| We flew to Ayers Rock area where it was hot and dry. |
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| Yep. That is it! Our first view of The Rock from the plane. And the ground really is as bright red as this picture shows. |
A sign in the airport that tickled us. |
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| We did a sunset dinner that featured some views of the Rock but was even more enjoyable for the food and the astronomy lesson that came with it. |
Sunrise is THE time to be at the Rock, so we arose well before dawn to catch the bus to the viewing area. Worth every moment of lost sleep! |
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| As the sun rose it turned the rock from dark to red to glowing copper. |
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We took a hike around the base of the Rock and saw a couple of wallabies on the mountain. |
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| Although the desert around the Rock is scrubby, the Rock itself captures enough water from condensation for the base to be positively lush by comparison. |
Although the Rock looks monolithic from afar, it is riddled with holes and other openings that the Aboriginal peoples used for shelter and for sacred rituals. |
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| Evidence of ritual use can be seen in the ashes here; these uses continue to this day. |
The Aboriginals tell many stories about their origins and history and use the formations of the Rock as proof of their accuracy. This snake's head was left by a snake that figured prominently in one such story. |
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| The Aboriginals also used paint to tell stories from their past; the paintings here range from ancient to modern, all using the same stylized forms. |
Water flows from the top of the Rock to a watering hole at the bottom. Unfortunately, since people insist upon climbing the Rock (over the objections of the Aboriginals) and leave trash there, the water is now too polluted to drink. |
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| However you look at it, the Rock is awe-inspiring and it is easy to see why it is such a sacred space to Aboriginals all over Australia. |
In addition to cave paintings, designs drawn in the sand in hollows and caves serve as teaching tools for the young. |
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| No, we didn't throw any shrimp on the barbie but one night we did eat at a self barbecue place - you buy the meat and bbq it yourself. We are not in this picture so don't bother to look. |
We went to a demo of native customs and Chuck
decided to give the spear throw a try. It didn't go very far! |