Broome or Bust

 A memorable day for Jeffrey. Lots of photos were taken, but we'll only put up a few (phew!)  Aboriginal people have lived in the area around Uluru and Kata Tjuta for at least 30,000 years.Anangu Culture has always existed here. The Central Australian landscape (of which Uluru and Kata Tjuta are an important part) is believed to have been created at the beginning of time by Ancestral Beings.Uluru and Kata Tjuta provide physical evidence of feats performed during the creation period. Anangu are the direct descendants of these beings and are responsible for the protection and appropriate management of these ancestral lands. (see  https://parksaustralia.gov.au/uluru/discover/history/ ) The morning commenced with a 5.30am bus pickup from the campground and the resort hotels and then to the viewing platforms. Although not conducive to a contemplative mood at sunrise, the platforms have stopped chaotic parking along the road and the random scuttling of tourists keen to get a good shot. W

 It was another hot day, and we spent a lot of time throwing water over Chops and wet towels over ourselves. But in the morning, before the heat rolled in, we had a tasty breakfast at one of cafes and Gayle looked at the three galleries at the resort. As mentioned yesterday, Uluru - Kata Tjuta National Park is closed today for Sorry business. So very little else to add except the sunset photos taken from some of the lookouts at the resort, about 15 km from Uluru. No doubt, many people have their own photos, but this is Jeffrey's first visit here. Uluru Sunset from Ayers Rock Resort Kata Tjuta Sunset from Ayers Rock Resort

Today we are on the lands of the Anangu people.  At the Erldunda Roadhouse  After an overnight at the Roadhouse and using the cool morning for a walk, we set off for Ayers Rock Campground and Uluru.  Artilla (Mount Connor), on the road to Uluru Artilla lies close to the site of the Kungkarangkalpa (Seven Sisters) Dreaming.  This was quite a thrill for us as we have a painting telling the story of the Seven Sisters In The Milky Way by Collete Gray, that we purchased in Ceduna a few years ago. The Seven Sisters refers to the star cluster Pleiades which is important to many peoples around the world.  We will be having a quiet day tomorrow. The respectful closure of Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park will take place in acknowledgement of the passing of Mrs N. Patterson, a senior Anangu Traditional Owner and Traditional Owner of Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. However we did make it to the Uluru Lookout near the campground for a sunset viewing of Uluru.

 Today we are on the lands of the Luritja people. We drove for what to us is now to the short drive of 200km from Alice Springs to Erldunda Roadhouse, situated at the turnoff to Uluru.  We don't know why these emus are in captivity, but they were keen to share in the emu food pellets (who knew?) sold by the roadhouse. According to the information panels: The Emu is the second largest bird in the world after the Ostrich.  Emus can grow as tall as 2 metres (6.5 feet) and weigh up to 50 kilograms (110 pounds).  Emus in captivity can live up to 20 years of age.  In the wild the average lifespan of an Emu is less than 10 years.  The calf muscles of an Emu enable them to run long distances, as quickly as 50 kilometres an hour (30 miles).  Emus are omnivores and eat a variety of fruits, insects, flowers and seeds.  Emus cannot fly, but they are great swimmers and love to play in water and mud. That's all very interesting, but it is rather hot.

In 1978 Gayle visited the indigenous homeland Utopia, also known as Urapuntja and Amengernterneah. It is one of the minority of communities created by autonomous activism in the early stages of the land rights movement. Today, Gayle returned to the Mbantu Gallery, where we had spent some time yesterday, having decided that it would be very personally fulfilling to purchase some works from the women of Utopia.  Emily Pwerle, Women's Business In a happy coincidence, Helen and Johan, friends from our Port Fairy Folk Festival Group, were also in Alice Springs. Johan and his friend John had just completed a few days walking on the Larapinta Track in what turned out to be unseasonably hot weather, so congratulations Johan and John. On the Larapinta Trail (photos by Johann) We enjoyed a catch-up with them at Todd Mall. And in another coincidence, we discovered that Johan, John and Jeffrey had all been involved in the Franklin River campaign, Johan and John as trainers, Jeffrey as a mere f

It is a cooler day in Alice Springs. Probably the first mid 20s we have had since Perth. We went for a stroll along the banks of the Todd River. It is completely dry now, but this apparently can change dramatically during the wet season.  Red Gums line the dry, wide bed and we must say that we enjoyed the lower temperature. The forecast is back to a dry 33 degrees tomorrow, but at present we have thunder and rain. By chance on our walk we came across IAD Press and had a very interesting chat with the staff. We found out that The Institute for Aboriginal Development (IAD) was founded 52 years ago to teach classes on Aboriginal language, law, health and other topics to help all people understand each other and live together. IAD Press began very small -- by publishing learning resources for IAD classes using early copy machines. Those class worksheets gradually grew into full course curricula, and continued to grow into textbooks for IAD students, and finally into textbooks for students

 We revisited the Araluen Arts Centre to look inside The Museum Of Central Australia. The Stockman was handcrafted by artists of Tapatjatjaka Arts Centre  based on original artwork by Johnny Young Yeperenye Grand Circle Sculpture ... Inside the sculpture We also learnt that the complex creation of the MacDonnell Ranges, which line Larapinta Drive on the way to Hermannsburg, began about 430 million years ago and peaked about 315 million years ago, but continues to the present in the form of erosion and localised faulting.  The MacDonnell Ranges did not exist until about 320 million years. And so we drove west from Alice Springs 100 kms to the Hermannsburg Historic Precinct, where Albert Namatjira was born and lived.  The Hermannsburg Lutheran Mission was established in 1877 and was the initial point of contact between Western Arrarnta and European cultures. Its most famous leader Pastor Carl Strehlow under whom most of the surviving buildings were constructed in the late 1890s. The buil

We spent the morning at Araluen Arts Centre, part of the Araluen Cultural Precint of galleries, theatres, museums and a sculpture park. We were thrilled to see an exhibition featuring the work of Albert Namatjira and other works from its permanent collection, including two from John Wolseley, one of Gayle’s favourite artists.  Albert Namatjira, Mount Sonder with Corkwood Tree 1944 Albert Namatjira (1902–1959) is almost certainly Australia’s most famous Aboriginal artist and became renowned for his ability to embody his country using watercolours in a way not seen before. Namatjira had the unique capacity to capture the light, vivid colour, beauty and even the essence of Central Australia and capture the imagination of many . Clifford Tjapaltjarri Possum, Mulga seed Tjukurpa 1983 John Wolseley Map of 32 days, 17 August – 17 September 1978, Palm Creek, Northern Territory 1980 Emily Kam Kngawarray Awely 1992 We'll be back at Araluen tomorrow to take in the other venues and hopefully f