Oz - Ayers Rock

We catch the sunrise and witness the rock changing colour...

As we wander around the base we realise how intricate it is, having many caves with ancient aboriginal paintings on the walls...

Ayers Rock, called Uluru from the aboriginal name, is surrounded by ancient aboriginal sacred sights where they believe the spirits of their ancestors dwell. We decided not to climb the rock when we heard that the aboriginal were against it, later on I realised they might not actually be offended by people trespassing on their sacred ground, but just concerned for their safety...

We meet Sammy our aboriginal guide for a tour of the rock. He tells some dreamtime stories of beings with both human and animal characteristics who shaped the land in creation time, his translator translating them into english...

After Sammy show’s us some basic aboriginal tools and how to make glue from seeds we decide to start hunting a small stick. Of course I’m the only one to hit the thing with a spear… Ahem, appart from Sammy who manages to hit it in mid air, still, not bad for a vegetarian...

We’re then shown a map diagram of one of the stories that is often found painted on walls around the rock. Seems rather quaint until we realise that events in the stories tie up to marks on the rock, and that knowing the stories passed down the generations enables you to find food, water, shelter and firewood...

Whilst following Sammy around as he shows us how to make certain tools and carry fire, I realise he’s chatting away to our translator in perfect english...

Cheesy photo opportunity? Us???...

As Sammy and translator give us a lift back I ask the translator where the aboriginal people came from, she replies 'from the beings in dreamtime'. I think she's misunderstood me and thought I asked where they believe they came from, so ask again 'where do they really come from?' with that I finally manage to put my foot in it, she tactfully says 'many westerners believe they walked across from Asia tens of thousands of years ago when the sea level was lower' but I think the damage was already done. Oops, sorry Sammy...

...Its amazing how tolerant aboriginal are of westerners in general considering just a couple of decades ago the state had a so called ‘reintroduction programme’ that took mixed race children from their families and punished them for speaking aboriginal. The opposite of what happened in New Zealand with the Maori but you never here of anyone complaining. Even so, many white Australian’s image of aboriginal is tainted by those who have been thrown out of their tribe and hang around cities, usually for being addicted to alcohol which is a western introduction they have no evolved tolerance too.