Outback

Oh my goodness time goes by really quickly when you're having fun and would really prefer it slow down!!!!
Its been a month since I woke up at 4 am, slipped my compass in my pocket, put on my cowboy hat, and left the coast. It was still dark as we took off, so I got to watch the sun rise over the Australian Outback.
I know there are all these conceptions about the Outback- it being a wild, unforgiving, mysterious place in the middle of a barren wasteland, but its kind of true. It has a funny power over you. Though its anything but a wasteland- miles and miles of vibrant and deeply red dirt often framed by cliffs rearing up out of flat ground like an ancient god rising from a thousand year sleep. Depending on what culture you come from... some of them are. There is also lots of green- spinnifex grass grows green and spiky and absolutely everywhere (they have the exact same characteristics of a cactus. Its simply evolutionary chance that cactus grow in the northern hemisphere and spinnifex grows here) and gum trees of every variety populate areas with water. And there is water- canyons have hidden pools and gullys in creeks are filled with sweet green water that is ice cold. On our ten- day adventure in the middle of Australia's desert we saw wild horses and camels, emus, kangaroos, wallabies, goannas, and hundreds of birds and insects. The Outback is not unforgiving and barren. Its full of life.
Alice Springs is not. We landed in the sleepy town in the morning and by mid- day had seen it all. We climbed a memorial hill and got a view of the place and the surrounding desert. We got a free didgeridoo lesson, and I'm not too bad!!! The trick is to completely cover the end of the 'didge with your mouth so no air escapes. Then you blow a raspberry. Then you try and talk out of the corner of your mouth. And you salivate alot, but thats accidental.
We also visited the Alice Springs Reptile Centre, and got a good look at several fantastic scalies. My favorite is the goanna, the world's second largest monitor lizard. They can grow up to three feet long, and their legs are strong enough to support them, so they walk about kind of like a dog. The goanna in the Centre was looking out of a window and trying really hard to escape, but had no traction on the glass and no upright balance because its so long and slender, so it would just slowly slide over, scrabbling at the glass with its claws. It reminded me so much of the goanna in The Rescuers Down Under that it immediately endeared itself to me, and now I want one.
We found an art gallery featuring some of the incredible Aboriginal Art from the desert. Aboriginal art is fascinating stuff because it is the only art of an indigenous people recognized on an international level. Anyone who thinks of Australian art thinks of Aboriginal art first, but it wasn't artistically recognized until the 1980's. Literally no gallery would take it. It became recognized when some tribal elders painted a representation of the Honey Ant Dreaming on the side of a school, using the traditional dot painting technique used for body painting and ceremonial ground paintings. That got some other tribes and other elders interested in expressing their stories and Dreamings through acrylic paints. The stories behind many of the artists are incredible as well. Many of them, particularly the ones from the deep Outback had no contact with white people until very recently. Many Australian Aboriginal artists recall their first sightings of white people as children. Many of them, particularly members of the Stolen Generation, were removed from their countries (the worst imaginable thing for a person who's culture revolves entirely around the land they have lived in for generations) and their families (also terrible because Aboriginal culture is to live together with the identity of a group. Imagine growing up feeling a constant part of a unit, and then all of a sudden removed and becoming an individual) and made to live in camps or given jobs. Many took up painting as a way of remembering home, or 'country.' Going over each landmark or telling a Dreaming story through patterns was a way to pacify the feeling of neglecting the care of their land and their spirits. Though there are thousands of Aboriginal artists and each of them have a unique style, each and every one of them is a painting of country. A physical, spiritual, and emotional map of their homeland. They are all amazingly accurate as well.
While there I almost vomited in surprise when I saw in person a painting by an artist called Dorothy Napangardi. Just weeks before I had found her unique work on the internet and had written a paper about her painting Sandhills of Mina Mina. All of a sudden there it was. Its a beautiful painting- black background with tiny dots in white, yellow and pink (though from a distance it looks monochromatic) that swirl and wave across the blackness. Its supposed to follow the paths the painter's female ancestors took as they dances across the land years ago, singing to the rainbow serpent. The black represents her desolation at being away.

That was Alice Springs.

Met up with the group the next day- its hot, dusty, and blisteringly dry. I LOVE IT. It reminded me so much of home, and felt so good after so much humidity. We divided and loaded into a 'Ute (Toyota truck- no other vehicles are in the Outbacks but toyotas. Nothing else survives. Toyotas are so important for getting around that several Aboriginal tribes have incorporated them into their modern Dreaming stories), a Troopie and a Land Rover. On top we had piled our gear and our swags, which are zip- up canvas rectangles with a little mattress on the bottom. You put a sleeping bag in there and you are comfy, warm, and dry, and still get to look out at the stars. Best invention of all time. Once loaded, we headed out and didn't see a proper town again for ten days.
Each day was different and held new adventures, but they all had a beautiful pace that didn't really incorporate time. I only used my watch for the light to find my shoes at night. We drove out to Wallace Rock Hole, an Aboriginal community that welcomed us for an evening, told us some stories, taught us to paint using dot- art, showed us some ancient rock art and rock paintings (made by mixing ochre clay with water in the mouth and spitting it onto the rock!) and caught us dinner. We had an amazing 'bush tucker' dinner of rabbit, potatoes, corn, and banana boats, which aren't really native to the Outback. I also got some boomerang practice in, and I'm not as good as I thought I was. Almost killed several people. Or maybe I'm just too good...
Woke up at dawn to watch a breathtaking sunrise, and my first real view of deep Outback. I was shocked, because it reminded me alot of home. I am a creature of the desert, and as such maybe the Outback affected me easiest, but the similarities of desert environments was close enough to make me fall deeply and immediately in love with it. Its uniqueness and wildness helped me love it for itself too.
Today established a pattern for the rest of the trip. Every day I woke up earlier than most to watch the sun rise, though I wasn't alone. Wes woke up too. It was nice to share that with him.
Each was different, and each was beautiful.
Today also establishes when time stops. I'm not really sure what order everything happened in, and I know we did some back- tracking. So I can't remember what we did each day, but here is as faithful a retelling of the things we did do in no particular order of when we did them.

Visited several swimming holes and gorges- Simpson's Gap, Serpentine Gorge, and King's Canyon. The water is glacial, so its ice cold and reeeallly fresh. At one of the Canyons we visited the wide rock pool had tall canyon walls on either side that quickly narrowed into a slot. Swimming up the tiny channel was awesome- the water was deep and dark and the walls were only about two feet wide so you could just barely swim through. They shot up about two hundred feet high, and the evening sun highlighted them in red and gold.

Hiked into and out of several canyons. My favorite was Kings Canyon, a place where wind had carved a magnificent canyon through red and yellow ochre rocks. At the bottom was an Oasis aptly named: Eden.

Ate alot of good food: AMAZING camping food. Bucket lunch, which is essentially taco salad (without the spicy or the beans) plus some milk in a tortilla. Yummy. My favorite was all the different kinds of critters I got to eat!!! Camel, crocodile, emu, bison, rabbit, kangaroo, and some bugs too. Yum! Actually I didn't like the crocodile- tough, gamey, and I thought it tasted a bit like fish. Camel is freakin' delicious. So is 'roo.

We played 'Fly or No Fly.' A game that evolves from lots of time walking together in the Outback where there are thousands and thousands of flies that love to sit on you. Simply walk up to a mate, brush your hand across their back (or hat, face, pants, butt, backpack, swag, dinner) while making a scooping motion. Then smack your fist into your hand to knock out any flies you may have caught. Then the mate you brushed flies off of has to guess if you caught some or not. Its brilliant.

Several people rode camels. I chose not to because it cost lots of money for a little time riding a camel tied behind another one, so instead I patted another one resting in its pen (WILD eyelashes on those guys) and talked to Storm, the camel- keeper, an eight year old Australian boy who has some fascinating philosophies on life.

We sang on hikes. I sketched alot. I have discovered the perfect way to sketch an emu. Lie down, and try to sketch something else. Emus are extremely curious by nature, but don't like direct attention. As soon as I lay down and stopped paying attention to it one came over and got right in my face. In fact it tried to eat my sketchbook. I may have whacked him in defence... sorry emu.

I never thought I would see stars to rival, let alone beat the ones at home. I did. I've seen skies so full of hundreds and hundreds of stars that are blindingly bright and look so close that if I was a bit taller, or perhaps stood on the troopie I could have scooped them into my camping mug. The night skies were so bright that I didn't need a flashlight. It was incredible and I will never forget it. Though since its the southern hemisphere they are different stars, and so home still is champion of the north.

On the third to last day, we went to Uluru. The largest single rock mass in the world. It has recently had its name legally changed from Ayer's Rock back to its name in the local Aboriginal name, Uluru. The change was fairly recent, so all the road signs are spanking new and say 'Uluru (Ayers Rock)- 5 km.' Correcting history is no easy task. Back when it was Ayer's Rock it was really popular to climb, and people came from all over the world to do it, though it was to the dismay of the local Aboriginal people. In their culture Uluru is the scene of a terrible battle between two snake gods during the Dreamtime. The story is heart- wrenching and beautiful, and Uluru is a very spiritually significant place. Its wrong to touch certain parts of it, and many sections cannot be visited by members of the opposite sex (there are men's sections and women's sections) or photographed. Though its still legal, and some people do have the audacity to still climb it, it is highly discouraged. One day it will be phased out of travel brochures and tours, and no one will climb it any more.
Looking at Ayer's Rock, I can understand why someone would want to climb it. Its the largest landmass rising out of hundreds of miles of flat ground. I wanted to climb it and scamper about on the slatted crimson rock surface looking out at the magnificent Outback.
Looking at Uluru however, I can understand how it is sacred and should never be climbed. A mother snake fought an evil one to avenge the early death of her nephew, perishing herself in the effort. Uluru, this magnificent rock rising majestically out of the ground are the ancient remnants of a battle over love.
Does that make sense?

We did get to walk around it, and it was REALLY cool. They had bits of the Dreamtime story placed about at the special parts of the rock that described how it was formed (this part was the track made of blood, these holes were made by throwing hundreds of spears, ect.) Though I admit, I was a touch disappointed, though not surprised, by how touristy Uluru has become. Lots of parking lots, gift shops, and T- shirts that say Uluru but are cleverly disguised as Abercrombie merchandise. Ugh. I am so glad I've seen it, but I was more impressed by other places.

Like Kata Tjuta. Just down the road from Uluru are similar formations of gargantuan rocks rising from the ground. Kata Tjuta are their name, and though the spiritual significance in Aboriginal culture is just as great, for some reason tourists haven't discovered it yet. There weren't any parking lots or shops here! It was wild and harder to get to- and achingly beautiful. I loved it much much more. After a long hike into the rocks we hiked up a hill between them. We spaced ourselves apart so we were walking alone.
By myself in the Outback, walking between two monoliths of red stone, I felt like I had traveled through time and was the first person in the world. I was acutely aware of how small I am, and how short an amount of time I will be here on the planet. I am a blink in the eyes of these magnificent rocks. I thought about the Aboriginal people who have been here for over 40, 000 years, and wondered why though they know so much they are so mistreated in Australian society. When I reached the top, I realized why they had us climb up the valley. Behind me was the most incredible view.... a valley of green and yellow savanna grasses and ghost gums. The day was cloudy and the colors were intoxicating, especially the red of the rocks, which seemed to glow, and radiate quiet strength and timelessness.
I will never forget Kata Tjuta.

The drive back to Alice Springs was sad. I was really dirty, but it was the glorious camping kind of dirty that you are sad to see go down the drain. Though I admit it DID feel pretty good....
Then there was Bojangles Saloon- the last thing to do in Alice Springs. There is a different kind of closeness you get to when you camp with a group of 20 people for ten days in an environment you all are strangers to. You become a temporary community, and regardless of personality types you bond much faster. Take that bond and all those inside jokes to a wild Outback saloon with live snakes in the windows and music that shakes the motorcycle parts on the walls, and add a little liquor, and you can understand just how much fun we had. Oh man.

That concludes my last big Australia adventure. At least the ones I planned. I'm just as excited for the ones I haven't planned. I wish you could have been there.


Did you know: 85 percent of Australia's population lives on 1 percent of its landmass. Think of all the wilderness....