Yet another early start (6.00am) but we were really excited about going to Uluru today. It's a four and a half hour drive from Alice Springs but as you can imagine, it's a straight road and we went with Emu Run Tours who really looked after us.
Our first sight of a big red rock was Mount Connor, we thought it was Uluru at first. We learned that this rock isn't a sacred site for the Aborigine people and a local cattle man has buried two of his former wives up there (legally!).
We first headed out to Kata Tjuta (formerly known as the Olgas). It was impressive and some people including one of our guides, Ken, favour it over Uluru (formerly named Ayer's Rock). I think that Uluru still has the edge though.
After a stop at the Cultural Centre where we learnt a bit more about the Anangu people and the four major Tjukurpa stories associated with Uluru. These are Kuniya, Liru, Kurpany and Mala who are all ancestral beings who help form the basis of traditional law and custom for Anangu.
We saw a pile of rocks in the Cultural Centre which have been returned from all over the world by people who had taken a bit of Uluru home. One of the rocks apparently weighs 20kg! Their letters telling of bad luck since they took the rocks and the 'sorry rocks' themselves form a reminder for current visitors to leave the big red rock alone.
The rock climb is also not approved of by the Anangu but not banned outright, although it is closed depending on weather conditions.
After a couple of base walks, where we saw rock paintings, heard some of the Anangu stories and found out about bush tucker, we headed to the sunset viewing area and enjoyed a champagne BBQ. It's a long day; getting back to Alice Springs about 11.30pm, but the coach was comfortable and the guides Scott and Ken were excellent.
A truly memorable day. Liam has written a Mala creation story of his own which I'll post onto here soon.
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