When the alarm goes off at 4.15am your first thought is to wonder why you signed up for the "Uluru at Dawn" tour especially when night time desert temperatures are pretty close to zero degrees. At 6am when we arrived at the viewing platforms in the dark, wearing all the clothes we had brought with us we were possibly still thinking the same. Gradually however as our eyes could focus on what was before us we knew it had been the right thing to do. Uluru gradually appeared out of the gloom, at first all dark and broody, then soft and moody until the moment the sun hit and it shimmered in all it's red glory. Definitely worth a bit of sleep deprivation for that experience.
Today we focussed on the Aboriginal Heritage and Culture deeply imbedded in this part of Australia learning lots of fascinating stories connected with the land and the rocks. We took a walk to see some ancient rock art and spent time art the Aboriginal Cultural Centre. When the settlers came to central Australia they assumed ownership of the land ignoring 40 thousand years of aboriginal existence here. There were years of conflict during which time the aboriginal people were forced into settlements well away from Uluru and their most sacred lands. This was particularly hard for nomadic people with very different outlooks on life and the land ownership than ours. Eventually the government of Australia recognised all the wrongs that had been done over the years and began to hand land back to its traditional owners. This National Park is jointly managed by its traditional owners and Parks Australia making it possible for the likes of us to come for just a few hours and experience all it's wondrous beauty. Tonight we go back out into the desert for a dinner under the stars with a talk about the southern sky at night. It will be amazing I'm sure and we will be sure to wrap up warm again. Meanwhile the pool beckons...