Being in Australia, I have missed out on a few days off, including Martin Luther King Jr. Day, President’s Day, and RPI’s Grand Marshal Week Election Day. Although it hasn’t made much of a difference in the end, it has made me a bit more jealous than I expected. Luckily, though, the Australian government has made up for a lack of days off in the early months of this year by squeezing three federal holidays in the span of one week!
Good Friday and the following Good Monday (what some would consider an oxymoron) provide a four day weekend for students and employees and mark the end of a nearly two-week agricultural celebration, called the Sydney Royal Easter Show. Then, April 25th, this year a Thursday, is reserved for the celebration of Anzac Day, a holiday analogous to the American Veterans Day.
So, even with finals approaching, I had a perfect opportunity to check off the last trip of my “Great Australian Adventure” bucket-list: The Outback.
Losing Luggage
Originally, I was going to be taking my trip out west solo, but a last-minute effort to convince Emily to join me brought our dynamic duo on our next (and final 😦 ) excursion together.
On Holy Thursday morning, we found ourselves, yet again, at the airport boarding our 3-hour flight to the Northern Territory. While on the plane, we watched thick, deciduous trees and fertile farms give way to short, spiny bushes and red dirt. Lots of red dirt.
Waiting at the single baggage carousel for our luggage, we were alarmed by the small, black flies that were buzzing in our eyes and ears, landing in our hair, and even catching rides on our backs. Little did we know that we were going to get well-acquainted with these bugs over the next few days. So well-acquainted that I would fall asleep that night swatting imaginary flies off of my face out of habit.
But, we were not used to them just yet, so we were distracted for a short time until we noticed that there were no more bags being unloaded from the plane, and Emily still had not gotten her suitcase. Our tour guide, Rael, advised Emily to fill out a “Lost Luggage” form and assured her that this happened “all of the time” and she would have the bag back that night at the latest. Oh, if only he had been right…
Hopping into the van, we joined our twelve group members and started our journey into Anangu Country.
Day 1: Kata Tjuta Up Close
Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park is home to two major rock forms: Uluru, the world’s second-largest monolith (mono: one; lith: rock), and Kata Tjuta, a collection of 36 tall, red domes. These landmarks are integral parts of the local aboriginal cultures, subjects of traditional fables and locations for important initiation ceremonies. Due to their cultural significance, many areas of the structures are closed off to tourists in order to honor and respect the indigenous people.
Driving up to our first stop, Kata Tjuta, I was amazed by its deep red hue, produced by the oxidization of iron in the rock. I could almost feel the heat radiating off of its surface just from looking at it!
We were lucky to have gotten such a good look at Kata Tjuta from the inside of the bus, because as soon as my feet hit the bright ochre, I was, once again, greeted by hundreds of flies and spent most of the hike with my eyes either closed or covered by my hands. Although Emily and I had had the opportunity to buy fly nets to cover our faces, we were stubbornly determined to be fully exposed to every challenge that the Outback offered. Luckily, and also rather disturbingly, we soon got used to our new bug friends.
Happy to be relieved of the sun, our group got back in the bus and drove over to watch Uluru burn in the sunset while enjoying plastic cups of champagne. Definitely worth the flies!
Packing up our hors d’oeuvres, we returned to our campsite to make an authentic Australian barbecue, featuring kangaroo for the meat-eaters, grilled potatoes, and a pineapple and capsicum couscous salad. Despite Rael’s promises, Emily was still without her bag, so we scrounged together whatever we could share and slipped into our tradition Australian swags for our first night under the stars.
Day 2: Loops Around Uluru
A snoring group member and a bright full moon made for a restless night’s sleep that was made only shorter by our 5:00 wake-up call. But the sun wasn’t going to wait for anyone!
In about an hour, we found ourselves back at Uluru for a 10 km sunrise walk around the base. The track was completely uncovered, so within a few hours, the high, dry heat made me glad that we had started so early.
At the end of the trail, we were reunited with Rael, who brought us over to the aboriginal cultural center, where we were introduced the local way of life and admired artwork and crafts made by members of the community. The paintings in the gallery, which were characterized by their geometric figures and symbols, each told a story within its two dimensions. The most popular was the story of the Seven Sisters, otherwise known as the Pleidaes, who are being chased by a man who wants to take one of them for himself.
After about an hour of cultural immersion, we headed back to Uluru, where Rael educated us about the geological history of central Australia, which used to be filled by a massive inland sea. Uluru and Kata Tjuta are both products of tectonic plate movement and erosion that collected and remained after the water had evaporated.
Although I normally would have been fascinated by all of this information, the heat and my lack of sleep were starting to hit me, so I was glad when we began our departure to our next campsite at Kings Canyon.
During the three hour trip, we made a few stops, the first being at Curtain Springs, a small rest stop in the middle of the desert. Across the street, we were able to see Mount Conner, which now looks more like a mesa than a mountain after millions of years of erosion.
Next, we took a stop to grab wood for our bonfire that was to be built that night. I almost wish that Rael had not told us that the wood that we were collecting could poison our bloodstream and cause lots of pain if we got a splinter, but that made the activity a bit more thrilling than it otherwise would have been.
Since that was supposed to be our final stop, we were surprised when the bus came to a screeching halt on the side of the endless highway about an hour from our destination. Rael, an avid naturalist, had spotted a thorny devil on the road and rushed to get it out of danger. Calling us all off of the bus, he let us hold the harmless animal for a few seconds each. Then, when we placed it down in the dirt, he advised us that we had to make sure that it was facing the same direction that it had been in the road, so that it would still be en route to wherever it was going. Otherwise, it could get lost and possibly die.
Around 6:00 PM, we made it to our campsite. When Rael asked who would like to be in charge of the fire, Emily leaped to the task, and, although he gave her the duty with apprehension, her skills did not disappoint. The fire made a wonderful means to cook our vegetable stew and a lovely centerpiece for Rael’s didgeridoo performance later that night.
Note: Emily still did not have her bag, but was now equipped with a new t-shirt, a bathing suit bottom (the local store did not sell underwear), and a fancy manual toothbrush that Rael said Virgin Airlines would reimburse her for. Let’s hope that he was right this time…
Day 3: Climbing Kings Canyon
Another early wake-up the next morning brought us to the sunrise at Kings Canyon in Wataka National Park.
During this four-hour walk, it was nice to get a new perspective of the red rocks from above rather than below as we traveled up and around domes and boulders. This activity was definitely my favorite of the entire tour, even though there seemed to be more flies here than anywhere else.
Getting back to the van after our long and early trek, we were ready for our five hour drive to our last destination: Alice Springs. Along the way, we stopped at Erldunda, the “Centre of the Centre” of Australia, where Emily made friends with an emu.
Entering Alice Springs, I got my first look at a real, live kangaroo hopping along the side of the road! A resident of the city, he told us that he had never seen a kangaroo in the area before, so I took this as a good omen.
Once inside the town, we were dropped off at our respective accommodations, ours being The Haven hostel, the exact opposite of a haven, but nothing intolerable for just one night. Before heading out for a final dinner in town with our group, Emily and her bag were reunited! So, we decided that we would risk being late to the reservation so that Emily could finally have a shower and change into new clothes. Good news, she wouldn’t have half as much laundry as I would have when we got home!
Day 4: On the Road Again
Our Easter Sunday started much earlier than we would have liked, with a 4:50 AM bus back to the Uluru airport. Luckily, we were able to sleep for most of the 6 hour drive, because when were not dozing, we resorted to coming up with annoying rock puns and playing thrilling games of I Spy that went a bit like this:
Me: “I spy with my little eye something that is red.”
Emily (After a few wrong guesses): Dirt
Me: “Yes!”
The seemingly endless travel was made a little bit better when Emily was upgraded to Economy X for the troubles with her bag and was told that she would be reimbursed for her clothing purchases! Even I got to reap some of the benefits when she invited me to take the empty seat next to her.
The Countdown Begins
With only one week of classes left, the only things standing between me and the Summer Arch are finals and the daunting 24 hour trip home.
Until then, I have a few things planned, but will mostly be spending my time saying goodbye to my friends and this city that I have come to call my home.
See you soon!
Study in Sydney 