8/02
We go to the airport very early and spend a long time waiting to get in our low cost flight to Alice Springs. Not as much space as previously, my back has been painful for the last few days and the big lady behind me keeps pushing her knees into my seat... pure joy! After 2 and a half hours of flight we land in Alice Springs, the capital city of the Northern Territory, change our watch, the time is different here as the country is so big... get our bags back and get the rented 4WD!! We have been upgraded for free and get a BIG Nissan Patrol!!! We are planning to do lots of tracks as we want to see few sites and leave the sealed roads. Very exciting!! After driving Pepe for a month, Fab is pleased of his new car! We drive to the cheap motel, very old and dated, quite dirty but again we get an upgrade and get a shower in our room. The motel is dirty really, old carpets, dated equipment but it was the cheapest in town and we know why!! We got for a walk in Alice to buy some food and see the town, despite the heat, it is around 39-40 and the sun is really killing us... We stop to buy a hat for Fab and get some fly nets to protect our faces as the flies are MAD and all over the place, hundred of them relentlessly attack us!!
The town of Alice Springs is the product of 19th century pioneers who opened up Australia’s interior. It is supposed to be a modern outback town, the base to explore the region. It is Sunday so everything but tourists shops are closed, we wander around the little streets but our impressions are not great... Many Aboriginal people are in the streets, begging or resting, looking very dirty and poor, a lot of them drunk... The shops seem to be owned by white people and the exploitation of the Aboriginal culture seems very strong... Maybe we are mistaken but it feels like the communities are very separate. We go back to the motel, have a late lunch then decide to drive to explore a bit. We go to the West MacDonnell Range, a mountain range stretching east to west for 400 kilometres around Alice, we drive to Standley Chasm, to see this narrow cleft in the Range. But have to pay to get in... It is owned by some indigenous communities and we will found out that all is about tourism here and making money... People have to find a way to make a living in this vast land... We don’t like having to pay to see some nature, but hey... We go for a little walk, the heat is bad and the flies are crazy, Fab is carrying a bag that is soon covered with flies, we are glad to have the little nets on our faces!!! It is beautiful, the rock formations are red, orange, very impressive with cathedral-height walls, creating a nice passage in the rocks. The colours are strong, ochre, fiery, with beautiful sun reflections. We drive again for a while on sealed and unsealed roads, the landscape around us is glorious, we go to the Ellery Creek Big Hole, a nice waterhole but don’t stop for long, we drive back to Alice and the sunset is amazing, the Ranges offer spectacular scenery with changing colours, the desert is really red and fiery, it is truly beautiful and feels peaceful. I connect a lot with that nature, it feels strong, harsh and intense. Inspiring, also for Fab who takes many pictures, we reflect on the significance of the land, on the Aboriginal culture, how the people are the custodians of the territory... We both want to find out about their culture but not sure how as everything seems to be touristy and not really authentic... I like the idea that they connect spiritually with their places, how it is feeding their arts... So different from what we have seen and the physical state of the people we saw today... We found out that the town has a massive problem with alcoholism and domestic violence, apparently mainly in the Aboriginal communities. It has now being declared a DRY TOWN! It is illegal to consume alcohol in public within the town boundaries except in bars or hotel... The take away purchases of alcohol is also restricted... All that to make the city safer... The heat is still on, it is now 8.30, it is probably 30 degres, we were hoping for a cool evening but that is not the case. A bit of food, we chat to a Spanish couple who came to Australia for a research project on penguins we tell them about NZ. We then get ready for tomorrow as the drive to Kings Canyon will be unsealed and we need to be ready for the big outback adventure... very exciting!!
9\02
We wake up early and manage to leave the hotel around 8.30, it is already 31 degres and very dry, we first drive to Hermannsburg to get our travel permit to drive onto Aboriginal lands. It is a small village, with an historical element, it used to be a Lutherian mission and one of the first ‘towns’ in the region, we see some missionary houses and get the permit to drive on the Meerenie Loop which winds west from Alice to Wattarka National Park (Kings Canyon). The morning is a real adventure, driving on unsealed roads, seeing rugged mountains, the desert is greener here, we are both surpised expecting it to be very dry. We will find out later tat there has been some rains, the flora is quick to develop and it is very green, arid type vegetation, with red sands. Challenging driving route but very fun! It takes us the all morning till 2pm, we stop few times to take pictures, to look at wild horses, we even see a wallaby or kangaroo, jumping around! We finally reach the resort were we are staying in the Park, it is the only facilities here, we get a small lodge in the campsite (a concrete small room with no bathroom) but there is a pool in here so we might use it... But it still to hot to do anything... We have a quick lunch then Fab naps and I write... We are here to do some walks and see Kings Canyon, in the George Hill Range. The National Park is supposed to be great with nice tracks, nature, rim walks and creek walk with nice views of the Canyon walls... We buy some juices at the resort shop and spend half an hour chatting with Simon, from Brisbane, he gives us some tips and advice on his region and where to see the sunset here... nice. Around 5ish we go for a walk around the Canyon, we do the easy walk on the canyon floor, he mountain range is beautiful and it is a really nice easy walk, we see many birds, many plants, trees with white trunk, admire the rock formations, we then decide to drive to a better spot to see the sunset over the Range. We spend an hour or so on the roof of our 4WD car, watching the sunset on this mountain, colours change, Fab takes many piccies trying to capture the gradual colour changes of the rocks, the moon is nearly full and looks striking, there is a nice breeze, it feels so nice, the serenity and peacefulness of the landscape really touch us. We both feel very happy, it is nature perfect... Back to our little lodge, for a quick meal of Chinese noodles and cheap soup, as we are waking up at 5am to walk to the rim of the Canyon and see the sunrise... Apparently it is a wonderful walk, quite rocky but worth doing... Bedtime, trying to avoid crossing dingoes (wild dogs running around the campsite!)...
10/02
Hard to wake up at 5am, I still manage to get a shower and a quick breakie, we drive to the Canyon at 5.45, it is dark but also bright as the moon is so full, we both feel sleepy but excited, few coaches and 4WD cars are already there... It is popular! The nice breeze keeps us cool and we won’t suffer from the heat until 9am, good!! It is probably ‘only’ 27 degres right now!! The beginning of the walk is not easy, a big rock climb to the rim of the canyon, many steps, I feel breathless and tired but keep going, Fab is taking millions of piccies already... The sun is slowly coming up, we reach the top and start walking along the rim, we are rewarded with marvellous views of the canyon and of the National Park. We are only 900 metres above sea level but it feels higher, the sheer red rocks start changing colours and being lit up by the sun, truly beautiful, there are many different levels, we walk around for 3 hours, seeing rocky formations, waterhole, the river bed, the garden of Eden, a little oasis with native plants dating back from prehoristorical times... Amazing... Nice to see the sunrise light up the canyons walls, it is magnificent. We slowly go down the hills, the walk is over, it is 9.30am And the sun starts to be really hot and we are baking on those red rocks... The sun starts to bake us... We can check out at 11am so decide to go to the pool to refresh ourselves, nice little dip, a shower then we jump in the car... Off to Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park... After 3 hours drive, under the sun, in the desert, we reach our destination, the Ayers Rock resort. Nice drive, but a bit monotonous, the desert is green, lush with many red rocks and sand, some valleys, plains, nice though, we stop at Curtin Springs, a working cattle station in the desert... And finally see the ROCK, Uluru, from far away, it is big but not that big, a huge monolith standing 348 metres high and red! The resort is the only place to stay in Ayers Rock, it is very commercial, 6 hotels, and a campsite, 23 kms from the Rock, we are here to see Uluru of course, probably the most famous natural landmark of Australia, the big rock, an icon really but also a place of great significance to the Aboriginal people, a very spiritual place but te national park has also other sites to see. It is said that the Aboriginal have inhabited this region for at least 50 000 years. The local Aboriginal the Anangu people are the traditional owners of Uluru, the park is jointly managed by them and the government. We reach our little cabin, nice, but a bit dated, a little wooden house in the campsite, we go for a drive around, try to find some food, it is funny and commercial, a town has been created around this rock, and just to service tourists, weird... We are planning to go for the sunset and tomorrow wake up early for the sunrise walk, around the rock, it is a long walk, around 10 kilometres. We decide to chill out until 6ish, when the sun is not so hot anymore... Fab naps, again, he is tired, I write on the terrace protected by my face net... I look weird but the flies are even worse than in the Canyon, they relentlessly attack you... We are both impatient to see the rock from close. Around 6.30, we go to the view point, a car park where we end up with few other people waiting for the sunset. The atmosphere is nice, we settle on the roof of our car, Fab chats with a guy from Singapore, I look at this monolith, impressive. Slowly the sun falls, the shadows evolve, distort themselves, the light changes. The rock turns red, ochre, it radiates, it's pretty spectacular. We are both touched by so much beauty... Funny to think it is just a big rock... but much more in fact... The night falls, the cars leave the car park, we stay there, chat to the ranger, and suddenly the moon rises over Uluru! There is nobody here, and we are amazed by the rise of the moon, it is full moon, we are lucky!! An incredible moment! After this brilliant eve, we go to bed early as we have to wake up at 5 am to see the sunset... It's going to be hard!!! The room is filled with insects and the camping toilets have information panels on venomous snakes, fun!
11/02
Hard to wake up, we rush to arrive before sunrise on Ayers Rock-Uluru, a race against time... We're vampires this morning, arriving before the sun! We stop along the road to see the sunrise: the rock is burning, it is different this time, red, intense, the desert landscapes become red, it is really magical and we suddenly forget how tired we are!! We then start the 'base walk', hiking around the rock, uber motivated!!! 10kms!! It is 7am and we are happy to be standing here, early and first on the scene!! The sky is deep blue, the sun begins to bake but a slight breeze spares us from heat and flies! We walk around, find the rock caves with Aboriginal rock paintings, see the sacred places closed to visitors, and observe the vegetation so close to this amazing monolith. It is beautiful and very quiet, we meet few people, it is still too early. The Park has been classified World Heritage by UNESCO in 1987 for two reasons: its biological and geological as well as its cultural significance. Uluru is bigger than it seems, masses of rock like waves, dunes appear at every turn, the forms are different, the colours too, the textures, shapes also... Very impressive! The beauty here is pure. The walk is a bit long, we stops few times, find the place where idiots climb the rock despite the fact that it is an offense to the aborigines, and such a lack of respect for cultures drives me mad!!! Uluru is very important to Aboriginal culture, it is a holy place, here as elsewhere, nature and culture interact, they are permanently connected. Because for these people, there was no difference between nature and culture, between past and present: everything comes from the Dreamtime, the time of the Dream and all returns to it. For the Anangu people, the Dreamtime is called Tjukurrpa. Katja Tjuta and Uluru were not places to live but places of passage and ceremonies. Anangu tribes were nomads who walked for miles in search of water and food. Their sacred law told them how to maintain the landscape and protect its resources. Unfortunately the tourists demand to climb is very high, the Anangu urge visitors not to succumb to this temptation. The access road to the summit is one of their sacred routes... After this beautiful walk, we visit the cultural centre which gives us an insight on those people, exterminated by the first European invaders. A culture closely linked to land and ancestors. Whole generations of Aborigines have been destroyed, with no culture and heritage. We understand better now the people we saw in Alice Springs, the legacy of a program of eradication... We browse the shops, owned by Aboriginal people, we talk about paintings and their meanings, do some shopping!
Then we drive to Mount Olga, Kata Tjuta, a group of rounded rocks, which are older than Uluru, in the same national park. We do a small walk but the heat is terrible and flies assail us... A picnic in the car and we hit the road to Alice Springs, 450 kms to do: thanks for the air con in the car!!! We want to arrive before 7pm to chill out tonight and rest before the flight to Melbourne tomorrow. Long drive on the dusty roads across the desert, we exchange about this experience. For me especially the Red Centre is the real Australia, the huge red sand dunes, stunning gorges, desert are fantastic. We both love the region very diverse and huge, very inspiring. The natural beauty of these places, their mythological footprint touched us, we hope to return one day to contemplate those places again. Arrived around 7pm, back in our little urban oasis in the desert, we find our motel room and go for a naughty Mac Donald tonight (bad!)... Time for bed!
We go to the airport very early and spend a long time waiting to get in our low cost flight to Alice Springs. Not as much space as previously, my back has been painful for the last few days and the big lady behind me keeps pushing her knees into my seat... pure joy! After 2 and a half hours of flight we land in Alice Springs, the capital city of the Northern Territory, change our watch, the time is different here as the country is so big... get our bags back and get the rented 4WD!! We have been upgraded for free and get a BIG Nissan Patrol!!! We are planning to do lots of tracks as we want to see few sites and leave the sealed roads. Very exciting!! After driving Pepe for a month, Fab is pleased of his new car! We drive to the cheap motel, very old and dated, quite dirty but again we get an upgrade and get a shower in our room. The motel is dirty really, old carpets, dated equipment but it was the cheapest in town and we know why!! We got for a walk in Alice to buy some food and see the town, despite the heat, it is around 39-40 and the sun is really killing us... We stop to buy a hat for Fab and get some fly nets to protect our faces as the flies are MAD and all over the place, hundred of them relentlessly attack us!!
The town of Alice Springs is the product of 19th century pioneers who opened up Australia’s interior. It is supposed to be a modern outback town, the base to explore the region. It is Sunday so everything but tourists shops are closed, we wander around the little streets but our impressions are not great... Many Aboriginal people are in the streets, begging or resting, looking very dirty and poor, a lot of them drunk... The shops seem to be owned by white people and the exploitation of the Aboriginal culture seems very strong... Maybe we are mistaken but it feels like the communities are very separate. We go back to the motel, have a late lunch then decide to drive to explore a bit. We go to the West MacDonnell Range, a mountain range stretching east to west for 400 kilometres around Alice, we drive to Standley Chasm, to see this narrow cleft in the Range. But have to pay to get in... It is owned by some indigenous communities and we will found out that all is about tourism here and making money... People have to find a way to make a living in this vast land... We don’t like having to pay to see some nature, but hey... We go for a little walk, the heat is bad and the flies are crazy, Fab is carrying a bag that is soon covered with flies, we are glad to have the little nets on our faces!!! It is beautiful, the rock formations are red, orange, very impressive with cathedral-height walls, creating a nice passage in the rocks. The colours are strong, ochre, fiery, with beautiful sun reflections. We drive again for a while on sealed and unsealed roads, the landscape around us is glorious, we go to the Ellery Creek Big Hole, a nice waterhole but don’t stop for long, we drive back to Alice and the sunset is amazing, the Ranges offer spectacular scenery with changing colours, the desert is really red and fiery, it is truly beautiful and feels peaceful. I connect a lot with that nature, it feels strong, harsh and intense. Inspiring, also for Fab who takes many pictures, we reflect on the significance of the land, on the Aboriginal culture, how the people are the custodians of the territory... We both want to find out about their culture but not sure how as everything seems to be touristy and not really authentic... I like the idea that they connect spiritually with their places, how it is feeding their arts... So different from what we have seen and the physical state of the people we saw today... We found out that the town has a massive problem with alcoholism and domestic violence, apparently mainly in the Aboriginal communities. It has now being declared a DRY TOWN! It is illegal to consume alcohol in public within the town boundaries except in bars or hotel... The take away purchases of alcohol is also restricted... All that to make the city safer... The heat is still on, it is now 8.30, it is probably 30 degres, we were hoping for a cool evening but that is not the case. A bit of food, we chat to a Spanish couple who came to Australia for a research project on penguins we tell them about NZ. We then get ready for tomorrow as the drive to Kings Canyon will be unsealed and we need to be ready for the big outback adventure... very exciting!!
9\02
We wake up early and manage to leave the hotel around 8.30, it is already 31 degres and very dry, we first drive to Hermannsburg to get our travel permit to drive onto Aboriginal lands. It is a small village, with an historical element, it used to be a Lutherian mission and one of the first ‘towns’ in the region, we see some missionary houses and get the permit to drive on the Meerenie Loop which winds west from Alice to Wattarka National Park (Kings Canyon). The morning is a real adventure, driving on unsealed roads, seeing rugged mountains, the desert is greener here, we are both surpised expecting it to be very dry. We will find out later tat there has been some rains, the flora is quick to develop and it is very green, arid type vegetation, with red sands. Challenging driving route but very fun! It takes us the all morning till 2pm, we stop few times to take pictures, to look at wild horses, we even see a wallaby or kangaroo, jumping around! We finally reach the resort were we are staying in the Park, it is the only facilities here, we get a small lodge in the campsite (a concrete small room with no bathroom) but there is a pool in here so we might use it... But it still to hot to do anything... We have a quick lunch then Fab naps and I write... We are here to do some walks and see Kings Canyon, in the George Hill Range. The National Park is supposed to be great with nice tracks, nature, rim walks and creek walk with nice views of the Canyon walls... We buy some juices at the resort shop and spend half an hour chatting with Simon, from Brisbane, he gives us some tips and advice on his region and where to see the sunset here... nice. Around 5ish we go for a walk around the Canyon, we do the easy walk on the canyon floor, he mountain range is beautiful and it is a really nice easy walk, we see many birds, many plants, trees with white trunk, admire the rock formations, we then decide to drive to a better spot to see the sunset over the Range. We spend an hour or so on the roof of our 4WD car, watching the sunset on this mountain, colours change, Fab takes many piccies trying to capture the gradual colour changes of the rocks, the moon is nearly full and looks striking, there is a nice breeze, it feels so nice, the serenity and peacefulness of the landscape really touch us. We both feel very happy, it is nature perfect... Back to our little lodge, for a quick meal of Chinese noodles and cheap soup, as we are waking up at 5am to walk to the rim of the Canyon and see the sunrise... Apparently it is a wonderful walk, quite rocky but worth doing... Bedtime, trying to avoid crossing dingoes (wild dogs running around the campsite!)...
10/02
Hard to wake up at 5am, I still manage to get a shower and a quick breakie, we drive to the Canyon at 5.45, it is dark but also bright as the moon is so full, we both feel sleepy but excited, few coaches and 4WD cars are already there... It is popular! The nice breeze keeps us cool and we won’t suffer from the heat until 9am, good!! It is probably ‘only’ 27 degres right now!! The beginning of the walk is not easy, a big rock climb to the rim of the canyon, many steps, I feel breathless and tired but keep going, Fab is taking millions of piccies already... The sun is slowly coming up, we reach the top and start walking along the rim, we are rewarded with marvellous views of the canyon and of the National Park. We are only 900 metres above sea level but it feels higher, the sheer red rocks start changing colours and being lit up by the sun, truly beautiful, there are many different levels, we walk around for 3 hours, seeing rocky formations, waterhole, the river bed, the garden of Eden, a little oasis with native plants dating back from prehoristorical times... Amazing... Nice to see the sunrise light up the canyons walls, it is magnificent. We slowly go down the hills, the walk is over, it is 9.30am And the sun starts to be really hot and we are baking on those red rocks... The sun starts to bake us... We can check out at 11am so decide to go to the pool to refresh ourselves, nice little dip, a shower then we jump in the car... Off to Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park... After 3 hours drive, under the sun, in the desert, we reach our destination, the Ayers Rock resort. Nice drive, but a bit monotonous, the desert is green, lush with many red rocks and sand, some valleys, plains, nice though, we stop at Curtin Springs, a working cattle station in the desert... And finally see the ROCK, Uluru, from far away, it is big but not that big, a huge monolith standing 348 metres high and red! The resort is the only place to stay in Ayers Rock, it is very commercial, 6 hotels, and a campsite, 23 kms from the Rock, we are here to see Uluru of course, probably the most famous natural landmark of Australia, the big rock, an icon really but also a place of great significance to the Aboriginal people, a very spiritual place but te national park has also other sites to see. It is said that the Aboriginal have inhabited this region for at least 50 000 years. The local Aboriginal the Anangu people are the traditional owners of Uluru, the park is jointly managed by them and the government. We reach our little cabin, nice, but a bit dated, a little wooden house in the campsite, we go for a drive around, try to find some food, it is funny and commercial, a town has been created around this rock, and just to service tourists, weird... We are planning to go for the sunset and tomorrow wake up early for the sunrise walk, around the rock, it is a long walk, around 10 kilometres. We decide to chill out until 6ish, when the sun is not so hot anymore... Fab naps, again, he is tired, I write on the terrace protected by my face net... I look weird but the flies are even worse than in the Canyon, they relentlessly attack you... We are both impatient to see the rock from close. Around 6.30, we go to the view point, a car park where we end up with few other people waiting for the sunset. The atmosphere is nice, we settle on the roof of our car, Fab chats with a guy from Singapore, I look at this monolith, impressive. Slowly the sun falls, the shadows evolve, distort themselves, the light changes. The rock turns red, ochre, it radiates, it's pretty spectacular. We are both touched by so much beauty... Funny to think it is just a big rock... but much more in fact... The night falls, the cars leave the car park, we stay there, chat to the ranger, and suddenly the moon rises over Uluru! There is nobody here, and we are amazed by the rise of the moon, it is full moon, we are lucky!! An incredible moment! After this brilliant eve, we go to bed early as we have to wake up at 5 am to see the sunset... It's going to be hard!!! The room is filled with insects and the camping toilets have information panels on venomous snakes, fun!
11/02
Hard to wake up, we rush to arrive before sunrise on Ayers Rock-Uluru, a race against time... We're vampires this morning, arriving before the sun! We stop along the road to see the sunrise: the rock is burning, it is different this time, red, intense, the desert landscapes become red, it is really magical and we suddenly forget how tired we are!! We then start the 'base walk', hiking around the rock, uber motivated!!! 10kms!! It is 7am and we are happy to be standing here, early and first on the scene!! The sky is deep blue, the sun begins to bake but a slight breeze spares us from heat and flies! We walk around, find the rock caves with Aboriginal rock paintings, see the sacred places closed to visitors, and observe the vegetation so close to this amazing monolith. It is beautiful and very quiet, we meet few people, it is still too early. The Park has been classified World Heritage by UNESCO in 1987 for two reasons: its biological and geological as well as its cultural significance. Uluru is bigger than it seems, masses of rock like waves, dunes appear at every turn, the forms are different, the colours too, the textures, shapes also... Very impressive! The beauty here is pure. The walk is a bit long, we stops few times, find the place where idiots climb the rock despite the fact that it is an offense to the aborigines, and such a lack of respect for cultures drives me mad!!! Uluru is very important to Aboriginal culture, it is a holy place, here as elsewhere, nature and culture interact, they are permanently connected. Because for these people, there was no difference between nature and culture, between past and present: everything comes from the Dreamtime, the time of the Dream and all returns to it. For the Anangu people, the Dreamtime is called Tjukurrpa. Katja Tjuta and Uluru were not places to live but places of passage and ceremonies. Anangu tribes were nomads who walked for miles in search of water and food. Their sacred law told them how to maintain the landscape and protect its resources. Unfortunately the tourists demand to climb is very high, the Anangu urge visitors not to succumb to this temptation. The access road to the summit is one of their sacred routes... After this beautiful walk, we visit the cultural centre which gives us an insight on those people, exterminated by the first European invaders. A culture closely linked to land and ancestors. Whole generations of Aborigines have been destroyed, with no culture and heritage. We understand better now the people we saw in Alice Springs, the legacy of a program of eradication... We browse the shops, owned by Aboriginal people, we talk about paintings and their meanings, do some shopping!
Then we drive to Mount Olga, Kata Tjuta, a group of rounded rocks, which are older than Uluru, in the same national park. We do a small walk but the heat is terrible and flies assail us... A picnic in the car and we hit the road to Alice Springs, 450 kms to do: thanks for the air con in the car!!! We want to arrive before 7pm to chill out tonight and rest before the flight to Melbourne tomorrow. Long drive on the dusty roads across the desert, we exchange about this experience. For me especially the Red Centre is the real Australia, the huge red sand dunes, stunning gorges, desert are fantastic. We both love the region very diverse and huge, very inspiring. The natural beauty of these places, their mythological footprint touched us, we hope to return one day to contemplate those places again. Arrived around 7pm, back in our little urban oasis in the desert, we find our motel room and go for a naughty Mac Donald tonight (bad!)... Time for bed!
1 comments:
Hello Hello
Quel voyage! Un "coucou" breton et bravo pour le blog (j'ai pas tout lu!) et les super photos. Je voyage avec vous!
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