Hagen Seyring - Photography

Day 5 - Australia 2014 - The adventure begins: Alice Springs to Uluru

(To enlarge the pictures click on it)

Wow the first night in my camper was really cold. I have often read that in a desert whilst is very hot during the day it can get very cold in the night. But if it happens surprisingly in reality, nevertheless you are wondering.

Today it's time for the Kangaroo Dreamimg Safari. Unfortunality i had to get up very early at 5 o'clock, and all of you who get to know me. IT'S NOT MY TIME. But if you want to experience something new you have to make compromise.

The 4wd bus picked me up at 6, After picking up of some other guests, we have left Alice Springs in the Stuart Highway in a southern direction. The shade of brown painted hills, which are surrounding Alice Springs, were dipped in a beautiful warm light from the rising sun. Wether I thought the Red Center is rather a Desert than a jungle, there are a lot bushes and trees are growing here, so the the hills were dabbed with small green bushes what builds a nicely contrast to the brown color of the hills.Our journey went further through endless driet-out bush land on this early morning for hours. Nothing else like bush land until to the horizont. I do not want to have an engine damage on this street, where you meet only every 4 or 5 hours another car. Only l up and off a herd of cows beside the street.

Our first stop after 2 hours was a camel farm for having a snack , coffee or a ride on a camel. Camels were very important for the infrastructure provision of the outback.

And whether it is very comfortable to go over sealed road from Alice to Uluru today, Around 150 years before there was nothing here.

So the camels were used to get all the building material, food and water in the outback to to build up the streets and so on. And everybody knows that camel are very modest to survive in the desert.

There were also kangaroos and emus on the farm.

After the break the journey continued, but the landscape didn't change. Still bush land on brown soil until the horizontal. You will be tempted to look for a house or something similiar which could be a sign for a civilisation on the horizont but you won't find it. 

But then accidentally after hundreds of hundreds of kilometre two emu were standing beside the street and looking at our passing jeep a little bit stupid, But I could understand them very well when it doesn't happen very often. ;-) 

Next stop was  at Mt Ebenezer Roadhouse to have a break for toilet, have a coffe or for a visit of an aboriginal art exhibition.

In this exhibition you can see the typical art work from the aborigines, whilst they worked on new things in the back room. As I came in they have noticed me and exchanged glances. In the gallery were hanging profiles of the different aboriginal artists. 

But an assistance noticed me and asked me not to take any photos. I had a feeling I shouldn't disturb the artist during doing their work and not to talk with them. The whole situation felt like a sheltered workshop, whether I was sure that the aborigines weren't mentally disabled but it looks like they were threatened in this way. So was asking myself who is protecting whom here. 

I don't mention it by the way. Our air condition wasn't working during the trip from Alice to Uluru. And it's still getting hotter now.!!!! 

Finally we have arived the majestic Stone in the desert. 

We were walking a short walk, because of the hot weather beneath the rock while the tour guide was explaining the genesis of the stone and a lot of stories about the Uluru which the aborigines have given from one generation to another.

The Uluru is really beautiful.

On the feet of the Uluru you will find a lot of caves with the typical aborigines paintings and drawings on the wall.

The stone After the walk and a refreshment in a visitor center we were driving to a sunset viewing park place. I was a little bit terrified as I have seen hundreds of busses and cars and the people who were standing outside and waiting for the sunset with champaign and crackers. 

Nevertheless this Day was a great experience of nature.

After the dinner made from kangaroo I slept very well but only until 5 o'clock. 

Dinner: Kangaroo, noodles, salad