Day 45 – Uluru

It is easy to understand why Uluru made an impression on the first white explorers. The massive rock is just the tip of a strata that extends about 7 kilometres underground. The faces change with the sun and the viewing position.

Ranger Steve is passionate about the aboriginal teachings. As with Wambirja, the ranger in Kakadu, he explained the levels of knowledge and the morals of the different stories. He also explained that there were different languages for higher levels of knowledge. The Anangu people had a sophisticated and strong culture supported by explicit stories and enforced over the generations. Steve had been trained in the stories by the elders and was careful to keep to the teachings without deviation.

Ranger Steve

Elders' cave with images of ancient elders in the stone!

Water is important in the desert and the Anangu people had strict rules and procedure for keeping water holes clean. One of the sad things about people clambering over the rock is that the water that has filtered through the stone now contains traces of E.coli. This has been traced to the detritus left behind by climbers and in particular where they have urinated or defecated on the rock during their climb.

Water hole where rain seeps through

After listening to Steve we understood some of the sacredness of the rock. The impact of our climbing over the rock would be similar to the impact of tourists climbing over the alters in churches, cathedrals or other special places of worship. We chose not to climb the rock and look forward to the day when the practice ceases.