Map of the Great Barrier Reef

The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest coral reef system, composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for over 1,400 mi. \240It stretches over an area of approximately 133,000 square miles. \240The reef is located in the Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland, Australia is separated from the coast by a channel 100 miles wide in places and over 200 feet deep. The Great Barrier Reef can be seen from outer space and is the world's biggest single structure made by living organisms

Michealmas Cay

While it looks like we’re are in the middle of islands, only Michaelmas Cay is actually above water!

Ocean Spirit

We boarded the Ocean Spirit with a group of about 75 \240people for the 2 hour trip to Michaelmas Cay on the Great Barrier Reef.

Glass Bottom Boat

Once out of the reef, we enjoyed a glass bottom boat tour that gave us a tempting view of what we would experience when we snorkeled later in the day!

Relaxing in the Boat

The boat was air conditioned and we split our time outside and in! It was a ‘cool’ day for the season, but the sun shown hot and bright nevertheless!

Michaelmas Cay

Our snorkel spot was at Michaelmas Cay, a sandy prominence in a circle of shallow reef. The cay is a bird sanctuary and birds were everywhere. But we didn’t spend time on the island - we were off to the water!

Ocean Spirit Crew

The crew provided a safe passage and great service. We were offered tea, coffee and muffins for breakfast and a full lunch that was surprisingly delicious. They provided us wetsuits and snorkel gear and were full of interesting facts about the reef.

Kuranda Scrnic Railway

Constructed in 1891, the train line runs from Cairns, Queensland, over the Great Dividing Range to the town of Kuranda on the Atherton Tableland. Along the way, the route passes through the Macalister Range.

The construction of this 33 km narrow gauge railway was prompted by the gold rush of 1973. \240

Stoney Falls Bridge

There are 15 hand carved tunnels, 55 bridges and 98 curves along the track, but this one has the best of all of them in one shot!!

Carriage Car

The carriage cars date back to the early 1900s. Each car is made from Silky Oak timber, but today more sustainable woods are used in their upkeep. The ride was hot and humid in the unair-conditioned cars filled within the smell of diesel. But the scenario was beautiful!

Jill & Dana at Barron Falls Station

Barron Falls

The Start of Barton Falls

The Skyrail

We made our way back down the mountain by way of a cable car - one of the longest in the world, that carried us just above the treetops of the rainforest.

Duck Boat

Rainforest station has the largest collection of dock boats in AU. One of the most originally conceived vehicles in military history, the Army DUKW (Duck) was produced as a solution to a problem encountered in the early days of the Pacific conflict – time and again American supply vessels found themselves standing off shore from beleaguered forces with no way of landing vital supplies. In response, two men, Palmer Cosslet Putham and Rod Stephens, envisaged an amphibious vehicle capable of ferrying men and cargo from ship to beach. The Army Duck was to become the product of their innovation. 535 were acquired by the Australian forces.

Duck Boat Guide

Our guide took us on a trek in an original \240amphibious duck boat to show us some of the flora of the rain forest. We saw spiders and lots of nasty plants including the ‘Wait-a-While’ trees that have shoots with thorny hooks that grab clothes and animal fur. But the real purpose of the hooks are to grab onto other trees to help the plant grow to the top of the rainforest. We also saw the ‘Stinging Tree’ Contact with the leaves or twigs causes the hollow silica-tipped hairs to penetrate the skin, causing a severe stinging or sharp tingling sensation which can last for days or even months. Pain may also be referred to other areas of the body. The injured area becomes covered with small red spots joining together to form a red, swollen mass. The affected area can remain intermittently sensitive for a long period of time. It may be possible to remove the hairs by applying sticking plaster and pulling it off, or using a warm depilatory wax. Needless to say we kept our hands inside the duck boat!

Yellow Bird of Paradise

Ginger Blossoms

Aboriginal Boomerang Demonstration

There are right handed and left handed boomerangs and boomerangs that return to the thrower (which were these) and others that are used for hunting and clubbing.

Didgeridoo Demonstration

Aboriginal Dance

Cassowary Bird

This bird is endemic to the rain forest of Australia.common, The cassowary, a flightless bird, is the third-tallest and second-heaviest living bird, smaller only than the ostrich and emu. Cassowaries feed mainly on fruit, although all species are truly omnivorous and take a range of other plant foods, including shoots and grass seeds, in addition to fungi, invertebrates, and small vertebrates. Cassowaries are very wary of humans, but if provoked, they are capable of inflicting serious, even fatal, injuries to both dogs and people. The cassowary has often been labeled "the world's most dangerous bird" - but they are quite beautiful!

Eastern Grey Kangaroo

Kangaroos are common marsupials (animals that raise their young in a pouch) in Australia. They are indigenous to Australia and New Guinea. There are more than 42 million of them in Australia. There are 4 species: the largest is the red kangaroo, followed in size by the \240eastern grey kangaroo(also the most common), the western grey kangaroo and the antilopine kangaroo.

Koala

The koala is a marsupial that primarily lives in Eucalyptus trees. The leaves make up the majority of their diet. Koalas are largely sedentary and sleep up to 20 hours a day.

Steve Irwin was born into wildlife, growing up on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, helping his parents at the ‘Beerwah Reptile Park’. Established in 1970, this two-acre wildlife park was home to native wildlife such as lace monitors, tiger snakes, freshwater crocodiles, magpie geese and kangaroos. Many of the kangaroos were cared for in homemade pouches by Steve’s mum, Lyn. She was an extraordinary wildlife rehabilitator and was quite skilled in nursing injured and orphaned animals, rehabilitating them before returning them to the wild.

Lunchtime for Casper the Crocodile

By the 1980s, the wildlife park had expanded to four acres, had two full-time staff and was re-branded as the ‘Queensland Reptile and Fauna Park’. At this stage, Steve was enlisted by the Queensland Government to help with crocodiles, by volunteering for the East-Coast Crocodile Management Program and captured well over 100 crocodiles, which were either relocated or housed within the family’s park. It was during this same time that the Queensland Reptile and Fauna Park became the home of a beautiful Galapagos tortoise, named Harriet. She became an iconic member of the park, much loved by staff and guests. Harriet lived out the last two decades of her life with the Irwin family before she passed away in June 2006. In 1991, Steve took over the management of the small wildlife park and, not long after, he met Terri Raines, from Eugene, Oregon, when she visited the park. Steve’s passion for reptiles was matched by Terri’s love for predatory mammals. \240The two were very much kindred spirits and they married in 1992.

Red Kangaroo and Joey

Instead of a honeymoon, the couple took the chance to embark on a crocodile rescue mission, filming this experience. This became the first episode of The Crocodile Hunter documentary series.As the popularity of The Crocodile Hunter grew, Steve and Terri changed the name of their now growing wildlife park to ‘Australia Zoo’. Their mission was to make this zoo the very best in Australia, if not the world! Extensive efforts were made to create habitats, so that all zoo animals could be exhibited in natural environments.

Dana with a Woma Python

Australia is home to over 190 species of snake, 25 of which are toxic to humans and 20 of those are among the most venomous in the world. Snakes can be found all over Australia. We got to see some of the largest and most toxic at the zoo. But only the small Woma Python was available to hold!

Koala Petting

Koalas are a big hit at the zoo! Koalas typically inhabit open Eucalyptus woodland, as the leaves of these trees make up most of their diet. This eucalypt diet has low nutritional and caloric content and contains toxins that deter most other mammals from feeding on it.

Koala’s Wooly Fur

Along with the kangaroo, the sedentary Koalas are a symbol of Australia \240Their fur feels more like sheep’s wool than fur. They are asocial animals, and bonding exists only between mothers and dependent offspring.

Kaolaland

Sleepy Koala

Being marsupials, koalas give birth to underdeveloped young that crawl into their mothers' pouches, where they stay for the first six to seven months of their lives. These young koalas, known as joeys, are fully weaned around a year old. But mostly, they just nap!

Emu

We saw many native birds, including Caasowaries, which are endemic to Australia and endangered due to habitat loss. This emu is similar to the Cassowary, but the Cassowary has a more vividly blue head with a tufted crest.

Sulfur Crested Cockatoo

Cockatoos live more than 80 years and this 60yo one lived at several homes before making its home at the zoo. It is well trained and dances and talks!

Meerkats

Red Panda

Tasmanian Devil

Dave Petting an Eastern Grey Kangaroo

White Rhinoceros

Miami Beach

Not quite as busy as Miami Beach in Florida! But quite pretty in an untamed way.

We had an impromptu concert at our camp ground. One of the jazz trio was staying there and what was supposed to be a practice session became a nice outdoor concert!

Channeling Billy Joel

Koala Kuddles

We had a chance to get up close and personal with a lot of animals, but the koala were the cutest!

The Sanctuary was established in 1947 by beekeeper and gardener, Alex Griffiths, who was plagued by hundreds of wild lorikeets warring his prized blooms. Griffiths redirected their attention by providing regular feedings of honey-soaked bread each day. These feedings quickly became popular with locals and tourists alike Ana the Currumbin Bird Sanctuary was born. And we did too!

Dana and the Lorikeets

Long sleeves we’re a must! Those claws were sharp! But how beautiful these lorikeets are! And as soon as the sugar water was gone they would be pig to the merry pie plate. \240Fortunately the keepers kept filling the plates

And they kept coming!

Tom and his Lorikeets

Tom was taking pictures and didn’t have a sugar water plate, \240but two lorikeets hopped on his head for a rest!

Slo-mo Feeding Frenzy

Now the Sanctuary has grown to more than 27 hectares with over 140 different animal and bird species, live shows daily, a rainforest to stroll through and a high rope course. You can tour it all on Segways, too!

Australian Pelican

A flock of wild pelicans with impeccable timing arrived precisely at 10am to be fed.

They were very photogenic, and quite limber!

Australian Pelican Stretching It’s Pouch

\240 \240 \240 \240 \240 \240 \240 Feeding Pelicans and Eels

The lake was brimming with eels, which also had impeccable timing. With a few stomps of the feeders feet, the eels jumped out of the water for a choice morsel.

Australian Wedgetail Eagle

The free flight Bird show was great - but most of the birds flew so fast I couldn’t get any good pics. Fortunately, the Eagle came to pose after the show

Tasmania Devil

The size of a small dog, the Tasmanian devil is the largest carnivorous marsupial. In the wild they suffer from a cancer that causes facial tumors that impair their ability to eat. The cancer spreads through bites inflicted during mating.The Tasmanian devil's large head and neck allow it to generate among the strongest bites per unit body mass of any extant predatory land mammal. It hunts prey and scavenges on carrion.

Wallabee

A Wallabee is a macropod (uses 4 feet and tail to move) matsupial (raises young in a pouch) that is \240smaller than a kangaroo. These prolific animals are indigenous to Australia and New Quinea and have been introduced to Tasmania, New Zealand, and Hawaii

Tree Kangaroo

Tree kangaroos are marsupials who raise their young in a pouch on their belly while living most of their lives in the tree. Found in New Quinea abcs the far north of Australia. There are endangered dot to habitat loss.

Goodfrllow’s Tree Kangaroo

Tree-kangaroos have several adaptations to an arboreal life-style. Compared to terrestrial kangaroos, tree-kangaroos have longer and broader hind feet with longer, curved nails. They also have a sponge-like grip on their paws and soles of their feet. Tree-kangaroos have a much larger and pendulous tail than terrestrial kangaroos, giving them enhanced balance while

Red Panda

The red panda is native to China and the Himalayas. It is not related to the panda- which is a bear and while it looks similar to the tree kangaroo, modern genetic evidence places it in close affinity with raccoons, weasels, and skunks.

Capybara

Capybaras ate the largest rodent species in the world and is found in South America. It’s close relatives include guinea pigs and rock cavies, and it is more distantly related to the agouti, the chinchilla, and the nutria. The capybara inhabits savannas and dense forests, and lives near bodies of water. It is a highly social species. Females weigh more than males and can top 150 lbs.

Gate Crasher

These local lizards have been found all over Australia. But this one posted so well, that we had to include him in the blog!

Aboriginal Dancers

Complete with didgeridoo player and boomerangs to keep the beat. We were treated to several common dances used throughout the life of the first people.

Finglass Lighthouse Coast

We made our way along the East coast of Australia, slowly making our way down to Sydney.

Finglass Lighthouse

This gum wasn’t in our guide book and very few people were there. The beaches on each side were wide and bare and the waves rolled in with aggression.

The few trees that struggled to find a foothold on the volcanic soll leaned away from the wind

Surfers

But there were plenty of surfers in the roiling waters and some caught long rides into the beach!

3 Blue Ducks Farm

We stopped at a self sustainable farm restaurant for lunch. It was a beautiful, peaceful place Anna they really did grow all their ingredients. Indeed, we set among the spices and orchards and watched the chickens and cows wander in the pasture.

The Baylatto

We finished lunch with an ice cream from the dairy barn.

Byron Bay Lighthouse

We visited the Byton Bay Lighthouse which sits on the very eastern part of the Australian continent. Sadly, everyone else in the region was there abcs we could find a place to park our RV. So we drove slowly and grabbed a few pics.

The Gold Coast

And then we continued down this spectacular coast!

The jail (gaol) was constructed in 1877 as a public works project with its prisoners charged with constructing a breakwater to make Trial Bay a safer refuge for ships.

It was a progressive prison that placed prisoners in single cells (to reduce overcrowding) and allowed prisoners (or licensees) to work a 36.5 hour work week and pursue pastimes such as fishing, boating, and playing sports. They were allowed to grow beards and did not half to wear the prison uniform.

The prisoners learned trades such as masonry, baking and cooking that could be used when their sentence was completed.

Ultimately, the breakwater was a failure, only reaching 20% of its intended length before being destroyed in a storm. In 1903, the prison was closed. But it came to life again during WW1 when it was used as an internment camp for Germans who lived in Australia at the time. Conditions were better for the interned than it had been for the prisoners. They amused themselves by p playing tennis, fishing, putting on over 60 plays, and forming a band that often marched around prison area. In 1918 the camp was closed for good.

Today, the shell of the old goal is inhabited by wild kangaroo.

This momma has her Joey along for the ride!

The Blue Mountains

The Blue Mountains are known for dramatic scenery. The area encompasses steep cliffs, eucalyptus forests, waterfalls and villages dotted with guesthouses, galleries and gardens.

The Rain Forest

Nestled between the ridges of the mountains are miles of rain forest. Trees are covered in vines and ferns all trying to crawl their way to the sunlight hundreds of feet above.

Lightening Damage

Lightening is thought to have split the trunk of this tree. It was a massive tree!

Cliffs Along the Trail

The board walk through the forest at Scenic World provided lookout points and a nice change in elevation along the way.

Original Train to the Valley

The Scenic World trails wander past an old coal mine. The coal was carried to the top along this track. Once the coal gave our, the cars were replaced to offer people to chance to experience the drop.

Today the track is known as the steepest in the world and it was quite the thrilling ride! Accompanied by the theme from Raiders of the Lost Ark, we dropped quickly at a 45 degree angle between a natural cleft of the rock face and came to rest softly at the bottom!

Glass Bottom Cable Car

Another interesting ride we explored is this cable car. Suspended 600 or so feet above the forest floor, this short cable car ride has a surprising glass bottom to enhance the viewing experience. Upon entry into the car, the glass is fogged to prevent transparency. But once underway, the fog cleared and we were standing on a clear view to the tree tops before.

The Blue Mountains get their name from the natural blue haze created by its vast eucalyptus forests. Tiny droplets of oil released from the trees mix with water vapour and sunlight to produce the distinctive colour.

Three Sisters

These beautiful young ladies had fallen in love with three brothers from the Nepean tribe, yet tribal law forbade them to marry. The brothers were not happy to accept this law and so decided to use force to capture the three sisters causing a major tribal battle.

Three Sisters

As the lives of the three sisters were seriously in danger, a witchdoctor from the Katoomba tribe took it upon himself to turn the three sisters into stone to protect them from any harm. While he had intended to reverse the spell when the battle was over, the witchdoctor himself was killed. As only he could reverse the spell to return the ladies to their former beauty, the sisters remain in their magnificent rock formation as a reminder of this battle for generations.

There are many waterfalls in this part of the forest!

And cliffs and mountain meadows are at every view!

Wentworth Falls

Anzac Day is a solemn day of remembrance of those Australian and New Zealand Army Corps soldiers who have fought and died for their country, and is marked annually on the anniversary of the Gallipoli campaign of the First World War - August 25th. This is celebrated all over Australia and New Zealand and is a major national holiday!

Korean War Veterans

We happened to be in Sydney on Anzac Day and watched a particularly moving parade. There were a number of veterans who marched the parade and for those veterans who have passed, their families marched wearing their medals and holding a picture of the veteran. Locals and tourists alike applauded the veterans and military display with great respect!

Between the veteran groups there were lots of bands - many of them playing pipes and drums in full Scotyish regalia!

Some of the pipe and drum corps were young (from high schools around Australia) and many were adults of all ages representing the various military organizations and support groups. The Australian Salvation Army band was there too!

Canine Unit

Veteran canines were also honored!

This one matched with his handler, wearing his tour-of-duty medals.

The parade was, for the bands, like marching in the Macys Thanksgiving Day parade. There may have been a competition as well, but we couldn’t really tell. The bands certainly played like it!!

Todd River

This river rarely has water in it - but they have an annual regatta - Fred Flintstone style! The boats aren’t water tight - they don’t even have a bottom. The guys just step in, pick up the boat around their waist, and run as fast as they can!

The Royal Flying Doctor Service

Before there was the Flying Doctor there was little medical help for Australiams who live in the Outback. \240If they were seriously injured they had to travel hundreds of miles by horse, cart, or camel to reach a doctor. They often died before they got there.

John Flynn & Medical Plane

Reverend John Flynn created the Flying Doctor Service based on the idea of a airman who later died in the service of WWI. Rev Flynn worked tirelessly to raise the awareness and capital to start the program.

Pedal Generator

But the Flying Doctor Service lacked the communication technology to deliver services efficiently. Alfred Traeger helped to hurdle this barrier with the invention of a pedaThe Flying Doctor Service lacked the communication technology to deliver services efficiently. Alfred Traeger helped to hurdle this barrier with the invention of a pedal-operated generator to power a radio receiver. By 1929 people living in isolation were able to call on the Flying Doctor to assist them in an emergency.l-operated generator to power a radio receiver.

Medical Chest

Across Western Australian there are approximately 510 medical chests held at remote locations such as, homesteads, pastoral stations, roadhouses, police stations, national parks, Indigenous communities, outback schools, mine sites and off-shore vessels. Medical chests are lockable steel containers containing a wide range of medicines, which enable emergency and non-emergency treatment for people living and working in extreme isolation from professional medical care. A person needing medical help can receive advice from an RFDS doctor via telephone who then is able to prescribe appropriate medication from the on-site chest. 

Alice Springs School of the Air

Adelaide Miethke realized that the pedal generator used by the Flying Doctors could be used to educate children living in remote conditions and lacking social quality education and social contacts. So in 1951, the School of the Air was started and it still continues today and educates around 120 \240children of the Outback from age 4 to 14 each year.

One of the broadcasting systems used by the School of the Air.

Classroom

Today, education takes place using computers and webcams and is very interactive. We got to watch a portion of a preschool class.

Alice Springs Telegraph Station

The Alice Springs Telegraph Station marks the original site of the first European settlement in Alice Springs. It was stablished in 1871 to relay messages between Darwin and Adelaide along Australia’s Overland Telegraph Line. This connected Australia’s population which was mainly in the south, with the north of the country, and I t also connected Australia with the undersea telegraph network of the British Empire.  Prior to 1872, a message back to England would travel by boat and take 3 to 4 months each way.  However, after the telegraph line was built, morse code messages travelling through Alice Springs could reach London in as little as 5 hours – slow by today’s standards, but revolutionary for people of the 19th century!

The Telegraph/Postal Station

This group of buildings was the business center of town. People needing to communicate with the rest of Australia, or needing medical care, or just needing assistance would camp in the front yard.

Jill Posting A Card

The station later became the first post office in the Northern Territory. Jill took advantage of the post to send a postcard to her father back in the states.

Anzac Day Memorial - Alice Springs

We arrived in Alice Springs the day after Anzac Day and the Memorial, located at the top of the only hill, \240was covered in wreaths!

It also afforded a view of the entire town of Alice Springs- which is pretty small for largest town between Adelaide and Darwin.

Ringed Parrot

Earth Sanctuary World Nature Center

Earth Sanctuary is a carbon neutral educational site about 15 minutes outside of Alice Springs. We traveled out there for a traditional ‘bush’ dinner, education about the Aboriginal people who inhabited Australia 50,000 years ago, and start gazing in the black night of the desert.

Cindy Making Damper

Our guide Huss, told us \240many stories of the Aboriginal people ands the inequity of the way they were treated by Europeans when they arrived here in the mid-1800s. He explained the way they lived and their laws and the stories that explain their creation. He also had Cindy of our group make damper(a type of bush bread) while he talked. (It was really delicious, too!)

Tom and Dana

The sky was too pretty not to use it as a photo frame!

Artilla

Mount Conner, also known as Artilla or Atila, or tongue-in-cheek as Fooluru, is a mountain located in the southwest corner of the Northern Territory of Australia. It is the first raised surface visible from the road down from Alice Springs and is often thought to be Uluru ( hence the name Uluru).

Artilla

The mountain is not easily accessible as it on private land, Curtain Springs Station, and access is restricted due to the ongoing operations of their cattle business. But It it’s thought by the aboriginals to emote evil spirits as there is no fresh water close by.

Amadeus Salt Lake

There are many salt lakes in the desert .Lake Amadeus is located in the Amadeus basin, across the road from Artilla. It is a site filled with the erosion material of the Petermann Orogeny, which is a geological event that lifted and folded the earth’s crust over 500 million years ago and which formed Uluru and Kata Tjula. Local Anangu people, Tjukurpa, or Tjukuritja,(their stories and laws) tells how Pantu (Lake Amadeus) was created by wanampi (water snake), who dug out the ground with a stick to form the lake and drew concentric circles in the land.

Leaves and Clouds

There are myriad of vegetation in the desert, especially with the rains that soak this area a few weeks ago.

Uluru at Sunset

Uluru is the indigenous aboriginal people’s name for Ayers Rock it is a massive sandstone monolith in the heart of the Northern Territory’s arid "Red Centre". The nearest large town is Alice Springs, 280 miles north. Uluru Is the 2nd largest monolith in the world. \240The monolith is oval in shape, measuring 2.2 miles long by 1.5 miles wide, with a circumference of 5.8 miles and rises magnificently and singularly out of the desert floor.

Uluru at Sunrise

For the Anangu people, the aboriginal people who called this part of Australia home, Uluru is sacred and inseparable from Tjukurpa, or traditional law. The actions of the creation ancestors are still visible around the rock, and their stories are passed on from generation to generation, just as they have been for thousands of years. Anangu high priests climb Uluru for religious ceremonies, but the cling is neither easy nor safe. The public is no longer allowed to climb.

The Climb Track

On the right side of this pic you can just see the trail to climb to the top of Uluru. In the 1970s there were rods implanted in the rock that held a chain to assist climbers and thousands of nikes have worn down the track. But over 40 people have died attempting to summit Uluru (or return back down) so in the past 10 years public climbing is no longer allowed and the rods and chain have been removed. We think just the slope is enough of a deterrent. It would be a harrowing climb for anyone!

Tom and Dana at Uluru

We arose at 5am to witness the sunrise dance across Uluru and watched as the colors changed from gray to purple to orange to red!

Uluru at Sunset

And then we went back for sunset to watch the colors change in reverse!

Tom and Dana at Sunset - Uluru

Jill and Dave at Sunset - Uluru

We were quite literally blown away by this sunset view of Uluru! It was a bit windy but the view was spectacular! And it was followed by a dinner in the desert in the shadow of Uluru - complete with didgeridoo!

Didgeridoo

This guy serenaded us as we strolled to our dinner in the desert ‘The Sounds of Silence’.

Walking to Uluru

We saw many facets of Uluru, but the most fascinating part of our experience was our walk into a cleft at the base of the huge monolith.

Base of Uluru

This ancient monolith is home to rare plants and animals, important spiritual sites and caves painted with remarkable rock art.

Trees at Uluru

The trees surrounding Uluru are bigger and more abundant than anywhere else in the desert. The water that runs off Uluru when it rains drains into the surrounding rock and sand allowing green plants and larger trees to survive. \240

Aboriginal Men’s Cave Paintings- Uluru

Uluru’s rock art sites have many layers of pictures, symbols and figures painted on top of each other. This is because the same sites have been used in Anangu education for tens of thousands of years.

The rock surfaces are like a classroom blackboard that a teacher has used to illustrate a lesson, and only those who attend the class can fully decipher the notes left behind.

Aboriginal Cave Painting - Uluru

Anangu rarely create new rock art now. However, they still use the old rock art and sand drawings (along with paintings on canvas) to teach creation stories and ensure the continuation of knowledge.

Watering Hole Uluru

At the end of our walk we came to a clear pool of water. This watering hole is almost always present, an oasis in the desert! \240It is formed from rain runoff from Uluru.

Mirror Waterfall

Black Lichen forms where Waterfalls Rushed

Since it had recently rained in the area, there were many black lines that depicted the place where waterfalls had rushed down the monolith. Since they remain damp, a lichen forms in the former track which creates the black patterns that streak the faces of Uluru.

Tom, Dana and Dave

Chris

Our guide and driver. Chris, gave us insight into the history and spirituality of the Aboriginal people in the Northern Territory.

Kata Tjula at Sunset

From our viewing platform of Uluru we could see the domes of Kaya Tjula, 25 miles away in the haze.

The 36 Domes of Kata Tjula

Kata Tjuta (called Mount Olga by the Europeans) meaning 'many heads' in his aboriginal name, is a sacred place relating to knowledge that is considered very powerful and dangerous, only suitable for initiated men. It is made up of a group of 36 conglomerate rock domes that date back 500 million years.

Dave, Jill, Dana at Tom at the End

There are several places to climb into the the domes, but most are off limits door to its cultural significance. We did get to climb into one canyon however - the canyon was called the origin of wind - and it felt like all the wind off the desert came through it! It was about a mile in and back out over uneven footing with a slight climb, fighting the wind all the way! But the experience was worth it!

The Explorers Who Made It

Here is our group that made it to the end of the cleft climb!

A Creek Runs Through It

Because of the recent rain, we found a small creek running along the cleft between the rocks.

Looking Back the Way We Came

The walls are so tall they block the sun and our entrance!

Red Slopes

The walls of Kaya Tjula and Uluru are sandstone and would be gray when first \240formed. But after millenniums of exposure to air, the iron mineral in the round has roasted to a brilliant red!

Tom and Dana

Tom and Dana on Curly the Camel

Camels were introduced into Australia in 1840 for their obvious benefit of being drought and heat tolerant. They were used in harness to pull wagons and in camel trains to transport materials. When no longer needed, they were turned loose and with no natural predators, today Australia had the largest population of wild camels in the world.

Curly and Cargo

Camels are mostly used for the tourism industry today and we had a surprisingly comfortable and informative ride!

The camels used are all castrated males connected to each other by a neck rope and a piercing through the nose. (I guess using female camels causes too many problems!) \240Camels, like cows, chew a cud, and therefore you can’t use a bit in their mouths due to risk of asphyxiation. So control and guidance is gained by piercing a nostril and attaching a thin line to the saddle of the camel in front ( or for the front camel) having the rider pull the nostril left or right like reins. Castration is necessary because make camels go into ’heat’ as well as females and will fight to the death over a female. Castration and nose piercing are the norm for a good tourist operation!

All of the camels were caught from the wild and were easily domesticated. They are well-fed and watered and are happy to stay. In fact, they can smell wild camels from about 5 miles away and tend to get quite concerned Anna want to head back to the corral. \240Fortunately, we didn’t encounter any wild creatures on our ride. But the hundreds of thousands of wild camels are quite a problem in the Outback as they trample fences, and compete with cattle and sheep for food.

Camels Resting

When we arrived, the camels were laying placidly on the sand awaiting our not-to-graceful mounting attempt.

Curly the Camel

Getting Jed the Camel to Stand Up

Camels don’t spit, but they will do projectile vomiting when pushed to do something against their will. Jed is an expert vomited and he was complaining heartily when his handler asked him to stand. (The handler stayed well out of range, just in case)!

Cindy and Pete on Rocky

Rocky is the tallest camel in Australia - so it was fitting that Pete and Cindy - the tallest couple on our tour - were placed upon him. Together, they were an imposing sight!

Waiting for the Next Tour

Camels from the last group were taking a break! But it’s mostly for show. Healthy camels can go months without any food or water, so they weren’t really ready for a rest. When they do drink, they can swallow a gallon per minute up to 20 gallons at a time!

And We’re Off!

Our camel train headed off for our 45 minute trek through the desert. Our pace was slow but that turned out to be a good thing!

Rocking Along

Camels walk by moving both legs on one side of their body at the same time. The result is a comfortable rocking motion.

Camel handlers walked alongside us to keep an eye on our camel’s behavior and to entertain us with stories of camel races, catching camels in the wild, \240and day to day camel care. It turns out that there are more wild camels in Australia than anywhere in the world, so Australia is the largest exporter of camels to the Middle East and camel meat to Morocco. If you ever eat a camel burger in Morrocco, it’s probably meat from Australia!

A Camel Caravan

Here we are back from our adventure!

Tom, Dana, and Curly

These camels are very well cared-for pets! \240Camels have an IQ similar to a dog, or an 8yo child. They live up to 50 years in captivity. So we gave Curley a well-deserved pat after he got us safely back to the corral.

Uluru

We left Uluṟu to head home.

Flew over the Outback …

And back to Sydney to connect to our Delta flight!

It’s been a trip off a lifetime! But we’re glad to get home!