The Outback

October 14th, 2006 Heavitree Gap Outback Lodge, Alice Springs, Australia
We in my suite stayed up pretty late watching such movies as High Crimes and Assassins. I think I went to bed around 1:45 and awoke at 5 to be on the bus at 5:30. Yeah, that’s early. Everything was packed and we wouldn’t be returning to the Bridgewater Apartments for three weeks. We drove to the airport where we flew out a few hours later. I slept most of the flight to Alice Springs, which is regarded as the ideal Outback town. Located in the Northern Territory (which is not actually one of the six states of Australia; it’s a territory, hence the name), it is now thriving at 25,000 people, but they only received traffic lights ten years ago. In Bryson’s book, he states that 350,000 tourists come through Alice Springs to see how remote it is. Ironic.
As I exited the plane, the heat hit. And the heat was hot. It wasn’t humid, however, which was a blessing. I think it was a little over 100 degrees. We were picked up by Rory, who would be serving as our bus driver for the duration of our stay. We drove into the sunburned town to the Todd Street Mall. We had a few hours to walk around, visiting the shops of the market-like outdoor mall. A group of Aborigines sat in front of a church. I found a Mediterranean café down an alleyway, and Anna, Abby, Lindsey, and I enjoyed a pleasant little meal.
Following the mall and meal, we drove to the top of Anzac Hill where at an obelisk in honor of the Australians and New Zealanders who died in war. We then checked into our lodge which was nestled in a little niche inside the MacDonnell Ranges. I was put in a room with Will and Derek. The place is rather like a hostel, with two bunk beds. I stood on the balcony, gazing up at the rocky cliffs above me. So, I grabbed my camera and headed up the side of the mountain.
It was incredible. The view from the top was an impressive panorama of the valley. It was a pretty rigorous hike as I hopped from the precariously perched rocks leading to the summit. I traipsed around the top for quite some time. As I explored I saw four rock wallabies hopping down the hills. It was hot up there, but it was worth it. It was good time alone and I got exercise, and I was doing it in the Outback. I swam for a little while afterwards, and then slept for about an hour.
We boarded the bus once more at a quarter after 5 and headed a few minutes down the road to a camel farm. I believe I have mentioned it before, but I still find it remarkable that Australia exports camels to the Middle East. The group was split into two groups. Half rode the camels while the rest of us followed in a bus, and then switched. I was in the second group and it was dark as we rode back to the farm. The trail we took was through a dried riverbed. It rained for a little while as we ended the ride. It only rains in this area twice a year, they said. Dinner was served at the farm, consisting of some incredible steak, as well as camel and kangaroo meat. They were really tasty. I’m going to have to eat those more often.
Tomorrow is another full day of adventure and excitement, and I find myself tired. I believe I will…….zzzzzzzzz.

October 15th, 2006 Heavitree Gap Outback Lodge, Alice Springs, Australia
The first stop of the day was at an Aboriginal culture store. An Aboriginal man gave us a sort of brief history of the culture and the land, explaining the ways in which the indigenous people lived and some still do. I wasn’t overly impressed with this man: he was very defensive about questions asked, and Rich said the guy was very one-sided, much of his information perhaps a little skewed.
We drove back to Heavitree Gap where we were entertained by Aboriginal dancing. It reminded me of Native American or African rituals. Four people, painted with white, danced to the tunes of a didgeridoo and the singing of one of the performers. For those who may not be aware, a didgeridoo is a long wooden tube, hollowed out by termites. Vibration of the lips against the mouthpiece produces an incredible, deep-throated sound.
The Old Telegraph Station was next. This place was originally known as Alice Springs, because when the river filled water would run into a cave in the mountains and then gush out again like a spring. We were led around by an old fellow named Alec Ross, a half-caste. His mother was an Aboriginal and his father was white. He was taken away from his mother when he was one during the years regarded as the Stolen Generations. He was brought to the telegraph station, along with other children. He was one of the best guides we’ve had so far. He was energetic and just plain friendly and would interject his sentences with a “hmm.” He was a boxer in previous years and has “helped” many famous stars as they visited Australia, including Frank Sinatra. It must have been an interesting life living in the bush long ago, secluded.

October 16th, 2006 Outback Pioneer Lodge, Yulara, Australia
Our next stop was the School of the Air. This is quite an interesting place. Several are located around the country, and they serve as centers for education for children living in the Outback. Australia is huge, and those who live on the middle of cattle stations (ranches) just simply cannot get to a school. Some of these stations are as big as Belgium. The Northern Territory can fit Great Britain, Japan, and Texas into it. So, to educate these children the School of the Air was invented, in which a teacher would speak to students using the radio. A few times a week children would gather around their radios with their microphones and participate in class. Now that technology has advanced, computers and webcams are used. Parents, or hired tutors, serve as teachers during the week to monitor the students’ schooling. Regarded as the biggest classroom in the world, the School of the Air covers a gigantic area to reach these students.
We continued on to the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia. Now covering more than 7,150,000 sq. kilometer, it was begun in the 1920s by the Reverend John Flynn. In similar fashion to the School of the Air, this service also reached to the people cut off from others by the extensive cattle stations, but instead of education this provided medical assistance. Doctors fly in to the remote areas and land on the runways of the stations. Sounds like a pretty adventurous and daring service. Sounds like something my dad would want to do.
Following the RFDS, we returned to our lodge where we had some free time. I slept. I’m definitely an advocate of naps. Not gonna lie. At 5:30, we gathered in the main room of the lodge located in the middle of the complex where we had communion and spent some time in prayer. A buffet-style dinner followed this in the tavern adjacent to the lodge, and a very entertaining reptile show accompanied the meal. The guy speaking had been bitten by one of the most poisonous snakes in the world during a show and it took six bottles of anti-venom to save his life.
I spent some time talking with Rory, our driver. He was raised on a cattle station in Victoria and worked in the mines for quite some time in Western Australia. Many of his mates were killed in the mines. He worked in the Northern Territory for awhile before becoming a tourist driver based in Darwin. He’s attempting to get a government job drilling water wells. He’s a very sturdy Australian sort of guy.
We boarded the coach and headed back into town, returning to Todd Street Mall where we attended the Sounds of Starlight Didgeridoo Show. Andrew Langford is internationally known as an incredible didgeridoo player, and that he is. A tall fellow with long blonde hair and a mustache, he plays that thing like he’s rocking out. He has worked out in the Northern Territory for some time, spending time with Aborigines, learning their culture. He struck me as a New Age type, a kind of “I embrace all creatures equally” person. The didgeridoo was accompanied by two other musicians playing the percussion drums, synthesizers, guitar, and a very sweet contemporary drum set (though they weren’t playing them all at the same time). It was an absolutely amazing musical show. It was some of the best music I’ve heard in awhile. It made me happy. Immediately after the show, I bought a CD and had it signed by Andrew Langford. I’m a big advocate of that style of music.

We left Alice Springs pretty early this morning. I slept the first hour of the trip until we pulled off the highway to a little secluded collection of buildings known as Jim’s Place. The place is famous because of Jim’s pet dingo: it sings. Annie played the piano as Dinky jumped upon the keys and began wailing along with the tune. Impressive, but the poor animal sounded like it was dying. This dingo is known around the world for its ability, and even has a question about him in Trivial Pursuit. And it sounded like it was dying.
I slept a lot more on the bus until I couldn’t sleep any longer and continued my reading of Vengeance. It’d been awhile, and I had missed it. In the early afternoon, we pulled off the road to stretch our legs. I walked down a little dirt path (the dirt is actually red here, and it’s cool) to a long wire fence. Out in the distance I saw Uluru rising out of the flat terrain. It was an impressive site. Uluru (or Ayers Rock) is the largest monolith on earth, standing at 1,142 feet, and the circumference of the bus is 5.5 miles. Two-thirds of this thing is underground. It’s really big. And it is red. The iron oxide of this gigantic rock reacts with the atmosphere and oxidizes, producing the rusty color.
We arrived in Yulara around lunchtime. Yulara is the resort town constructed to accommodate the tourists who come to visit Uluru. We ate lunch in a café before checking into the Outback Pioneer Lodge, again setup in a hostel-style. Derek, Will, and I were again placed together in a room; specifically in room 810 of Building number 2. Just thought I’d throw that in there.
At 3:30 we boarded the coach again, this time accompanied by Isaac, a local guide. He had long hair, a thickish beard, and a hat with a feather in it. Intense. We drove into the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, explaining the flora and fauna of the land. We drove round the base of this beautiful natural wonder as Isaac explained the Aboriginal stories behind the origins of Uluru, as well as stories behind the cracks and caves and dents in the rock. We hopped out of the bus and continued on foot to the base of the rock, coming to the small waterhole where William Christe Gosse, the first European to find Uluru (and the person who named it Ayers Rock after the governor of New South Wales), began his climb to the top. Isaac began to tell us more stories of the ‘origins’ of the place. They were very intriguing and intricately woven legends. They involved giant animals who created mountain ranges and valleys and rivers by their movements. The MacDonnell Ranges were formed by a giant caterpillar, and streaks on Uluru were made by a snake, which can now be seen in the form of an unusually-shaped rock at the base of Uluru. According to one Aboriginal belief, this rock was made by two boys who, upon finding a waterhole, made a large mud hill. They climbed to the top of it and slid down, raking their fingers through the mud. Over time, the mud hardened into the solid rock seen today. Scientifically, Uluru is known as a bornhardt (or bonhardt, I can’t remember exactly). This refers to the erosion of an area with the exception of the centerpiece.
We drove to a lookout point where we could enjoy the sunset. Isaac told another story in a traditional way by drawing it in the sand. We had refreshments such as some very delicious apple-flavored drinks, as well as crackers. The best part, though, was the tzatziki and hummus into which we could dip said crackers. Yes.
The sun, of course, sets in the west, but Uluru is in the east. What is spectacular, though, is the light the fading sun casts on the rock, causing the redness to glow brilliantly. Every few minutes, the rock would turn another shade of red. William and I acted like crazy young children, and it was fun. I think we’re basically the same age, which is probably why he likes me so much.
We returned to our lodge where we had dinner. But this was no ordinary dinner. It was a make-it-yourself dinner. We received our meat (in my case, chicken breast fillet and emu sausage) and found our way to the grills. I admit I do not have extensive experience in grilling, because I usually just allow my dad to do it. He’s pretty good, so why get in the way of a good thing like that? But I will say that I did a fabulous job and it tasted downright sumptuous. I was proud.
It wouldn’t be unwise to sleep at this point, though Derek, Will, and I are cracking some pretty mean jokes (and by that I am saying they’re funny). However, tomorrow morning many of us are climbing Uluru and Rich asked yesterday if I would like to run with him. Lots of good exercise awaiting tomorrow. The hike is going to be one incredible experience, and I want to be awake enough to enjoy every single dangerous second of it.

October 17th, 2006 Outback Pioneer Lodge, Yulara, Australia
I awoke bright and early this morning at 6:30. We had breakfast inside the park at the Cultural Centre in a room with a very striking view of the rock. The meal consisted of croissants of various shapes and fillings and cereal. I’m not typically a breakfast-eater, preferring to sleep in. However, since we all actually had to go to breakfast this time, I took full advantage of it.
Most of the group wanted to climb the rock, but the few who didn’t would have the opportunity of walking around the base and then returning to the lodge. I was not one of those people. I could not wait to begin hiking up this bloody thing. As we pulled up to the spot where we could begin the ascent, I could see how 48 people have died climbing this thing (I’m not sure of the timeframe which encompasses that number, but that’s still quite a few unfortunates). It’s a steep incline and smooth because it’s one massive rock, so footholds would be rather scarce. There was a rope of some sort part of the ways which would provide some aid. But one step too far on either side and someone could pretty easily slide right off. In reality, I feel certain the people who sadly perished while climbing were probably not following the preferred path, or were not physically fit for the endeavor and fell to one side. Even so, it was going to be an adventure, and I wasn’t complaining.
I have read and been told that the Aboriginal owners of the land do not want people crawling all over Uluru, calling tourists “ants.” It is a sacred site and the owners wish that people will respect that by not climbing. I do respect that, but I’m still going to climb it. I want to respect by climbing, being able to experience it and appreciate the culture that cherishes this site. Besides, they charge 25 bucks to get in, and I seriously doubt everyone buys those tickets just to look at it, though beautiful it may be. If they don’t want me to climb it, they shouldn’t have it open for me to climb. And they are getting a cut of that ticket money, so I suppose it’s not so incredibly sacred. I wanted to add it to the list of cool places I’ve climbed: Masada in Israel; the monasteries of Meteora, part of Mt. Olympus, and Lykavitos in Greece; Mt. LaConte in Tennessee; the Great Wall of China; the High Place of Petra in Jordan. Not a terrible list. And this was a great day to do so. A blanket of clouds served as a protective covering from the heat of the sun, and it was early enough in the morning that the heat wouldn’t be oppressive even without them.
My heart sank suddenly as I saw a sign almost as disgusting and revolting as the one saying the Louvre was closed when we visited: due to a prediction of rain, the rock was closed to climbers. I wanted to be really frustrated, so I did. I couldn’t believe it. If it was going to rain, it would be quite some time before it did (I ended up being right: it rained furiously late in the afternoon, long after we would have descended). I was going to miss my chance. However, Dr. Byram assured us that we would try again tomorrow morning, and we would go very early because we were actually flying out to Melbourne. As long as I am able to get up the darn thing I don’t care what time of the day it is. In case I didn’t mention it, I was frustrated.
Before we realized it was closed, William came up beside me and said, “Donathan, I don’t wunt you tuh cwimb.”
I asked him why.
“Becuz it’s swippery and you cuhd fall off and die.”
Fortunately, there were other exciting things to see. We drove further into the park until we came to mighty Kata-Tjuta, which means “many heads.” It is aptly named, because this string of massive rocks contains thirty-six domes. I didn’t actually count thirty-six of them, but there were a lot of domes and they were large. These colossal boulders (the European name is the Olgas, named by some eastern European botanist for his queen) rise out of the ground, completely alone, surrounded only by shrubs and small trees and, of course, the red dirt. I must say I was just as impressed by these as I was by Uluru. A large canyon exists between two of them through which we were able to walk. It wasn’t the same as a hike, but the ground was rocky and difficult and the sheer size of the solid rock walls on either side was rather stimulating, at least enough to make me forget for a little while my disappointment about the “poor weather.” Once, the canyon went all the way through to the other side of Kata-Tjuta, but a rock fall now prohibited this. I liked Kata-Tjuta immensely.
This is a big park. It took us thirty to forty-five minutes to drive back out of it to our hotel. Because of our failed mission to climb, we had almost six hours of free time. I had a fruit salad or lunch, taking into consideration the large breakfast, as well as the same delicious grilled dinner in which we are once again partaking this evening. I went for a leisurely swim and then went to find a cool shirt I could buy. I took a free bus into the shopping center of Yulara, along with Ms. Pam and Mrs. Byram. I had a hard time finding one I wanted, because they are really expensive. Everything in Australia is expensive. That’s one downside about this place. And some of the ones I liked ended up being only in smalls or in XXs. I finally found one as the rain which I predicted would fall later in the day began pouring down outside.
At around 5 I met Rich and we went for a run. We had originally wanted to go out to Uluru and run around the base, but it would have cost a boatload to get a ride out there, and we didn’t feel right about asking Rory (or Roars, which is what his friends call him) to drive thirty minutes out so two guys could go running. We found some good paths around the lodge, though. Running along the red dirt of the Outback, through bushes and shrubs with UIuru and Kata-Tjuta out in the distance, is a very pleasant place to run. We didn’t run for a very long time and ended up walking for a bit. We talked about the temperament and condition of the group and of the unfathomable mindset of wishing to be back home. I understand missing family and friends, but why waste the time here, in stinkin’ Australia (!), wishing you were back there when, as soon as the fun of returning home and being unique and the center of attention wears off, you will settle back into “the routine” and say to yourself, “Gosh, it sure would be nice to be back in Australia.” Also, we discussed the hope that everyone has been stretched spiritually on this trip, and that ideas have been expressed that will open people’s minds. I hope we have all learned something about God, or at least felt closer to him, through this trip.
The group drove to a little station a few minutes away where we attended a Desert Predators show. We were shown several different types of lizards, snakes, a baby kangaroo (or joey), and two dingoes. We were also given the opportunity to pet each of these animals. The pythons were pretty cool. I could feel their muscles tensing and relaxing as they slithered.
We again enjoyed the grilled dinner, and I again made a very satisfying meal. As we ate, we were serenaded by a live performer who played songs by the Beatles, James Taylor, and Oasis. Smooth.
Katie, Felicity, Morgan, and I hopped onto the free bus and rode into Yulara, browsing some of the other resorts’ souvenir stores. We then walked back on one of the dirt paths to the lodge. Morgan is not one for walks in the dark, so we were all packed together like the companions of The Wizard of Oz. For some reason, someone began talking about falling in love, and I voiced my “dislike” for the phrase. It’s not really that I dislike it; it’s just good to realize what it really means and what it is trying to represent. To say you “fell in love” implies you can “fall out” of love, which implies love is not a commitment. Love is a choice and a promise to someone. Yes, love does include attraction and the fuzziness and all that jazz, but what about those days when the fuzziness ain’t there? Perhaps people don’t always see it that way, and I was accused of thinking too much in this case, but that’s okay. I don’t mind the phrase as long as we understand what love really is: more than just physical attraction, it is a sincere friendship and a commitment. And now we’ll have our closing hymn.
The four of us ended up at the common room of the lodge, located in the middle of the complex. We sat on the couches and talked about random things and people and I actually don’t remember a whole lot because it wasn’t that serious. Just good ole’ brain-numbing conversation.
Tomorrow begins early by boarding the bus at 6 AM to return to Uluru and attempt to climb it once again. If it’s closed again I will very put out.

October 18th, 2006 Quest Apartments, Melbourne, Australia
Once again, I was up early, rising before the sun. I decided to forego taking a shower, seeing as how we would have time later and we were going to go climb the rock. The air was chilly, which was preferred to it being blazing hot. The number of climbers had diminished, probably on account of getting up so early. Tisk tisk.
And once again we drove into the park and over to the rock, the colors of the early morning still hanging in the air. As we pulled into the parking lot, we noticed the sign placed in front of the climbing path. Uluru was closed due to the weather. I couldn’t believe it. There was a slight wind, and that was it. There was nothing at all to be concerned about. The owners of this land anger me. If they really don’t want people to climb it, then just close the darn thing and be done with it and stop pretending that the weather is the reason. I wanted to spit, and I think I did, but it was early and I can’t really remember.
When we returned I went for a run for two reasons: a. because I wanted to exercise, and b. to burn off the steam of my anger. I ran for almost thirty minutes, so it was getting close to three-and-a-half miles. I enjoy running there. I went into the living communities of the workers in Yulara. I think it would be cool to spend six months or a year working in the Outback.
Upon completion of my steam-reducing, energy-burning run, I showered and enjoyed some fruit and croissants for breakfast. I then slept for about an hour-and-a-half before we headed to the airport. We said goodbye to Rory and began another flight. During our three hour flight, I finished Vengeance. It was a powerfully moving book. It’s hard to belief it’s a true story. The world of espionage and terrorism is a little more complicated and dangerous than some of the James Bond movies would have us believe, although the new Bond looks a little more gritty and realistic. Good book.
We had a three-and-a-half hour layover in Sydney where I explored the airport, finding a kebab to eat and a bookstore to browse. Our flight from Sydney to Melbourne was a little over an hour, and I began reading The Prestige, regarded as one of the best mystery/thrillers in the last twenty years. It’s absolutely captivating and just plain weird. The movie is coming out this month, starring Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman. Definitely going to be good.
In the airport we were met by Heather, Claire, and our long lost, amiable, white-bearded, and knee-high socked bus driver Colin. We loaded up onto another coach and drove into the dark city, arriving at the Quest Apartments for the night. These are very comfortable accommodations. Darren, Derek, Will, Pierre, and I are in one suite together. I like this place.