Meeting Uluru up close for the 1st time- Sunday 29th July

Awoke early as kids were still asleep until around 8am, so I have a coffee in bed before I get up, it’s a wonderful thing these holidays, just taking it easy. We wanted to get to Uluru by 10am for a guided tour and a walk. It is a walk taken by a ranger who is very knowledgeable. About 50 people take the walk, as it’s a free tour. As none of us have ever been to Uluru before its just fascinating seeing people walk up this huge rock. Its like they are walking almost horizontal as its so high up. The aboriginals prefer you didn’t walk the rock and we respected that and didn’t do it. The talk started out all about the aboriginals and how many different languages within the aboriginals groups. It was funny when Oliver whispered to me,” She hasn’t even spoken about Uluru yet”, he must of felt he was at school listening carefully but hadn’t quite come to the part about Uluru yet. It certainly was a well worth tour and so interesting learning about the trees surrounding the rock and how they grow berries that the aboriginals grind to make syrups or for medicinal purposes, like numbing the skin if they have an infection. There was another walk and that was the 10km one around the base of Uluru, however Lily would never do it, so after returning back to camp for a bite to eat Mark and Dylan wanted to do that one. I dropped them off and they said see you in about 3 hours. Oliver, Lily and I went back to the cultural centre where there is so much to see and do. Both Lily and Oliver purchased items from the handmade aboriginal art shop, Lily some hand carved wooden musical sticks and Oliver a carved wooden animal. Just outside the shop are 3 aboriginal women who sit for hours painting the most magnificent art and they talk in their language. No photos or videos are to be taken at the cultural centre out of respect for the Aboriginals. Lily was frightened of these women; I guess they do look a little scary, as they aren’t exactly pretty women. (Sorry). Lily would hide around the corner as we watched them paint. We sat in the glorious sunshine and ate an icy pole. A video and stories of the Aboriginals was playing in a small theatre area and Lily and Oliver wanted to watch. It was a traditional aboriginal with the painting of the body, and when 2 women appeared with no tops on, both Oliver and Lily, had a giggle to each other, at the women in the video, bits were a wobbling a fair bit.

Time to go and we’ll get some more souvenirs , like postcards etc and I purchased for Dylan when he finished a certificate that he respected the aboriginals and ‘I did not climb Uluru but I did the Base walk around it, 10km. When I gave it to him he was really happy and a sense of pride he had done it. Sore legs tonight for Mark and Dylan, so they are already asleep. Lily finally had a full pamper with her hair and got rid of most of the red dust off her body tonight with a glorious soak in a tub. It was a tight squeeze but we got there and I can for now see the color of her skin, not that faint orange red dust. The dust gets in everywhere, and I think I must be breathing it in. For those who didn’t know I had really bad bronchitis before going away and a bad cough, can you believe it, I still have it and a cold to match. 10 weeks and counting. Can’t wait for warmer weather as we move up. Here I am again last awake all snuggled up in bed. Our day tomorrow starts before sunrise as we want to see it rise and then out to the Olga’s for more beautiful sights

 Here Dylan and Oliver try there hand at balancing the bowl the Aboriginal women would use when out picking fruit and collecting and using them to grind the food to make syrups of cordial type drinks.I think the boys did it easy, don't you think by these photos.