


	02/07 /2001

	Uluru - Ayers Rock

	S 25°14 E 130°58

	+ 58

Yesterday night, we discussed for a long time with two nice and young journalists: Kirsty, from ABC, a national radio, and Lex, photographer for the 'Centralian Advocate' a newspaper that will publish an article about us on Friday.

This morning, we get up at 6.30, tired but stimulated: the Car@van goes today to Ayers Rock, the sacred place of Uluru. In Australia, the distances are huge and the 500 km we have to cover become relative. It's a real pleasure to drive on these roads, straight asphalt lines, pointed to the infinity.

We feel sometimes like we'll never arrive, but suddenly, after a long curve along a hill, appears the incredible red monolith, coming right out of a dream.

Uluru raises majestically in front of our humble eyes.

At 1.00 pm, we arrive at the Uluru's Kata Tjuta Cultural Center to meet Greg, our official guide. After short presentations, the Australian ranger enumerates a long list of forbidden things, as well as the sacred points we won't be able to film or to photograph. Indeed, when Uluru was given back to the Aborigines - the monolith and lands around had been confiscated until 1985 - they asked the tourists not to make any photo nor to film their sacred place (all the northern side, and a cavern on the southern side). Moreover, they asked not to climb Uluru; but a long rope fixed on the cliff encourages many tourist to do it.

We would have liked to climb or to film everything about Uluru - also for you, Virtual Traveler - but we respect the restrictions and recommendations of the Aboriginal People.

Walking around the Monolith, we discover many caves, with more or less recent paintings, and a natural spring. Around us, the huge red stones with strange shapes, almost supernatural, are believed to be sacred elements by the Aborigines.

We walk a few hours, fascinated by the incredible Monolith. But it's already time to go: Greg controls that we haven't filmed anything forbidden.

We'll go back tomorrow in order to catch the energy and the mysteries of the place ... maybe without a guide.

Now watch the video and you'll understand.

At sunset, we go out of the resort for a long and mystical walk. In front of us, the moon illuminates Uluru, 20 km away.

On the road, we imagine meeting an Aborigine, who walks quickly in the dark. We decide to follow him for a while.

After one kilometer of silence, he explains he comes quite often here with friends and family. He waits for all the tourists to be back in their hotel, after an ultimate picture, when the red rock becomes purple, brown and finally black.

When the place is empty, he goes at the bottom of the sacred Mount. There he prays in silence in the dark.

We'd like to know more, but he makes us understand he wouldn't tell more about the mysteries and secrets of his people.

Comments about Uluru:

The only way to understand Uluru is to come and see it. The images we show you are not enough. Nicole

The energy of this place is very strong... and it's the second time I come here ! Vale

One of the places in the World where we can feel the presence of a superior entity. Theo

Alice Springs, that was a time a border city, is today an open air art gallery. The galleries owners buy for a few dollars Aboriginal paintings and sell them at outrageous prices to collectors from the whole world.

But it's also in this place that the indigenous spirituality takes its strength, following the Songlines. The Aboriginal Sacred Mount is only 500 km in the south west. Ayers Rock, 348 m high and 9 km circumference, the world's greatest monolith.

A lot was written about this place and the opinions are divided. The Car@van is on an official tour and some government's representatives supervise our articles.

But what we can say is that this place seems outside of the World, in the center of an extraordinary and magnetic thing.

We'll wake up at Dawn to be on chat with you and see the sun raise behind Uluru.

And we have to realize your choice: show on the road... like Priscilla.

Go on now on the voting form to decide on our next steps. Catch you later, Dude!


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