The Red Center

After having traveled to the Easternmost, South-easternmost, North-easternmost and Southernmost reachable places on the continent, you know that we could not miss the opportunity to spend some time in Australia's Red Hot Center, and here we are.

Our day started with a most colorful sunrise in Melbourne...

...our flight to Adelaide took approximately an hour. Adelaide is the capital of the state of South Australia, which, along with Tasmania, are the two states we have not visited. Having some time to spend at the airport, I was able to get out long enough to take this picture of downtown from the only viewpoint I had available. Boring photo. From the air, the area around Adelaide seemed quite appealing. Of course, this is the area where most of Australia's wineries are located

Our next flight took about two and a quarter hours to deliver us in Alice Springs, in the Northern Territories. Ah, Alice Springs! Just the name evokes thoughts of the Outback and Australia's most iconic images. This is indeed the center of the country, gateway to Uluru, or Ayer's Rock, as still some know it by, which, with Sydney's Opera House is most likely the most pictorially disseminated image of the country.

For this part of the trip, I rented a huge 4x4, V8 Toyota Landcruiser. I probably will not be using it much much for off-roading, but I wanted to be prepared.

From the air you could clearly see how inhospitable the vast Outback is. The pilot said that it had just rained in Alice Springs, which seemed hard to believe viewing the aridity of the landscape, however once on land, all the beneficial details of the recent rainfall became apparent. Having lived in New Mexico, I can attest that the desert can be one of the most beautiful places on earth after a rain. Here, patches of greenery, even flowers, are blooming. It is mostly scrub-brush-land, but amazingly, there are small trees as well, which become quite happy with moisture, and display their mood with a variety of green shades.

It takes about four and a half-hours to drive from Alice Springs to Yulara (500 km.), where Ayer's Rock is located. Traffic is non-existent. I doubt we've counted more than twenty trucks, buses, cars or motorcycles coming or going, during the drive. But the time passed fast. There is one rest-stop/fueling station between the two places.

The outback is of course, home to a many indigenous people. Here we bought a painting from an Aboriginal woman, which we had been searching for. Beside the rest-stop, there is also a camel farm. Camels were brought to this part of Australia a number of years ago, many of which have then be set free, and we are told, thousands roam about in the wild. Camel farms on the other hand, use camels for profit, mostly giving rides to tourists.

Alice Springs is located in the Finke River plains. The Finke is believed to be the oldest continuously flowing river in the world. I've seen pictures of it with water in it, but as you can see, even with the recent day, its bed testifies to the aridity of the place.

Animals do survive here and there is abundant wildlife, such as this emu enjoying a shady spot.

And then, suddenly, it appeared. Uluru! You can see it from more than 140 kilometers away. Yes, it's a rock, but it is a truly amazing rock. Rising out of nowhere, with nothing like it in sight, it will leave you awe-struck. It is sacred to the local indigenous population and it has been recently closed to climbing as Aborigines find it offensive. Just as well; Uluru is best when admired from afar.

We had just enough time to check in, and off we were to watch sunset at the rock and the different shades it takes on.

A word of caution for anyone wanting to take this trip. Beware of the bush fly. They are about in the millions and they will cling to you as soon as you step off your vehicle. No guide book I've read ever told me that. They will try to get into your eyes, ears, mouth and nostrils, and are one of the most annoying creatures we've ever had to deal with. Wear a net-hat, like these.

So, here are three pictures of "The Rock". Tomorrow we'll explore the National Park.

Arrivederci.