Western Australia & Uluru 2016

It occurred to us one day to go to Western Australia & Uluru.  I think it started with the thought that neither of us had travelled across the Nullarbor.  It seemed somehow “unaustralian” to live your entire life in this grand continent and never to traverse it east to west.

The seeds were thus sown for a big Aussie Western Australia & Uluru trip.  And it was time to return to desert lands.  I love the desert.  T.E. Lawrence once wrote:

“The call of the desert to the thinker of the city has always been irresistible.  I don’t think they find God there … but they hear more distinctly in solitude the living verb they carry within themselves.”

We had six weeks for our Western Australia & Uluru roadtrip.  So we planned to follow the coastline from our home in Torquay all the way to Perth camping as much as possible by the beach.  We would then travel north to Kalbarri before heading inland on the Great Central 4WD Track to Uluru.

The back way

Approaching Kata-tjuta from the west was one of the highlights of our trip.  To arrive at Uluru “the back way” was to see this amazing place as God had intended.  Approaching this way, the many heads of Kata-tjuta were like sentinels watching over the sacred land and guarding the crossing to Uluru.

I had not wanted to return to Uluru.  It had been forty years.  In those days you could camp beside the rock.  There was a dirt road from Uluru to Alice Springs.  In those days it was a beautiful and carefree place to be.

Today there is lots of control.  Lots of signs saying “DO NOT …”  Rangers do not intermingle with visitors … the aboriginal people do not intermingle … the entrance booth is behind security glass … the police presence feels bullying and aggressive … and the whir of helicopters is intrusive.

But … despite this … despite all of this … Uluru is a very magical place.  It was wonderful to be back here.

Please click on a photo to enlarge the scrolling gallery.