rocking australia’s red centre
Travelling in Australia’s Red Centre you’ll quickly discover why this region is unique. Within 24 hours that famous massive monolith and the Indigenous people who have been the local custodians for around 40,000 years left a lasting impression on Intrepid’s Chimene Barrett…
“Travelling down the highway we spot a massive rock formation, orange and dominating. We’re sure it must be Uluru, but our local leader lets us know it’s Mt Connor. A beautiful sight in itself, but you can see where it gets the nickname Fooluru. My first day out of Alice Springs and my shoes are already covered in red dust. I am so excited to finally get to walk around the base of Uluru!
From the first glimpse of the iconic monolith Uluru, I cannot keep my eyes off it. Every time we turn a corner the light affects what we are seeing. From ochre red, orange and sandy yellow, to the mellow purples and browns as the sun drops lower.
Our base walk takes about 2.5 hours and right up close we can see how the years of erosion have created fissures, valleys and Mars-like pock marks. Each turn in the path reveals another environment, in some parts it’s dry and just as you imagine the desert. Other sections are surprisingly vegetated with groves of eucalypts and native plants.
It is an amazing place to visit just for these natural wonders, but the sense of ancient spirit is something I won’t forget. The traditional owners of this region, the Anangu people, have detailed the signifigance from their perspective at the Cultural Centre, not far from the start of the base walk. There are also interpretive signs along the base walk that help you to know more about this amazing rock, the region and its people.
Already feeling the soul of the dusty red earth, we watch the sun set over Uluru that night and soak in the atmosphere of the Outback. Incredibly all of this was just on our first day in the Red Centre. Bring on tomorrow, when we kick off with breathtaking sunrise views of Kata-Tjuta!”
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* photo by Louise Farmer – Intrepid Photography Competition
