The Red Center

“It’s just a big rock in the middle of nowhere.” I heard that notion from a number of people who’d visited Uluru (Ayer’s Rock) before I came down to Australia. But, I arrived with an open mind only to find that those people weren’t too far off. Uluru is pretty much all by itself in the middle of the outback and just a little west and south of being the center of the country. Outside of one other rock formation, Kata Tjuta, 30 miles away, Uluru is the only aberration for hundreds of miles in the flat, desolate outback. But, it is a unique natural wonder that’s as formidable looking from a few miles away as it is a few feet away.

From Uluru (Ayer's...

A close up inspection is required to really appreciate Uluru. It’s really a small mountain that’s about 2.5 miles around with more of that distance being width versus depth. From a distance it looks a bit like a giant closed fist placed on the ground, but close up it reveals a more complex design with a surface that undulates vertically as well as horizontally. The standard postcard view hides a number of side canyons, eroded pock-marked caves and small water holes spaced around the landmass. The surface is unexpectedly smooth which Uluru owes to its composition from layers of sand compressed beneath the surface for millions of years until it was pushed above ground (about 80% of it remains below ground) to let thousands of years of rain and wind continue the shaping and polishing. In fact, you can sometimes see the lines delineating each layer as they run vertically (Uluru shifted on it’s side when pushed above ground) up the rock face. You can also see a few darkened streaks of rock marking where rainwater funnels down creases in the surface, on the rare occasions when it does rain, to form waterholes at the base. Some of those waterholes remain viable throughout the year providing needed hydration to the surprising number of thriving trees that hide in the side canyons near the water sources.

Uluru is also one of the most sacred spots on earth to Aborigines. As such, sections of Uluru are off limits to the public in terms of treading on or in them, but most are usually still viewable from a reasonable distance. Oddly, there is a climbing trail that leads up the mountain (seemingly difficult given the rocks smoothness eliminating natural areas for grip) which you can climb if you choose. But, just about every tour, signpost or piece of literature for Uluru pleads for visitors to respect Aboriginal wishes and not climb it. It would seem more cost-effective to save the cost spent on discouragement and forbid climbing altogether. At Uluru’s base, however, there are aboriginal paintings and carvings that you are encouraged to experience. I found one along the southern edge in a side canyon at a waterhole that’s considered an important site in Aboriginal lore. The rock paintings and carvings depict a regular pilgrimage to Uluru to pay tribute to a sacred serpent that lives in the waterhole and plays a role in the cycle of life and death.

But, I wasn’t up for such a pilgrimage, not one for tempting the cycle of life and death in the middle of a desert with the temperature hovering around 100F. So, I made a shorter journey back to my air conditioned shuttle bus which took me to the sunset viewing point where I’d be in prime position to observe Uluru light up in its classic red hues by the setting sun. Unfortunately, clouds rolled in and spoiled the party so the light show never materialized. Thus, I was left to enjoy Uluru in all its solemn brownness.

Unfortunately, once you’ve seen Uluru, there’s not much else to do. That can make life doubly tedious when you’ve chosen to camp out in one of the most inhospitable climates on the planet…in the middle of summer. The choice to camp out seemed reasonable enough from the cooler confines of Sydney, especially when I found that the cheapest room for hundreds of miles around Uluru was going for $150/night which was a long way from my budget parameters. Around 2pm each afternoon the temperature soared above 105F and my tent became a convection oven. Suddenly parting with $150/night seemed a much less difficult proposition. Luckily, my campground was part of a larger resort complex and I managed to find refuge in the nearby air-conditioned hotel lobbies, although I had to endure the questioning glare of front desk staff wondering who the big, sweaty guy was lounging on the lobby sofa and whether they should call security. Luckily, the temperature dropped about 20F at night making sleep reasonably tolerable. For a guy who hasn’t camped out in decades, I ended up managing just fine. If nothing else, I got a taste of life in the outback - one that will satiate any desire for a similar experience for some time to come.

Although it’s somewhat true that Uluru is a big rock in the middle of nowhere, I found my trip to Uluru worthwhile if for no other reason than to explore an interesting piece of geology and get a taste of the outback. But, one visit to the Red Center seems to be enough and I can now cross it off my ‘gotta see it’ list and focus my attention on getting to some of the other natural marvels elsewhere in the world.

ULURU PHOTOS: http://picasaweb.google.com/gscottie/UluruAyerSRock06