The heart of Australia

For pictures click here.

I did many Firsts on this trip. And for that Uluru will have a special place in my heart.

For the quick read, scroll down to Day 2 - Deep in the Underground, Day 5 - Breaking the Rules, Day 7 - God's Play and Day 8 - Tempting Death

If you're thinking about visiting the Outback, reading the whole thing would be good I think :).

Day 1 - Strangers into South Australia

In the wee hours of the morning, a bunch of strangers from Monash and Victoria University boarded the red fire engine Trekset bus that was to be their ticket to the Australian Outback. Many had joined this trip alone, not sure who they would meet and live with for the next ten days.Unbeknowst to anyone, this group of 46 students came from a myriad of backgrounds, cultures and languages. Spanning various continents, the group consisted of students from Australia, Germany, Austria, Netherlands, China, Korea, France, Malaysia, Singapore, Spain, Mexico, America, Canada, Japan, Vietnam, Thailand and Britain.

Route: Ballarat --> Ararat--> Beaufort--> Stawell --> The Grampians --> Horsham --> Bordertown (border of Victoria and South Australia)-- > Adelaide

We travelled over 800 km that day, stopping by several towns for toilet breaks and lunch. Our driver Simon was both witty and knowledgable about the outback, having driven through these roads hundreds of times and kept us entertained. Brad and Allan (who had a really cute Brit accent) were our tour leaders got us to play some 'get to know each other games' on the bus. I met my first Austrian friend, Martina who I instantly liked. A football fan to the core, she dressed like a goalkeeper with her boots and always found something to kick during toilet breaks.

We bunked at Adelaide Shores accomodation that night. I met my first Dutch friend, Miriam that night.

I think sunsets must be a must for all. To see it in its entirety; round and orange as it sinks drawing its warmth as it slowly disappears. In absence of distractions of human life, one is forced to take stock.

What did I do today? What did I say? Did I affect anyone's life?

Dinner: Tomato soup, pasta and salad and pears with cream

Day 2 - Deep in the Underground

We arrived in Adelaide City the night before in the dark so we had a tour of Adelaide the next morning before setting off towards the Northern Territory. Caught a glimpse of the famous Rundle Mall my friend talks about, a bit of Uni Adelaide and some very nice sandstone buildings.

The Germans in the bus groaned as they received news that Italy beat Germany 2-0.

Route: Adelaide --> Flinders Ranges --> Woomera --> Glendambo --> Marla --> Coober Pedy

Another long day in the bus. We were going to travel 900 km this time. Our leaders kept us entertained by playing quizzes and some students went up to the front of the bus to tell midget jokes and riddles.

As we neared the end of the South Australia, the green and rolling hills of the South Australian land slowly disappeared from sight as the landscape changed to the red salty sand of the desert. Where once cows, horses and sheep grazed the grassy fields, it was now the barren and ochre desert of bluebush, salt bush and mulga trees.

We saw a saltlake that stretched for kilometres and non-native animals like the dingos and camels roaming in the wild. But nowhere in sight, were people.

The infinite vastness was perfect. Its emptiness eerie. One could get lost here and no one would know. Be murdered and never be found.

It was in this setting of nothingness that we stopped at the Woomera Detention Centre. It was closed down in 2003 by the government. The inhumane living conditions of the people detained in this desert prison in particular the children, had long received much protests from the public.
I tried to picture myself behind the razor wire staring out into the outback. As far out you could see, it was just empty red land. You could have been on the surface of the moon and not know you were in Australia. It was so isolated from the world, it was easy to forget that it existed. Perhaps that was the motive. In summer it would get as high as 55 degrees celcius and people would literally bake in the desert.

Nearby was the ghost town of Woomera where once many Americans lived when they maintained a satellite centre there. The area was also used as a missile testing ground before by the local government and actual missiles stood like proud statues in the town. The Aboriginals were driven from the area to make way for bomb testing. Today royalties from the sale of postcards and Aboriginal art is given to them. Where once bunkhouses were inhabited by aidworkers and the army, the town was now a forgotten area.

We finally reached Coober Pedy in the evening named by the Aboriginals which meant 'The Whitemen's Burrows'. One only came to live here in the middle of nowhere for one sole purpose; to mine for opals. Coober Pedy is the Opal Capital of the World. It was once the muddy floor of an icy inland sea inhabited by marine monsters where dinosaurs roamed. Over millions and millions of years, the water disappeared and the landscape changed and borned out of the fossil rock, were valuable stones called opals. Droplets of water are trapped in these precious stones refracting light giving these stones its unique identity of being able to change colour.

Houses were built underground as the area got very hot in summer. Underground, the temperatures remain around 24 degrees all year round. There was a time when miners could make their own homemade bombs to dig for opal. And familes would gather around weekly for their Family Bombmaking Night when they made bombs using material bought from the local supermarket.

We stayed at an underground bunkhouse that night after visiting an undergound pub 20 metres below ground and even saw the only underground Pokies machines in the world.

The divide between the Aboriginals and the local white people was stark. They live in the same town yet separate and it was rare that one saw both of them together in the same place.

Near Coober Pedy was the movie set where the movie Pitchblack was filmed. The natural black surface of this area looked so similar to the moon's surface that many filmakers came down here to film movies.

Dinner: I can't remember.

Day 3- Initiation Night

Route: Coober Pedy --> Northern Territory MacDonnell Ranges --> Alice Springs

It was another long day of travel to Alice Springs. From Coober Pedy we finally crossed into the Northern Territory. Then Simon stopped the bus by an unmarked fence. To the undiscerning and unknowledgeable tourist eye, this fence would just be a fence. We were told then that it is the Longest Fence in the World. It stretched from the Gold Coast to Western Australia (east to west) for a distance of 5600 km.

It was built to divide to prevent dingoes from coming from one side to the other as the dingoes attacked sheep.

As we neared Alice Springs, we could see the MacDonnell Ranges, a stretch of mountains that spanned 400km east to west. This would be our backyard for the next three nights. We stayed at the Heavitree Gap Motel. Our motel was located right next to a gap in the MacDonnell Ranges. Through the Gap was the road into the Alice Springs town. In the evening wild wallabies came down the mountains behind our motel hoping that tourists would feed them. Later we had lasagna, spring rolls and garlic bread for dinner. Martina beat Nils the German dude in the battle of apple pie with custard 5 to 4. Later we took an oath and were officially initiated into the Red Centre tour.

We slept in comfortable beds that night with heater.

Day 4 - Pub Night

Off to Desert Park where we got to learn a bit more the animals that inhabited the desert like the eagles, emus, snakes and witchety grubs. An Aboriginal guy came to show us their traditional tools like the the various types of spears, boomerangs and other tools used to survive in the desert.

Then we roamed around Alice Springs Town before heading back to watch the Aboriginal Dreamtime Show. They performed many traditional dances using sticks and the Yiggi Yiggi (digeridoos being the English name) as their musical instruments. The girls got the chance to go up stage to perform the Ngampi or Emu dance while the men had a chance to learn how to play the Yiggi Yiggi. It was a sacred instrument to the Aboriginal men and women were not allowed to touch or play the instrument. I might buy one and learn to play it in secret.
Later I hung out with the Euro Connection at the local tavern. The Euro Connection was our nickname for our European friends mainly the French, German, Austrian, Spanish and Dutch exhange students. They danced the night away hogging the jukebox and it was an absoulute ball hanging out with them. It was a revealing night for me as I watched them let loose. I even danced a bit but was too self-conscious of the other people that were hanging around. I wonder if that's why clubs are so dark. Is it because that no one could watch you dance? We returned from the pub smelling of cigarrette smoke.

Suffice to say, that was my first pub experience and it wasn't as bad as I thought save for some unsavory remarks from some drunkards. I had an awesome time learning Latin moves and aerobics in the pub. They were full of life and ready to party and I felt in the middle of a whirlwind.

In my ordinary life, I don't do these things. Hang out at pubs with mates. But for once during this trip, I did because I could. Because there were no barriers or weird stares. It was good and it was fun. Later French girl asked me to hang out at Dooleys and the Nott with her when we get back from the trip.

If they only knew.

Day 5 - Breaking the rules

We visited John Flynn's grave, a famous reverend who started the Royal Flying Doctor Service. In the outback, where medical help could be hours away, this service was essential to the people living in the desert. 90% of the people who uses this service are Aboriginals people and it was free. The medical team would fly over to the area and transport the patient to the nearest hospital.

Central Australia is so isolated that the common commodities of internet and handphone range were gone. We were cut off from the world and received World Cup and BB updates through rare instances of coverage where Allan would SMS the outside world for the latest score.

We passed the twin Ghost Gumtrees made famous by the watercolour painting by the Aboriginal Artist Albert Namatjira mentioned in the famous Australian song 'I Am Australian'.

Simon who took it upon himself to educate us about the Aussie culture played many traditional Australian songs for us on the bus. The true outback Australia served the perfect setting for such.

Simpson's Gap, a prominent gap in the West MacDonnell Ranges was our next stop. It has one of the most prominent waterholes (although it was quite dry when we were there) and is a very spiritiual area to the Aboriginals. I could not resist climbing some of the rocks though I must have been crazy now that I think about it as it was not very safe.

It was over to Standley Chasm, the famous sandstone gouge. Over millions of years, floods had created a narrow gouge through a narrow tributary of the Finke River System between two craggy slopes that resultied in a 80 metre high gap.

This chasm was most dramatic when the sun rose above the narrow chasm lighting the two surfaces that was simply breathtaking. I climbed up to a higher cliff to get a better view although I knew I shouldn't have. The seven of us Roxanne, Nils, Itziar, Mel, Ainhoa, Kanatcha (from Thailand) and me waited patiently while the sun rose above us.

Meanwhile Ainhoa taught me a Spanish song. We danced up on the cliff near the edge singing the Spanish songs of which I understood to have the words 'sexy' , 'hips' and 'shake'. I felt liberated. Alive.

I think we may have given Brad And Allan a few heart attacks dancing up there but we landed safely on the ground after that.

Later we visited the Royal Flying Doctor Service and watched sunset from Anzac Hill. It was one of the best days of the trip. Surrounded by so many people from different countries, they offered different perspectives and a completely new vocabulary, both vulgar and romantic.

We celebrated Marc's birthday that night. Quite rarely I meet people who thoroughly enjoyed verbal sparring. We would exhange witty comments and try to be as sarcastic as possible to the point of insulting each other. I can only think of three people who understood my need to do so. We had the best conversations. And it was nice to meet Marc who knew how to play the game.

Later Rex the reptile man came along with his reptile collection of blue tongue lizards, venomous snakes, pythons, sleepy lizards and iguanas.

I guess I never really knew how much I challenge myself. I thought I would never ever voluntarily touch a reptile in my whole life. But seeing the reptiles, I knew I had to do it.

I let a blue tongue lizard lick my nose as it tried to smell me. Then carressed a scaly black sleepy lizard on my arm.
But the highlight was when I carried a 10 kg python around my neck. (yup that is his tail)

I guess sometimes you never know huh?

Day 6 - Kings' Canyon

Route: Alice Springs --> Kings' Creek Station

The rugged terrain of the rocky Kings' Canyon was simply awesome. Its entirety was so infinite, its beauty so ancient and unforgiving, yet romantic, beckoned to you to sit and stare.

But because it was peak tourist season, there was always another human around as you walked along the canyon. I did not stick with anyone. I wanted to see it for the first time alone without the sounds of human life. I walked slow to lose the first half of th group but fast enought to lose the other half. And for a while, I was alone with the world.

The surface of the canyon was so smooth and flat, a result of wind weathering the stone over millions of years.

Later we sat around our campfire roasting marshmallows while playing silly games at King's Creek Station where we had set up tents for the night. The previous week, temperatures had gone down to as low as -6 degrees and in anticipation of a cold night, we bundled ourselves fron head to toe before cocooning ourselves in our sleeping bags. I wore 6 layers, gloves, beanie, scarf and woolen socks before wrapping myself in my sleeping bag. I felt like a mummy.

I noticed a subtle difference between how certain people treated others from different cultures. If they came from Asia and did not speak English well, there was an obvious impatient manner almost belittling when interacting. But when they came from somewhere exotic and sophisticated like Europe, these people could take all their time trying to explain what they mean yet the listeners would listen on patiently with wide eyed admiration.

King's Canyon is a definite must return. Tomorrow we head off to Uluru (or Ayer's Rock by the English).

Day 7 - God's Play

Someone stole my seat. I had reserved the seat with a blanket in the morning and when I returned my blanket was gone and someone else had placed their bags there.

Italy won the World Cup. We got the news from a fellow tourist on another bus. This was confirmed with other bus drivers. The details were hazy as per usual in the middle of nowhere. This was how news travelled through the outback.

Route: King's Creek Station --> Yulara

I caught a glimpse of Mount Connor often mistaken as Uluru as we were heading towards Yulara. Uluru is the largest monolith in the world and is a very sacred site to the Anangu people. It is known as the heart of Australia and this famous rock changes its hue so often that photographers flock here to capture those special moments.

We made camp at Yulara and then headed over to Kata Tjuta (or the Olgas in English). Kata Tjuta mean 'many heads' . It had 36 dome like rock formations rising high up above.

We watched sunset at the Sunset Strip, an area facing Uluru. Travellers gathered with lavish food and champagne and made merry as they stood from afar watching the moon rise and the sky change over Uluru.

I was thunderstruck. We had travelled days to this ultimate destination only to talk and drink while God plays His magnificent powers before us?

I felt that such a beautiful place should only be observed in silence. It was majestic this single rock, with its many rugged folds and redness that changed colour with light. At first it was red as the sand, then grey as a dark mood, then almost violet when the sun sadly sank.

The moon at first was not visible but began to rise to its desired corner over the rock and the native birds perched on low branches as if watching a very sacred ritual of the rock.

I think if I close my eyes and think hard enough I could imagine what this place used to be. I could see the natives making their sacred climb as they foraged for food. And millions and millions of years before, I could almost imagine when all of Central Australia was underwater and the dinosaurs roam about like kings.

Later we headed over to the Pionner Hotel pub located near our campsite. The music was good and we played cards while others drank the night away. We walked back to our camps singing at the top of our lungs. I was high.

Day 8 - Tempting Death

At the Cultural Centre, we learnt a bit more about why Uluru was a sacred site to the Anangu people and their reasons for asking people to not climb the rock. The Anangu people saw Uluru as a spiritual area and climbing the rock was very a sacred journey for them.

I respect their beliefs and culture. But to me Uluru was a creation of God. And like me and the Anangu people, we too are all God's creations. And God's creations did not belong to any one group of people.

I felt I could climb it and still respect their wishes. I am human like them, and my climb can be spiritual too.

I knew the perils of climbing the rock. People had fallen to their death climbing Uluru.

The steep climb had a low metal chain for people to pull on when climbing. On both sides of the chain, were steep drops and one wrong move or one wrong slide could plunge you to inevitable death.

At first from the foot, it did not look difficult. But I found out otherwise.

I strode up to the foot and started climbing without hesitation whilst whispering the Ayatul Kursi over and over again. Five minutes into climbing I was stuck. I had not reached the slope where the chain for support were placed. My heart was beating wildly. What was I thinking?

Slowly, with each breath of fear, I hedged over to the side and reassessed my route of climbing. I looked up and saw others who were stuck. In their eyes I could see the same thoughts running through my head. How do we get up? What were we thinking? Are we going to fall to our death?

And then I knew. Instinct and faith will guide me. I started again and finally reached the chains. But even with the chains, the climb up was challenging. There were no flat rocky clearings for rest breaks. It was a steep 1.6 km ascent up the rock that needed every ounce of determination, strenght and courage.

Only a small group of us had decided to climb. I let the others go before me. I knew that having others around for support would be good when we lapsed into moments of fear and help each other push on.

But I wanted to climb on my own.

I wanted to decide which rock to place my foot on, which ledge to grip and which technique to climb. I wanted everything to be on me. Because this climb was going to be about me.

Finally after one and a half hours, I reached the top. The view was amazing. I could see the Kata Tjuta and Mt Connor. And then I knew why it was so spiritual.

Every moment I was up there climbing Uluru, I was tempting my fate.

But it was not over yet. The descend was even more treacherous. One misstep could mean sliding to your own death. With great caution I again, alone, began my descend. At some slopes I let myself slide, others I crouched low, hands inching carefully on the slope. When I reached the bottom the feeling of exhilaration consumed me. I was a different person. I knew it with all my heart.

I found out later that in the past 5 months, 3 people have died climbing this rock. The frequency of how often someone dies from climbing Uluru was astounding. I don't think my parents would have liked knowing what I did.

Later we gathered around the campfire for our final night. It was Skit Night and my character was Malibu Stacey the Candystriper. Oh yeah bimbo.

I could feel that everyone was not looking forward to the journey back home. The sombre mood was evident despite the jubilant laughs and crazy antics during our final night.

Some of them I will never see for the rest of my life after this trip. They had finished their exchange programs and would be returning home after the trip. It was both a bit weird and surreal. To share so many life-changing moments with them and yet after tomorrow, I will never see them again.

Day 9 and 10 - The 33 hour journey home

We were going to travel express non stop to Melbourne for 33 hours sleeping in the bus for a night. We watched many DVDs, played cards and sang to keep us occupied. We bed farewell to Miriam near a small town near Alice Springs. She was heading off toward Darwin. I hugged her farewell feeling very sad for her kindness touched me. I was never seeing her again.

I hated to leave this barren ochre land of great memories. The vastness I know I will always miss. The wild animals lazing in the distance, the eagles hovering above and the cloudless sky that never failed to add its beauty to the infinity of the Central Australia.

The Outback had affected me profoundly.

We crossed from the Northern Territory into South australia while we were asleep at night. We woke up in Bordertown the border between South Australia and Victoria and was disappointed to see the green pastures of farmland that once took my breath away. It was time for the journey back through country Victoria and to inevitable separation.

One by one, some left us at different stops and with each of them, I felt a bit of myself give away. Such wonderful people with so much to share, I could not help but feel so alive when I was with them. So much kindness always surprises me.

I was amazed at my capacity for making friends from such different cultures. I knew why. But that would be a a story to think about for another day. I will truly miss all of them.

In the heart of Australia, I think we all left a bit of our hearts back there.

For pictures, click here.