We do have friends (The Sequel)

A big thanks to Jackie and Doug Cameron (Nico's parents) who DID indeed make the 24 hour pilgrimage by plane from Canada all the way down under. For the first part of the trip I was back in Canada for work but managed to hook back in time for a visit to Alice Springs & Uluru, which Nico has already posted about. It was super nice of them to fly us out to visit the rock with them. It was also great to see them here!!

Highlights were visiting Uluru and Kata Tjuta (procouned Karta Choota) as Nico pointed out earlier.

While in Alice Springs (about 500 kms from the rock) we also hit the site of the REAL Alice Springs where the central telegraph station was built back in the 1800's. It cost 328,000 pounds to build and stretched from Adelaide to Darwin through the driest desert. The 'little town down the road' called Stuart (or Sturt...can't remember) eventually outgrew Alice Springs which went through many transformations from telegraph station, to POW camp, to Aboriginal indoctrination center (when the government took kids away from their parents in the hopes to indoctrinate them into white society,) etc. Now it's a historic park. Sturt took the name Alice Springs sometime in the 1900's.

We do have friends!

Screw you guys back home for not visiting us! At least we now know who our friends are - Darren & Kelly made the trip from Sydney down to see us for a four day weekend back on August 24th. One of those days was spent spanking a record hangover...damn you beer, wine, shots, highballs...

So where'd we take our visiting Aussies? To our favorite spots on the Great Ocean Road. Wreck Beach, The Koala Drive where you are sure to spot a plethora of koalas in the wild up close and personal, and, of course, the 12 apostles (well, only 9 remaining, those apostles keep dropping like, well, apostles being persecuted by the Romans.)

Unfortunately, all good things come to an end!

Stargazing

This is the shot I have been trying and trying to get...I finally got it! I wanted to do this with Uluru so that stripes of stars would be surrounding the giant rock at night, unfortunately I've never held the shutter open long enough. This shot was taken using 100 ASA film (very slow speed) with the camera on a stand. The shutter was held open for between 10 and 15 minutes turning night to day but leaving behind a stunning array of stars.


The second shot was taken pointing the camera straight up at the sky (and away from the moon which would over expose it.) You can see the milky way as a foggy patch running the length of the middle.

punk rock pigeon

Ants on the Rock

This is why you avoid Uluru mid-morning.

Mr. Crikey

Wow. Yesterday, Steve Irwin, the Crocodile Hunter, died after being stung by a sting ray in the chest while filming a tv segment for his 8 year old daughter's show. The kids at school are all a bit shocked and sad and it's all the news is reporting on--it's the Aussie Princess Di (although far more lovable and annoying).

What's the reaction the world over?

To vote Damo off, dial . . . .

fact: Kata Tjuta (the Olgas) was even more stunning than Uluru. But that begs the question: is Damo even more stunning than Kata Tjuta? We hiked between the weirdly shaped bulges as Damo posed and preened.

One Giant Rock

fact: Uluru (Ayer's Rock) is indeed a great big rock. I know that may seem pretty self evident given its previous name but it wasn't until we got there that the immensity of this giant pebble hit home. It's not a big hill or a small mountain--it's one big red rock. Like an iceberg, a good chunk of it is underground. 345 metres are above ground and that's what we climbed.

fact: it is strongly recommended that you don't climb Uluru. Climbing was part of an initiation ceremony that marked the passage of boys into manhood so there's a cultural reason why they ask you not to climb. Secondly, it's just dangerous. At times, you're on a razor edge ridge, with just a metre of sloping space before the edge steeply drops off. There is a safety chain, but despite that, I got a bit freaked. I'm not scared of heights but I just don't like precarious situations and this was one of them. Damo, ironically, wasn't scared at all and he has a height phobia. But the Rock was there and, like countless other tourists before us, we couldn't resist its challenge.