Uluru is a single rock, which formed over millions of years, and consists of layers of sedimentary rock, which was tilted by the movements in the earth’s crust, so that those layers are now vertical. Try to imagine a book lying flat, with all its pages horizontal, then tip that book upright – its pages are now vertical. This is Uluru. And what we can see is just the tip (‘the tip of the iceberg’).
Its surface is orange, however its core is grey. When the rock is exposed to the air, the iron within its structure literally rusts, and you can see every shade of orange and red within its beautiful facade.
And it’s GARGANTUAN. I never imagined it would be this big! Imagine your house, then put 100 houses on top, and you’re roughly there. But not just in height (which is 350m), its breadth is also impressive (3.6km x 1.9km, or 9.5km around).
We decide to do the ‘base walk’ – 11km right round the rock itself. This is an extremely pleasant walk: around sacred ground (which you are not permitted to photograph in some areas) and amongst the local flora (which is currently as green as any pasture, bursting with seeds and flowers); and around every corner is a new photographic opportunity.
Four hours of bliss, of being gobsmacked, of shaking your head and smiling and being utterly lost for words, of telling your walking partner to wait wait wait while you take another photo, of craning your neck to see up up up as you spot birds flying miles in the air or a shrub which has found a spot of dirt and water high up the cliff face..... this place is absolutely, utterly beautiful.
Showed Nanna this site - she was blown away. She spent over 2 hours, studying every photo, reading most things, and still got only back to mid-Jan. She's been to The Rock several times and was fascinated by your experiences. She also loved the dress-ups, rodeo, amazed at your excellent wildlife photos. PS. Congrats Jase, on the job.
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