Uluru

In Australia’s Northern Territory, sets Uluru.

Was it a spaceship that set down on earth and now camouflages itself as red rock?

Uluru sets all alone on the wide plain. The air is hot and any wildlife is remaining too still to notice. Trudging through the sand in between the bits of scrub vegetation, it seems to get bigger as I get closer. A leisurely walk along the circumference, with stops to investigate and ponder, takes me four hours.

Uluru is also known as Ayers Rock.  “The sandstone formation stands 348 m (1,142 ft) high, rising 863 m (2,831 ft) above sea level with most of its bulk lying underground, and has a total perimeter of 9.4 km (5.8 mi).” —en.wikipedia.org

Uluru from a distance

I did not climb it. The signs said not to climb it. Yet people bragged about climbing it. Scientists estimate that Uluru has been around for five hundred million years.

“Uluru rises 348 metres [1,141 feet] above the surrounding plain. That’s higher than the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Chrysler Building in New York or the Eureka Tower in Melbourne.” —parksaustralia.gov/uluru/discover/highlights/amazing-facts/

Uluru eyes

Close up, Uluru looked more like it could have been a creature staying so still that it might be perceived as red rock. The Australian Aboriginals around Uluru are the Anangu people, and their Dreaming story (creation story) tells how ancestral spirits created Uluru’s caves and rock crevices.

Uluru close-up

It was quiet and solitary until dusk when jeeps of people pulled in. They toasted the sunset with champagne. I joined in. My mind was already reeling.

Uluru perspective (the true color as I recall)

“Traveler, there are no paths. Paths are made by walking.” – Australian Aboriginal Proverb

“Those who lose dreaming are lost.” – Australian Aboriginal Proverb

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