The Red Center is the name given to the central portion of Australia, most notably Alice Springs and Uluru (Ayers Rock). It is dominated by the glowing Red Ochre land set against a brilliant Blue Sky. If there is one iconic picture of Oz, it is The Rock. We had to go.
Upon returning from China, we had a few more days in Perth to regroup and prepare for the final 2 ½ weeks of our odyssey. I took it as a good omen that before visiting the Red Center I was able to visit with my redheaded Irish colleague Dr. Florry O’Connell. We worked together in Timaru, and he was passing through Perth visiting a former classmate Sarah.
We connected for dinner out at Scarborough Beach, and hope to meet again when he passes through California in August.
Even after over two months here, the vastness of the country/continent fools me. Alice Springs is the town closest to Uluru, and could be considered the Gateway to Ayers Rock. As it is a nearly five-hour drive, it is a bit like saying Sacramento is the Gateway to LA. We flew into Alice, spent the first and last night there and the middle two at Ayers Rock Resort, the small development nearest Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park.
Alice Springs is an interesting place, the most significant settlement in the whole interior of Australia. The great Outback is the place where the Aboriginal Peoples were best able to preserve some traditional ways and traditions. Their presence and influence is strong, not unlike being in Native American communities in the Southwest. The town was founded by “Europeans” (aborigines, being nomadic didn’t establish towns), and the town reflects these two faces. As a visitor, one is aware of your “otherness”. There clearly is a long, complex, and difficult history here that you can feel.
After a night in Alice, we rented a car and headed off to Uluru. There is also a “nearby” Kings Canyon National Park that I hoped to visit, but that adds another 3-4 hours to the 4 ½ hour trip. With short winter days, and prohibition against rental car night driving due to presence of abundant soon-to-be road-kill (‘roos, emus, wombats, dingoes, God knows what), that side trip proved not feasible.
We had expected intensely hot weather, and were surprised to find mid-winter temperatures dipping below freezing in the desert-like arid climate. Approaching Uluru was also interesting, as it is not the only large rocky outcropping from a flat landscape. One particular large mesa named Mount Conner has been called Australia’s “most photographed red herring” because it is often mistaken for Ayers Rock. From a Western and geological point of view, the Rock is most noteworthy for being the largest single stone on the planet. To the traditional owners of the land, Uluru has been a vital spot created by ancestral spirits, one of many throughout the landscape. It has been a key site for ceremonies and rites, but also has been a reliable source for the sustenance of life. The porous limestone rock traps precious and rare water, and feeds several permanent waterholes, which in turn attracts animals and plants.
We had expected intensely hot weather, and were surprised to find mid-winter temperatures dipping below freezing in the desert-like arid climate. Approaching Uluru was also interesting, as it is not the only large rocky outcropping from a flat landscape. One particular large mesa named Mount Conner has been called Australia’s “most photographed red herring” because it is often mistaken for Ayers Rock. From a Western and geological point of view, the Rock is most noteworthy for being the largest single stone on the planet. To the traditional owners of the land, Uluru has been a vital spot created by ancestral spirits, one of many throughout the landscape. It has been a key site for ceremonies and rites, but also has been a reliable source for the sustenance of life. The porous limestone rock traps precious and rare water, and feeds several permanent waterholes, which in turn attracts animals and plants.
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| Uluru Waterhole |
On viewing the Rock, I was not immediately awestruck. It is not as isolated or enormous as I expected. Having the opportunity to see it at different times of the day and from different angles, the more subtle majesty of it comes forth. It is much more textured than you might imagine. Most surfaces are covered with a shiny smooth glowing red patina, but there are also areas where the geometric internal workings are exposed.
Those reminded me of spherical bronze sculpture on the UC Berkeley campus with erosion exposing mechanical insides.
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| Rotante Dal Foro by Arnoldo Pomodoro at UCB |
There are also clefts, folds, and fallen-away parts. Each feature is associated with some supernatural Aboriginal Dreaming creation tale.
The second at sunset.
Walking around the base was a remarkable 2-hour gentle hike in the winter’s temperate weather (but probably an ordeal in the blazing summer heat.
Climbing the path to the top was really not an option for me. Although not illegal, and some visitors choose to climb, both the Aboriginal owners and the National Park strongly advise against it.
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| Barely visible ant-like climbers go up Ayers Rock (Center) |
They consider it disrespectful, and also make ecological and safety arguments against it. A guided walk with a ranger helped explain some of the traditions and features of the rock, including some ancient rock art.
About 35 km west in the park is a striking group of 36 domed red rocks, Kata Tjuta, AKA The Olgas.
These also have great significance to the traditional tribes and are striking, particularly at daybreak or sunset.
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| Sunrise in the Red Center |
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| Not Roadkill, a Roadside Attraction |
Alice Springs
This part of the country is one of the epicenters of the modern Aboriginal Art movement. There are really at least two distinct branches. In the 1930’s a local man Albert Namatjira began painting watercolor landscapes.
This part of the country is one of the epicenters of the modern Aboriginal Art movement. There are really at least two distinct branches. In the 1930’s a local man Albert Namatjira began painting watercolor landscapes.
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| Central Australian Landscape by A Namatjira |
He achieved great international fame and influenced a generation of Aboriginal watercolorists. He was the first full-blooded Aborigine to be granted full Australian citizenship in the 1950’s. Unfortunately, this brought him much stress and grief and led to an early death. The local Araluen Arts Center features many of the works of Albert and his School, and his grave is nearby.
The other branch of modern Aboriginal art began in the early 1970’s when several artists started to use some of the traditional designs and art motifs used in rock art, body painting, “ground painting”, and bark painting in canvas and acrylics. These are the types of images you see all over now, mostly “dot paintings” but also some cross-hatching style throughout the Aboriginal communities in the Northern Territories, but especially in the Red Center, and this is a great place for shopping
Worth a visit is the Alice Springs Desert Park, a showcase for native flora and fauna. There was an impressive array of birds in the aviaries
and a nocturnal house for endangered desert marsupials and reptiles.
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| Thorny Devil |
I should also mention I ate some very good exotic cuisine in the area including smoked kangaroo, emu steaks, crocodile stew, and camel sausages; all delicious, no kidding.
The Ghan
Speaking of camels, many were imported in the 19th century along with Afghani drivers to navigate across the arid land. That worked fairly well, but many animals escaped and are now feral. The North-South train Adelaide to Darwin is named the Ghan to honor this heritage.
(Note Alice Springs’ motto on the sign)
We boarded the Ghan for an overnight trip to Adelaide and were able to enjoy one last look at the Red Center through the windows of the club car.
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| Finke River |
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| Ghan Sunset |
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