Day 34 Uluru

It was perfect weather today to visit Uluru.  It was an 18km drive to the base of the rock and as we approached it we were gob-smacked.  Uluru is awesome, heart stopping, emotive, selfish, attention grabbing, demanding, surreal, colourful and big.  Boy is it big.  It is very much weathered which of course provides wonderful rock effects and a feast for shutterbugs. The surface variation means there are sunlit and shadowed faces in varying degrees, which only add to the appeal of the rock.  Each time you move you get the sense of a completely different picture.  We visited several of the closer points of interest, mostly of aboriginal interest eg caves for young boys, men, women and children.  There were some rock paintings but they were weathered and somewhat worn.  We chose not to walk the 10.6km walk around the base of the rock, but worry not, we drove around it. The authorities positively discourage climbing the rock.  So far 35 people have lost their lives climbing the rock so that explains it.  Perhaps more importantly the aboriginal owners of the land treat the rock with great respect and are asking for a similar response from visitors.  Talking visitors, this place is a beehive of activity.  One hates to guess what it might be like in the high season, June through August.

100514 Uluru at 10.30am from the south west.
Beautiful rock, beautiful day.

100514 Guess who? "The Three Rocks".
Photo compliments of a passing tourist.
Note the facial adornment to frustrate the bush flies

100514 Track into Kentju Gorge

100514 Looking out of the "Mens" cave

100514 A north western face

100514 A more western face

100415 Entrance to one of only two water sources at the rock, 
Mutitjulu Waterhole

100514 Mutitjulu Waterhole

100514 The climbing route up the rock - now unused

100514 Uluru with cloud shadows on its surface - surreal