Central Australia

To truly get a sense of what Australia is about one cannot go past Central Australia. The size and beauty of the place is inspiring. Whether it is referred to as the "Red Centre" or the "Heart of Australia" it in many ways embodies the soul of this vast dry continent.

One of the best ways to immerse yourself in the "Red Centre" is a trip to Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. It truelly is the heart of Australia. Uluru(or Ayers Rock) is a place of great spiritual significance. As too is Kata Tjuta(or The Olgas). My favourite part of the NP is the Valley of the Winds at Kata Tjuta. It is a 3 hour trek through a valley and cliff area that shows the rugged beauty of the area. I did the trek this time with my mate Eric on a hot February morning. The heat was relentless as were the flies. We toughed it out and once again enjoyed the valley. Notice the containers of water we carried. More are in the backpack. Also the weird thing on Eric's face is a fly net. He found it a necessaty. I preferred to tolerate the flies and maintain my dignity and not look like an alien.
This shot of my sister looking very cool and trendy was taken within Stanley Chasm which is located west of Alice Springs in the MacDonnell Ranges. The chasm becomes even narrower and it can be quite a claustrophobic feeling standing between two massive chasm walls with only a small sliver of blue sky above you. Stanley Chasm is just one of the many spots to visit in the MacDonnell Ranges and with the campsites in the area you could easily spend a week or two exploring. For the more athletic the Larapinta Trail is considered one of the best long distance walks in Australia, if not, the world. Personally, I prefer driving than walking. After a day in the sun nothing beats a car fridge full of cold drinks.
Doing the Valley of the Winds walk at Kata Tjuta is a photographer's paradise. Even ones like me who aren't that good. This burnt out tree trunk was taken near the end of the walk. How the trunk caught on fire is a mystery. One of the many secret of the outback. When I took this shot rain had recently fallen. As it does after rain, the life giving water had allowed the desert to come back to life. The green of the flora was in sharp contrast to the last time I had been to the Centre. It was brown and lifeless after years of drought.
North of Alice Springs near the town of Tennant Creek is the Devil's Marbles. It's a spot next to the Stuart Highway that is full of boulders. It is a place of spiritual significance to the local Aborigines but to a whitefella ignorant of local Aboriginal dreamtime it looks like a dumping ground for boulders. There is an overnight campground for the weary traveller but you need to get there early as it tends to fill up really quickly. The boulders come in many shapes and sizes and it is easy to see different things in the boulders. I will let your imagination think up a good name for this boulder.
Life can be really tough when you are out exploring. But not in this case. I am sitting by the sandy banks of the Ellery Creek waterhole. It is an easy walk to the waterhole from the carpark. It's in the West MacDonnell Ranges. The water looked very inviting but was a definate no-no. It had floating signs of cattle having been to the waterhole and it was extremely deep. With it being in the desert and being so deep the water was extremely cold. Cold enough to kill a person. In fact, one year a tourist drowned. It was suspected the cold water caused the tourist to get into trouble(probably severe cramp) and he drowned. So as lovely and inviting as the water looks it should only be looked at. Neither drunk or swum.
Even though it is in the middle of the desert Alice Springs does have a river. The Todd River. The only catch is that the Todd is dry at least 95 percent of the time. So getting to see water flowing in the river is a rare occurence. When it does flow it can be a torrent and Alice Springs does get flooded every now and again. When it rains it pours and when it pours it floods. As does most of the outback. Roads are cut and you can be stranded for days, if not weeks. I took this photo of the Todd River after rains had finally broken a drought that had been present for years. I thought the photo was worth taking as it is indeed rare to see the Todd flowing. So rare that a local legend has it that if you see the Todd flowing 3 times you will be destined to live in Alice Springs. So far I have seen it flow twice. Third time lucky maybe.