Saturday, September 08, 2007
Kings Canyon, Australia
Kings Canyon is actually a gorge, carved out by a river from the time when Central Australia was a huge inland sea. It's an incredible place, for me as impressive as Uluru. The 6km Crater Rim Walk starts with a steep climb up 'Cardiac Hill'.
Kata Tjuta/The Olgas, Australia
Down the road from Uluru are the Olgas or Kata Tjuta which means 'place of many heads'. There are 36 domes made of conglomerate rock, the highest of which is 520 metres. The domes were pushed up by tectonic plates and over time eroded into soft round peaks. The orange colour is caused by oxidisation of iron in the rock.
Uluru, Australia
Uluru changes colour throughout the day from a bright red to a dull brown and all the shades in between. Sunset and sunrise are big business here and as there are only a few 'viewing points' in the national park, bus loads of tourists end up jostling for the best positions. As a consequence I feel the magic of the place is lost a little.
I leave Uluru in awe and wonder what on earth can compete with it in Australia. As the truck drives away I stare back trying to catch another glimpse. I don't feel I'm ready to move on.
(Photo - Uluru at sunset)
(Photo - Uluru at sunset)
Uluru, Australia
Uluru is full of grooves and folds where waterfalls have carved their way through the arkose sandstone.
Uluru, Australia
The base walk around Uluru is 9km and takes 2-3 hours. I imagine I'll be walking alone and hopefully feeling a little of the spirituality the Aborigines feel about this place. No such luck. There are hordes of tourists walking with me and it's hard to be alone. Still it's difficult not to gaze in wonder at this amazing 100 million year old rock.
Uluru, Australia
Before I saw Uluru I had decided I wanted to climb it even though the local Anangu Aborigines don't want you to. It's sacred ground for them and if an accident occurred they would feel sad (there are occasional deaths from falling). There are signs all around discouraging you to climb but people are still going up in droves, on hands and knees and clinging tightly to the chain rail.
I decided not to climb not because of the Anangu or because it's very steep, but because when I arrived I felt it was a spiritual place and thought I'd appreciate it more if I walked around it instead.
Friday, September 07, 2007
Uluru, Australia
Despite all the images I've seen, I'm not prepared for Uluru. It's not what I expected. It's much larger and irregular in shape, with large gulleys where waterfalls have eroded the sandstone. When I arrive late afternoon Uluru couldn't look more beautiful, its orange surface brilliantly contrasted against the clear blue sky.
Mount Conner, Australia
Half an hour before Uluru comes into view we pass Mount Conner, a mesa table pushed inland by an iceberg. Some Aborigines won't communicate with the local Aborigines here as they believe the 'ice people' that brought it here have magical powers and can cast powerful spells over them.
Outback, Australia
As we get nearer to Uluru the vegetation becomes thicker and more verdant. I'm apprehensive about seeing 'the rock' as I've seen it so many times before, on TV, in magazines, on postcards etc, that I'm afraid I'll be disappointed.
Outback, Australia
Crossing into the Northern Territory which is three times the size of Germany but with a population of only 200,000 people.
Coober Pedy, Australia
Temperatures here can reach into the mid 50s (celsius) so most of the town live in dugouts, which are houses built into the side of hills. The Aborigines gave the town its name which means 'white man's burrows'. We stay the night in a dugout which is a bit like sleeping in a cave
Coober Pedy, Australia
Opal is big business here since it was discovered accidentally by a 14-year old boy in 1915. There are hundreds of working mines in Coober Pedy which now supplies most of the world's opals. Anyone can buy a small piece of land, rent the machinery and try their luck at opal finding.
Coober Pedy, Australia
We drive through three hours of vast emptiness to reach Coober Pedy, the opal mining capital of Australia and possibly the world. It's a strange other-worldly town surrounded by a lunar landscape and mounds of red earth where people have been digging for opals. Pitch Black and Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome were filmed here.
Outback, Australia
For hundreds of miles there is nothing but dust, scrubby bushes and the odd dead tree. We pass the occasional roadhouse but otherwise Australia's centre is completely empty. It's hard to comprehend such a vast open space with no people. I love it. The environment is too harsh for humans and most plants and animals. Only specialised organisms can survive.
Wilpena Pound, Flinders Ranges, Australia
The sunken interior of Wilpena Pound. The 'crater' is so large my wide angle lens doesn't even come close to capturing the circle of mountains.
Wilpena Pound, Flinders Ranges, Australia
It's an exhausting climb but the views from the top are spectacular.
Flinders Ranges, Australia
For panoramic views of Wilpena Pound and the Flinders Range I need to climb the 941-metre Mount Ohlssen Bagge (aka the Swiss Walk) - a 1.5 hour walk uphill on a steep rocky path.
Flinders Ranges, Australia
It's back on the road towards Wilpena Pound in the heart of the Flinders Ranges, where a wall of mountains almost completely encircles the sunken interior.
Thursday, September 06, 2007
Parachilna, Australia
After 509 kilometres of driving we arrive at the Outback post of Parachilna. There's nothing here apart from the quite nice Prairie pub/hotel and some ramshackle portacabins - where I'm staying.
Outback, Australia
Half an hour later I've entered a vast open landscape. Nothing grows here except short scrubby bushes. I feel I'm getting close to my vision of the Outback.
Yourambulla Caves, Flinders Ranges, Australia
We stop off at the Yourambulla Caves to see some Aboriginal rock paintings
Flinders Ranges, Australia
After three hours of driving north from Adelaide I see my first glimpse of red dust. We pass Mount Remarkable (not really remarkable at all), the southernmost point of the Flinders Ranges. It's still fairly verdant and quite cold. This isn't how I imagined the Outback to be.
Into the Outback
As my flight is delayed I arrive into Adelaide early evening. I check into the YHA hostel, and only have time time to do my laundry and pop out for some food at the great Central Market before bed as I have an early start tomorrow morning.
In the dorm I apologise to the girl in the bunk underneath for spreading my stuff on the floor to organise. She looks at me and growls. I'm finally in bed at midnight. Feral cat girl comes in and out of the room all night with dance music blaring out of her headphones, snarling at everyone. When I get up at 4.30am I notice she's lying on her bunk fully clothed with the light on and hasn't been to sleep. She follows me into the shower and I can hear whimpering from behind her door. I can't work out whether she's a loon or on drugs. Thankfully I'll shortly be out of here and on my way into the wilderness known as the Outback. I can't wait.
Melbourne, Australia
On my last day in Melbourne, my host Marion who I met while travelling in South America, kindly offers to take me to Healesville Sanctuary, where you can observe native animals in a re-created habitat, and some Yarra Valley wineries where I sample the divine Cuvee Riche sparkling wine.
I spend the evening before beginning my trip into the Outback relaxing in the Japanese Bath House. I'm not really sure about naked communal bathing but I'm really looking forward to the Shiatsu massage. I'm surprised when my masseuse is a Welsh lady called Myfanwy. It's a great massage though that sends me to sleep.
Melbourne, Australia
For an bird's eye view of the city I take the lift up to 88th floor of the Eureka Tower. The lift takes 37 seconds and is apparently the fastest in the southern hemisphere. I've done a lot of 'best', 'highest', 'fastest' activities in the southern hemisphere and have come to realise that it doesn't mean a lot as there isn't much down here to compete with.
There are panoramic views of the city from the observation deck and a new gimmicky ride called 'The Edge', which is a glass cube that protrudes from the 88th floor to reveal the rushing traffic below. As I haven't had a thrill for a while I pay the extra 12 Australian dollars to experiece The Edge. It's sorely disappointing. Firstly they take my camera from me (in case I drop it and damage the glass), and then 'white out' the glass cube. When they eventually clear it to reveal the view below they add some psycho-type music, presumably to make it scary. It's not scary at all, and doesn't even give you a better view of the city. I feel cheated.
Botanic Gardens, Melbourne, Australia
Even though I only have a couple of days in Melbourne, I make sure I fit in a visit to the Botanic Gardens. Melbourne apparently has the best in Australia and they don't disappoint. Full of colour even though it's still winter I feel they are lovingly kept.
Melbourne, Australia
Melbourne is full of old narrow laneways crammed with coffee shops, gourmet eateries and eclectic boutiques.
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
Melbourne, Australia
Being in Melbourne feels like being in London again. Apart from the rain, there's something down-to-earth and comfortable about being here. Melbourne isn't as glitzy or visually impressive as Sydney (it doesn't have the Harbour Bridge, the Opera House etc.) but it posesses a modest sophistication, an impressive array of cultural events and great food (or maybe I've just been away too long). I like Melbourne immediately.
Melbourne, Australia
I feel I haven't done Sydney justice but as I only have limited time in Australia it's time to move on. On my way to Melbourne I'm wondering whether I'll be a Sydney or Melbourne person. As rival cities most people tend to have a preference for one over the other. For me, Melbourne has a tall order to live up to shiny happy Sydney.
Waverley Cemetery, Sydney, Australia
On the walk to Coogee Beach I pass the sunbleached Waverley Cemetery which stands on a cliff's edge overlooking the sea.
Bondi Beach, Sydney, Australia
I take the bus to North Bondi and walk around the perfect curve of Bondi Beach. There is a smattering of black-clad surfers riding the thumping waves (they are big!). Fascinated and impressed I watch for a while and realise I've spent nearly an hour here and have barely started the walk.
Bondi Beach, Sydney, Australia
I can't decide what to do on my last day in Sydney as there are so many options. I finally choose the three-hour North Bondi to Coogee (pronounced something like 'coodgy') walk, touted by my guidebook as one of the best walks around Sydney. I'll also get to see Bondi Beach which I'm curious about, even though most Australians don't rate it for swimming or surfing.
Eucalyptus Tree, Blue Mountains, Australia
I'm excited about seeing my first eucalyptus trees in Australia. I soon discover they are all over the country.
Kangaroo, Blue Mountains, Australia
My first glimpse of a kangaroo in the wild. It seems non-plussed about gawping visitors and clicking cameras.
Blue Mountains, Australia
I'm up horribly early for my day trip to the Blue Mountains and horrified to discover that Adventure Tours who I'm going with are part of the same company as Oz Experience who I've been advised not to travel with (it's apparently full of drunk nympho gappers - and I like my sleep these days).
The Blue Mountains are a couple of hours outside Sydney although you feel you're along way away from the city.
The blue haze which gives the mountains their name is a result of the ultrafine mist given off by the eucalyptus trees. This seen from a distance makes the ranges look blue.
(Photo - view from Jamison lookout)
Botanic Gardens, Sydney, Australia
Walk on the grass, hug the trees, talk to the birds - how refreshing...
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