rock wave. All people outside the aeroplane to assist with our arrival were waving their arms. Not to welcome us, but attempting to get rid of the flies. It seems that the flies are on holiday too. They only come out at a certain temperature and our arrival at 30 degrees centigrade was just right for them.
Just as well we bought our bug hats. All around this small but attractive resort guests have their faces masked from the little critters.
We were to spend four days in Uluru getting to know more about the Aboriginal history and way of life, and of course viewing the famous Ayres Rock. Lots of early mornings were scheduled, the earliest being 3am, so a 5am start on one of those days was a welcome lie in. All activities at Ayers Rock either start very early to ensure that they finish before the heat of midday (38 degrees centigrade and it’s now autumn in Australia) or, for outside dining, after dark when the billions of flies go to bed.
We were off to a good start on our first day, undertaking an 8 mile trek around the base of Ayres Rock. Since last October, this sacred place of the Aboriginal people has been off limits for any climbers. Until that time there was a precariously steep track for enthusiasts to climb to the top. There had been many casualties and deaths over the years, but the climb had been halted largely due to the wishes of the indigenous people.
Grandparents hand down these stories – encompassing moral messages as well as survival techniques – to their grandchildren, while their fathers are hunting and mothers are gathering. It was not until recent years that some of these stories were written down, but many are still only known amongst the Aboriginal people.
The rock has important spiritual significance for the Aboriginal people. Many sections we passed are considered ‘sensitive sites’ where photography is not permitted. At these points we listened to some of the stories handed down over the generations which form a basis of the Aboriginal oral histories. Many made reference to indentations in the rock, such as the face of a snake. These stories, referred to as Tjukurpa, record the creation of all living creatures and the landscape, as well as the appropriate way to relate to each other and aspects of the environment, such as directing tribal members to food sources, watering holes or ceremonial places.
Our full base walk circumnavigated the rock, taking some four hours with a few stops. I was keen that John kept up his exercise regime so I let him carry my ‘tucker’ bag with breakfast and lots of heavy water, in addition to his own as we both battled the heat and constant irritation of thousands of flies.
In the evening we were off for a Sound of Silence trip which involved watching the sun setting and a talk on astronomy while viewing the stars.
Later the silence was broken over a three-course dinner with wine, as we chatted to some entertaining Greek-Cypriot Australian women who had met many years ago at school and had decided to give their families a break, leaving them back in Sydney while they enjoyed the Ayres Rock experience. Lots of laughter and cultural exchanges followed between us.
The next day we were off to the Kings Canyon, a three hour drive away. We had the choice of climbing 500 uneven steps up the canyon to walk around the perimeter. We were warned this would be strenuous, carried out in high heat and with flies. Those intending to climb had (by regulation) to carry three litres of water. ‘That’ll be six litres then’, was John’s comment based on his experience assisting me on the hike the previous day, so we opted for the less arduous walk in the canyon valley.
A benefit of this was that we could book a 15 minute flight in a Bell Jet Ranger helicopter flying across the canyon, which was tremendous and meant that we saw much more of the sandstone top than had we hiked up. It was surprising how green the areas around the canyon were in this dry central part of Australia. From some of the green ‘rivers’ of vegetation we could identify where underground waters ran.
Our final morning added to the whole experience. Our 4am start enabled us to travel in an off-road monster up the dunes to watch the beautiful sunrise while eating bacon rolls.
Then it was off to hear some more storytelling and viewing of rock art dating back up to 7,000 years before heading to our next destination, Cairns and Port Douglas – hopefully without the flies.
Copyright: Words and photos Sue Barnard 2020