MYSTERIOUS
ULURU – August- September 2012.
There’s nothing quite like the magic and romance of a train journey. So we chose the”
Ghan”, claimed to be among the great train journeys of the world....from Darwin
in the north, to Adelaide in the south, across the contrasting landscapes of
the Australian continent. A continent
known for kangaroos & koalas, wallabys & crocodiles, & its famed aborigines
. It was also the scenic route to the deep heart of the continent where lies the famous Ayers
Rock & its sister formation nearby, the Olgas. Finally we were on our way to solve what was
to us , the mysteries of Ayers Rock.
Here’s a strange bit of history before we go on.
Camels are not native to Australia. But in the mid 19th
century, hundreds & thousands of them plus labour from Afghanistan, were brought into Australia to mainly assist
in the transport of telegraph poles that
were much needed for communication in that era. Needless to say the camels were hardy in the deep dry heartland of Australia
as they could survive & perform well with very little water.
With the introduction of motorised transport in the 20th
century, the camels were freed & left to survive on their own. They
multiplied of course & today they number over a million in the wild,
becoming pests, & if not radically diminished, could destroy Australia’s
delicate desert ecosystem. As a result,
large scale culling is carried our each year by marksmen in helicopters !! Ironically, camel burgers are popularly sold through out Australia today!
Originally known as the Afghan Express, the name of our
train, the “Ghan” was inspired by these
pioneering Afghan camelleers who blazed a permanent trail into the deep heart
of the continent over 150 years ago.
We arrived in DARWIN with a couple of days to explore before our departure by
train. Its a modern city rebuilt after the last war, with convention centers
& excellent museums & art
galleries . The twice weekly Mindil Beach market attracts thousands of locals
& tourists alike. There is fresh international cuisine,& is alive with much activity - arts & crafts, musicians, artists &
street buskers. When its time, almost all of the thousands adjourn to the
beach, sit on the sand with their families & packed meals, & watch a
spectacular sunset.
The seas around Darwin host the infamous saltwater crocodiles. One can see
these giant reptiles in the crocodile farm,
or in a state of the art aquarium downtown where 6 of the largest crocodiles
in captivity are kept. For the brave
hearted, one can be lowered right into the aquarium in a transparent “cage of death” to view them up close! In
front of our hotel is the famous
esplanade which has war memorials dotted along it & which runs all the wau
to Doc Gully (or Aquascene). At high tide everyday, hundreds & thousands of
wild fish come here to be hand fed. Full of stories about the world wars, a
favourite historical attraction is the WW2 oil storage tunnels. These huge tunnels were hand dug to safely
hide & store oil tanks during the war. Today it is open to visitors &
features a photographic display of their brave men & women.
The train journey
from Darwin to ALICE
SPRINGS takes only 1 day & 1
night. Alice Springs is the gateway to Ayers Rock. We thought
it would be just down the road
from here, but it is actually another 450km away !! Although a very small town, Alice Springs
boasts of strong aboriginal culture. 50% of the population here are aborigines
& the town is full of shops & galleries displaying & selling
beautiful abo art & craft. It is
also the home of the famed Royal Flying Doctor Service & Museum - which,till today, continues to provide medical services to the
isolated areas in the outback. Noticeably, there is a large indian community
& most of our cab drivers were punjabi!
The day had arrived. We were on our way to AYERS ROCK OR ULURU, as it is proudly
known in the language of the aborigines. The Uluru(Ayers Rock) – Kata
Tjuta(Olgas) National Park is a World Heritage Site & one of the few dual listed sites for both its cultural &
natural values. Both these rock formations are the worlds largest clean skinned
monoliths that stand within 50 km of each other. They are the visible tips of
huge rock slabs that extend maybe upto 6
km underground & are believed to be connected underground . Being
harder than its surrounding land, weathering & erosion over millions of
years, wore out its surroundings, leaving these giants to stand out in the
desert. The iron minerals in them give them their striking redness. Uluru rises
to a height of 348 meters(1km) above the desert floor & has a girth of 9.4
kms.
Nearly half of the land in the
Northern Territories is owned by the Aboriginal people including this Park .
The Aborigines consists of many
tribes & call themselves the Anangu.
“We believe our land was created by our ancestors who left
marks in the land & made laws for us
to keep & live by. They upheld the laws & our culture strongly, &
they lived strongly & happily. Today we too live & work with the white
people, equally. But everything in the park runs according to our law”.
Uluru
The foundation of Anangu culture
has a complex meaning ; their religion,
customs & traditions remain deeply rooted in their community. Their stories & legends hold deep moral
significance. But they can only be related by senior members who have much knowledge of the land &
even the behaviour of the plants &
animals. They respond to different seasons through nature’s natural rhythms,
not through dates on a calendar. This knowledge comes with a cultural
responsibility & is handed down from grandparent to grandchild as a family
inheritance, or to a person who has a right to that knowledge.
Sacred sites to the Anangu can
also mean trees, hills rocks & springs.
Not all are easily recognised by
the non Anangu. Many sacred sites mark a
particular act of creation by ancestral beings in mythology. Others are ceremonial grounds.
Anangu custodians have responsibilities to protect & maintain these sites
by holding ceremonies or visit these places & sing theiir religious songs.
Their sacred sites are so powerful that violation of their sanctity can be
dangerous both to those who transgress the law & to the custodians
themselves. Some sites should not even
be identified to others or talked about.
Around the base of Uluru are
sensitive areas with rock details & features that tell a sacred scripture
& describe culturally important information. These areas are not allowed to
be photographed as they must be viewed
only in their original location. It is
inappropriate(in their culture) for images of such a site to be viewed
elsewhere.
For years, local & foreign
tourists have climbed Uluru as a challenge. Many have died during and after the
climb. The Anangu feel sad about this.
They say “Uluru is sacred. Respect it. Do not climb it. Instead, listen to the Anangu legends & understand
how each & every story that has been told & retold thru the
generations, has a significance. By choosing only to walk around it, you will be respecting
the wishes of the Anangu”.
Our rangers were passionate
about sharing their knowledge with us. In return they only asked that we take
responsibility to respect Anangu land & property.
No matter how many pictures I
had seen of Uluru, I was not prepared for my first glimpse of it. From a
distance across the rich coloured plains of the Park, its size & rich red colour overwhelmed me.
We saw it early in the morning when the first rays of the sun set Uluru alight, & witnessed a stunning sunset when the
evening sky brought out the many shades of colour for which Uluru is
famous. And when I stood at its base,
touched it & listened to their
stories, I truly understood why it is not only
a treasure to the Anangu, but one
of the wonders of the world.
Where it is allowed, I hugged it
& kissed Uluru goodbye & wished
the Anangu well. I wished that their rights would be respected & that
whatever was taken from them, would be returned to them. Most importantly I
signed a book which petitioned for a campaign titled ‘ I CHOSE NOT TO CLIMB
ULURU’.
We continued on our journey over
the red, irridecent oranges & burnt yellow plains of the Park to the sister monoliths of
Kata Tjuta (the Olgas). Kata Tjuta means ‘many heads’ in Anangu. This spectacular landform consists of 36 dome like monoliths,
the tallest being 200 meters higher than
Uluru. There are several walks to enjoy its beauty –among them the Valley of the Winds & the Wolpa
Gorge. These are steep, rocky & difficult walks. Here again we were kindly requested to stay
within the marked trails & to respect their sacred property.
 |
| Kata Tjuta |
I kept turning back to catch my
last glimpses of Uluru as we drove away
from the National Park . We had learnt much about the Aborigines. Incredibly they
are recognised as one of the oldest human societies on earth!
We continued our
train journey southwards on the Ghan . As we approached ADELAIDE,
the landscape dramatically changed from the dry desert browns of central Australia to the bright greens of cultivated farming around Adelaide . Known as
the wine & festival capital, Adelaide is a charming blend of historic
buildings, surrounded by parklands . The
old railway station has cleverly been converted into a characteristic Casino. A
short tram ride takes you to Glenelg, a beach suburb lined with lively shops,
cafes & restaurants; & where a boat ride could take you dolphin &
whale watching. The Adelaide Central Market has been a food hub for over 140
years. No matter how obscure a fruit, dessert, meat, or cheese( & much
more) you wish to find, chances are you
will , here. We had a gala time tasting
dips & cheeses, ice creams & nuts and more. There were musicians to
entertain while you had a drink or a meal. The atmosphere was just festive.
Our friends took us
to a charming German settlement outside the city called Handauf Village. Walking
around the little arts & craft shops & having a little lunch at a
roadside cafe was lovely way to spend a Sunday morning.
It was only because of kindly advice from some dear friends that we
chose to explore MT.GAMBIER. Called the ‘blue lake city’, it is set
amidst an ancient landscape of volcanic crater lakes, caves, sinkhholes, &
mysterious underground waterways . The water in the blue lake is so pure that it does not need filtering before it is
supplied to the residents. In the city center is a building called Main Corner
- a modern structure for visitors where there are art galleries & a film
show featuring how natural phenomenons
like the volcano created the foundation of Mt.Gambier millions of years
ago.
Nextdoor is a giant sinkhole that
was once a cave formed thru the dissolution of limestone. Its roof collapsed
creating a sunken garden, naturally terraced & beautifully illuminated for
a sound & light show every night. The Tantanoola caves, a little outside the
city, are a sight to behold. A wooden
door opens to a large cave chamber filled with the most breathtaking
formations. I would certainly recommend Mt Gambier to my friends as well.
An amazing coastline stretches all along South Australia
into Victoria. On a particular stretch called the Great Ocean Road, we gasped at the rugged splendour of the famous
12 apostles-magnificent rock stacks that rise up from the ocean floor.
Constant
erosion of the soft limestone cliffs
over millions of years formed caves in the cliffs. The caves eventually became arches , and when they collapsed, rock stacks up to 45
meters high were left isolated from the shore. Their shapes keep changing or they even collapse as the mighty Southern Ocean pounds on
them constantly.
Rock stacks
After a most scenic drive we arrived in MELBOURNE
, the capital of the smallest
state of Victoria, and the cultural hub of Australia. The city is alive with
cultural events & arts
festivals, ballet & opera. It is
also home to australia’s television & film industry, famous
museums & art galleries. Not forgetting the venue of world class
sporting events . The Crown Casino complex with its fine restaurants & high
end shops sits right by the banks of the
Yarra River . The state of Victoria also boasts of hundreds of vineyards and wineries.
A day driving out of the city,
tasting exquisite wines & fine cuisine for lunch is a great way to
enjoy the scenic countryside. We had a marvellous time exploring the city
& its surroundings with the several
friends we stayed with.
On to CANBERRA the
seat of Australian parliament. Most friends advised us that there really is not
much to do in Canberra. However the war memorial itself was spectacular,
& there were several art galleries
& museums to appreciate. A tour
inside the parliament house was also most interesting. The city is planned around a man made lake
& is most picturesque.
SYDNEY
was our final destination. Besides being a commercial center, it is also home
to the iconic Harbour Bridge & the
famous Opera House. A walking tour familiarises
one with downtown Sydney & its history. Darling Harbour is alive at night with food
& fireworks & entertainment for everybody. A ferry ride takes you under the Harbour
Bridge & to the famous Manly & Bondi beaches. Our friends kindly drove
us to the Blue Mountains west of Sydney, and then south of Sydney along some
its breathtaking coastline.
We hope you have enjoyed sharing our experiences. Until next
time, G’day Mates !
Shirin n Moiz
Kuala Lumpur.
