The Outback

One of the things we really wanted to see in Australia was Ayres Rock or Uluru. We were so discouraged to learn that it was so far away from EVERYTHING! Nonetheless, we knew our experience would not be complete unless we ventured "Outback" to this destination. We flew into Alice Springs first to get a feel for the desert & went straight to the Desert Park Wildlife Center. The Outback is referred to as the Red Center because the sand & rocks of the area are a distinctive red color. It was such a contrast to their beautiful green coastline (much like our Pacific Coast Highway compared to our Grand Canyon).

We learned about the different kinds of plants or "bushtucker" in the area & how the Aboriginals used them for food, medicines, & tools. Witchetty grubs (shown below) are about the size of your pinky finger. They are the white larvae of the ghost moth (native to Australia). They are dug out of the trunks and roots of gum trees - although the very thought of eating grubs may be frowned upon by us, witchetty grubs have been an essential part of the Aboriginal diet for centuries...I'm told they have a "nutty" flavor. I would have to be rather nutty to eat one myself!

Most of the desert animals are nocturnal, but they had a great little indoor Nocturnal Exhibit that kept things pitch black during the day (when people came to see them) & bright as day during the night (so they could sleep when the center was closed to the public). This way we could see the desert animals with a special flashlight scurrying about their simulated habitat. We saw tons of lizards, snakes, & spiders...

   

We also saw lots of small rodent like creatures like the Mala (top) & Bilby (below). The Mala is basically extinct in the wild thanks to the feral cats & rabbits that have been introduced to the area. Australian children celebrate with an "Easter Bilby" instead of an Easter Bunny in protest of the damage caused by feral rabbits to the Australian environment...they seriously sell chocolate Bilbies instead of bunnies.

Of course we saw kangaroos...

...& a marvelous Birds of Prey demonstration! We saw some crazy pink gallars (parrots), a peragrine falcon, a kite & an owl. This ranger had them swooping near our heads & snatching up food from tops of rocks & right out of her hand...pretty awesome!

That evening we went into town to eat at Bojangles. We felt like it was something right out of Crocodile Dundee...

 

The bar stools were saddles & they had boots attached to the ceiling & different bills from all over the world! Pretty crazy...but not near as crazy as the snake crawling around the ice bucket on the bar!!! You could have your picture taken with him for a small donation. You will notice that I DO NOT have a picture with me AND the snake.

We visited an art gallery & learned about aboriginal art...

 

...and we visited the Royal Flying Doctors Service Museum. The Royal Flying Doctor Service takes the finest medical care to Australia's furthest corners so that anyone who lives, works or travels in remote and rural Australia can enjoy the best of health, both 24-hour emergency services and everyday essential health care. Paul & Mike had fun playing in their flight simulators.

That afternoon, we flew into Uluru & took the bus ride to our hotel. I was so excited to get my first glimpse of the Red Rock from a distance...

We hiked to a nearby lookout to gaze on this desert beauty. People told us that we were seeing a rare moment. Uluru is usually surrounded by red desert as the plants tend to blend into the desert floor, but due to the recent rains, it was framed by unusually green shrubs/trees.

That evening we enjoyed a unique experience. We drove to another lookout where we could enjoy a view of both Uluru & Kata Tjuta (or the Olgas, it means many heads). The group was given champagne (or in our case, soft drinks or water) as we listened to a didgeridoo player & watched the sunset. They gave us hors d'oeuvres of crocodile canopies, kangaroo on toast, & veggie California rolls...delicious! Crocodile tastes like tuna & kangaroo tastes like beef.

...then we had a fancy dinner under the southern stars & enjoyed a program called the Sounds of Silence - they turned out all the lights & we could see all the stars in the southern hemisphere...the Milky Way & other constellations were so vivid. We could easily see Jupiter & Mars...it was beautiful!

Bright & early the next morning we drove to a sunrise viewing of Uluru. It was amazing to see the different colors of red as the shadows moved in & out to display such vibrant colors...

Next we drove to the base of Uluru to see it upclose & enjoy the many hiking trails around its 9.4 km girth. We had a guided tour & learned more about the plants, animals, & culture of the "traditional" aboriginal owners...

The Outback is a beautiful place - there is a spirit of cooperation as people strive to preserve this national treasure & world history site.

Last stop...Paul & Mikey went to look for Nemo at the Great Barrier Reef.