Kata Tjuta

Saturday 8th August 2009
The night wasn't quite as cold as I expected but still down to 5°C in the morning. We packed a picnic lunch and drove out to the Uluru Cultural Centre where the tourist information is located but unfortunately it was unattended (again) so we continued to Mala car park where tourists start their climb on the rock. Not that I had any intention of climbing it, but this morning the climb was closed due to forecast winds exceeding 25kt. The park board of management has put in a draft development plan to close the climb in a few years time but the traditional owners already ask tourists to respect their local laws and not to climb the rock. So far 35 deaths have been recorded from people attempting the climb.
We met up with the Rangers who conducted the Mala walk along the base of Uluru to Kantju Gorge.
Mala is the Rufous Hare Wallaby which plays a big part in Tjukurpa, the Dreaming (or creation story) of the local Anangu people. We went to many interesting places that had been used for many thousands of years to educate young people and prepare equipment and people for sacred ceremonies. There was a separate place for men and for woman to keep their activities and storys from each other - a bit like what happens today in white man's world!
We also learned a bit more about bush tucker and the use of the Bloodwood tree as an antiseptic.
After this very informative walk we went for a drive around Uluru and then continued onto Kata Tjuta (The Olgas) which is a 50km trip. We stopped at the Dune Viewing platform to admire this impressive formation of rounded rocks from a distance. Kata Tjuta rises over 500mt above its surrounds, whereas Uluru is only 350mt high.
We stopped at the Sunset Viewing car park to have our lunch before continuing onto The "Valley Of The Winds" where we walked to a lookout right in the middle of Kata Tjuta. It was great to walk right next to these rounded, but very steep, hills made of conglomerate rock. It's easy to see how the local Creation stories talk about these impressive natural features as something that has been left behind by the ancestors, who were large versions of local animals, on their travels throughout this land. It is also easy to see how some of these places are considered sacred and off limits to everyone but the oldest and wisest elders in a community.
Next on the agenda was the Walpa (Windy) Gorge walk which took us about 1.3km into a Gorge formerly known as Olga Gorge. I'm not too sure how high the near vertical walls were but they were towering hundreds of meters above us and some parts of this Gorge never see sunlight. There was even a little bit of water running near the end of the Gorge. We went all the way to the end of the Gorge and sat there for some time enjoying the view and the cool air. Walpa Gorge is certainly an impressive sight but there is a continuous stream of tourists flowing in and out. They come by the bus loads from all corners of the earth to see this fantastic place. Tourist numbers peaked in the year of the Sydney Olympics at 500,000 per year but are now back to under 400,000 per year.
On our way back to Yulara we stopped at the Sunset Viewing car park to get a few nice shots of Kata Tjuta in good light and then we were on our way.
Back at Yulara we filled up the car, went to the supermarket for some supplies and finally arrived back at the caravan just before 6pm. The kids have already fallen asleep after all the walking during the day and I won't be far behind them.