We toured Uluru at sunset and Kata Tjuta at sunrise. Pictures are at the bottom of this post.
We learned a lot by stopping first at the culture center for the Aṉangu (Anna-NU), the traditional “owners” (inhabitants). They looked after the land. They had practiced patch burning for years, knowing that fires are inevitable in such a landscape. When a fire would reach the previously burned patches, they would burn themselves out for lack of fuel. There was a big fire in Uluru in 1976 and after that the Aṉangu were invited back to manage the area. I thought, “With science, we have come far, but we have also strayed far.” My guide liked that phrase.
At Kata Tjuta, we walked the Valley of the Winds, though it wasn’t particularly windy that day. It was very hot and not an easy hike. Our guide, Mike/Mick/Michael, was wonderful, and the only other tour mates were Katja and her son Marcel from Germany—very nice, funny people. Michael, like us, had divested him himself of everything including a house (he lived in his caravan [an RV]) and said, “life has seemed so simple since that.”
Today, we kicked around Hobart, Tasmania, settling in and catching our breath. Tomorrow, we’re off to explore this beautiful island.
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