Full day at Uluru today. The resort we are staying at provides morning and early afternoon lectures about different topics. We each chose different ones, which included survival in the desert (food plants to eat and those to stay away from), Aboriginal artists at work, and Astronomy of the Sun, which included solar viewing. I chose the latter, but solar activity was at a minimum, so no flares or sunspots were visible, but the talk was interesting. It was a rather informal presentation.
We saved the afternoon to return to the natural park, where we got a closer look at Ayers Rock and took the time to visit the Cultural Center to learn about the area. We were taught that much of the Outback has been returned to the indigenous people of the area, but per contract, it is now managed by the Government for a period of ninety years, after which it is scheduled to become entirely their autonomous territory. Allow me to share a few more photos of this magical place.
The National Park is actually named Uluru – Kata Tjuta. Uluru is the single large monolith, whereas Kata Tjuta is an outcrop of several similar enormous rocks situated at a distance of approximately 50 kilometers. This is where we had a picnic dinner and enjoyed another lovely sunset. Many people find Kata-Tjuta more appealing than Uluru. I must say that I concur with this opinion as does the rest of the family.
As we were ready to leave, a Dingo walked by us in the parking lot at a hurried pace. I was able to snap a furtive photo, which is not very clear.
During another stop, I caught glimpse of a wild camel feeding on the shrubbery. I took two photos, one of which was good, the other to be discarded. In reviewing my photos for the day, unfortunately I realized that I accidentally got rid of the good photo and kept the one I intended to discard. I apologize, but since I can’t retrieve the good one, I have to share this blur.
About one year ago, an Australian artist decided to create a light display comprising over 50,000 colored solar lights extended over several acres of land in the area. It is a truly amazing site. We bought tickets for 9 PM viewing and were mesmerized. Since I did not carry a tripod, I was unable to shoot a single picture that could render the notion of the spectacle we were viewing. I am attaching one, another blur that only covers a very small area, just to provide some faint idea.
Being in the desert at night we had opportunity to do some stargazing as well. The sky in this place is incredibly clear and there is a veritable explosion of stars to be amazed by, particularly the path of stars directly overhead, which are part of the Milky Way. It is a sight to behold, one that we had witnessed only once in the Pantanal of Brazil. I am not sure which show, the aerial view of the sky or the Field of Lights was better. Suffice it to say that both were a wonderful ending to another great day in the Australian Outback. Tomorrow we are planning a visit to another national park and a visit to the town of Alice Springs. Until then, good night, my friends.
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