Rain on the Rock

Travelling back in time  .....  2006

In 2006 we travelled from our home in Adelaide to  Uluru (Ayers Rock).  This was our first trip to the Northern Territory and also the longest trip we had done in our van.  We were amazed at how the colour changed depending on the time of day and the weather.  We were fortunate that it rained one day and the Rock took on a totally different colour and the water running off the rock was wonderful to see.

The walk around the base of the rock is about 10.6 km.

Above, the rain on the Rock was spectacular and from a distance it was very different looking and the colour was more of a purple colour.

Uluru is a sandstone rock formation and is 335 km south west of Alice Springs.  Uluru is sacred to the Pitjantjatjara Anangu, the Aboriginal people of the area.  Around the rock there is an abundance of springs, waterholes, rock caves and ancient paintings.

In 2006 tourists were allowed to climb the Rock but were advised that it was a sacred site to the aboriginal people and therefore it was not encouraged.  We respected their culture and didn't climb it but quite a few did.  

It is a very difficult climb, very steep and quite dangerous and many climbers have died from accidents during their trek up the Rock.  There was a chain guided hand rail from "chicken rock"  up to the top but many people didn't venture past Chicken Rock which is the rocky area not far from the base.  

The rock face is steep, the safety chains were installed more than 50 years ago, and there’s no shade to protect climbers from high desert temperatures. It’s also incredibly windy up there. There have been 35 recorded deaths on the Uluru climb, most of them due to heart attacks. (This paragraph was taken from the Internet).

There is now no climbing allowed on the Rock, but you can walk around the base which we did and it was a great walk with lots of caves and interesting things to see.

Linking up with Our Corner of the World

https://myworldthrumycameralens.blogspot.com/