Uluru

The past few days have been very busy.  Our last stops in the Red Centre near Alice Springs took us to Uluru (Ayers Rock) and the rock formations of Kata Tjuta, both located in the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park.

Uluru is a massive sandstone monolith that seems to be sitting in the middle of nowhere in a forbidding desert landscape.  It is thought to have begun forming 550 million years ago.

Owen, an elder of the Anangu Aboriginal people who are the spiritual caretakers of the park, was our guide at the sacred site of Uluru.  Owen showed us special locations around the rock where various ceremonies and tradional initiations have taken place for centuries. He also told us about the "dreaming stories" his people pass down describing the creation times.

 Uluru is especially dramatic during the color variations that take place on its surface during sunrise and sunset.   Our tour with Owen ended at sunset.  We have several serious photographers in our group of 17, so they especially enjoyed that time there.  A few of the group went for sunrise photos the next morning at 5:45 when it was 40 degrees----I wasn't one of them.