- And we’re off — let’s go explore the Australian outback!
- Katherine, Northern Territory
- Kakadu National Park, Northern Territory
- A day in Darwin, Northern Territory
- Kununurra, Western Australia and the Bungle Bungles
- Broome, Western Australia
- Uluru (Ayers Rock)
- Alice Springs, Northern Territory
- Birdsville, Queensland and return to Sydney
Broome was as far west as we would go on this trip, so it was time to start winging our way back to the east, flying over the Gibson Desert towards the Red Center of Australia and Uluru, the world’s largest monolith. Looking down into the desert on this flight segment was otherworldly — the salt lake formations in the middle of the desert are so colorful and wild. We almost felt that we were looking down at another planet. As we got into Uluru, it was easy to see why this is called the “Red Center” — the sandstone against the blue sky is stunning and, in fact, it appears to change color at different times of the day.
Seeing Uluru from the plane was one thing, but when we landed and got close, we got to see how massive the rock really is, rising over 1000 feet and a circumference of nearly 6 miles. After arriving, we went to the Cultural Center at the base of the formation. There we met our Aboriginal guide who explained a number of local myths and took us around to see some of the sacred landmarks. By the way, there is a bit of a culture clash here — this is a very sacred site to the Aborigines and yet lots of tourists like to climb the formation. Even though climbers are supposed to get permission to do the climb, often they don’t. In any case, the Aborigines view this as an affront. Sadly, multiple people die every year making the climb — especially in (or after) the rain when the rock is slick. From there, we checked into our hotel called the “Sails in the Desert.” It was like an oasis in the desert, with lots of canvas sails providing shade around what turns out to be a pretty massive resort. After a swim and a little retail therapy, we were off to the “Sounds of Silence” dinner. Located out in the desert, tables are set elegantly and, after cocktails, dinner is served under the stars. I think this was our first taste of crocodile on the trip! The highlight of the evening, though, is when all the lights were extinguished and we were sitting in the darkness. While it took a few minutes for our eyes to adjust, suddenly it was an amazing light show, with a number of constellations that we aren’t used to seeing in the northern hemisphere. An astronomer was on hand who used a laser pointer to show us various stars of interest. My only concern was what else was crawling out there in the dark!
The next day, we went to the nearby Kata Tjuṯa, another significant sacred spot for the Aborigines. In some respects, it is similar to the Bungle Bungle in that there are a large number of domes (I think 36) that are grouped together, although they don’t share the classic beehive shapes that the mounds in the Bungle Bungle have. We got to walk around a bit, but we had to fly off to our next destination — Alice Springs.
I am a traveler and sometimes clay sculptor, following a long career working in consulting. My work allowed me to travel the world extensively and I was hooked. Today, I travel with my wife/best friend to explore new places, meet new people, and learn new things.
