Uluru

Good eye

Emu

Now and again one is presented with an opportunity to witness the glory of the planet. Sometimes it is a place of exceptional spirituality. 

The Olgas, or Kata Tjuta, Aboriginal  holy Site

Other times it may be a great museum. Or it can be a pure geographic spectacularization. When it coms to Uluru, it is a synthesis of all of the above. Our boy Trevor hung out here years back, living with the aboriginals. Lori and I were deeply taken by his communications from this unique spot. 

Uluru = Jerusalem, Lourdes, the Taj Mahal, Benares, Stonehenge, etc. At all of these spots there is a compelling and palpable magic. 

Bottom line - Maori, Aussie aboriginals, Iroquois, Aztec, etc., don’t sell these guys short.

More than just Ants and Termite Issues

Example -  two years back, near to Uluru, (also known as Ayer’s Rock to the spiritually unenlightened) the marketing guys decided to put together a balloon type viewing point. About 5 kilometres away from the holy rock, several hundred grand was spent for a Disneyesque viewing platform. Feasibility studies were completed. Economic analyses positive. It was a financial ‘can’t miss’. Two weeks after  its opening the facility was struck by lightening, rendering the tourist traps a pile of burned and melted rubble. The heap remains on site, a testament to hubris. Don’t fuck with these guys. 

Ever get the feeling that someone is looking over your shoulder?

Every year, despite warnings to not take a souvenir rock home with you and to avoid photographing certain ultra-holy sections of the rock, people abuse. 

The amazing corollary to all this is that 350 people per year return rocks, dust, photos, etc. from the sight, citing an extraordinary run of bad luck since the filtching. While I have amassed a collection of stones and pebbles from places such as Machu Pichu, the Western Wall, Madagascar burial grounds, etc., something very strong in this place said ”Look, but don’t touch”. I obeyed; for once.

The tour we took, pimped the incredible beauty of the Uluru sunset. Unfortunately, the sunset hype has been tagged with what I refer to as the Mona Lisa Syndrome. This personal viewpoint is based on having been told for years how small the famous portrait was. When I ultimately visited the Louvre in 1977 I was astounded at how large Miss Giaconda was. The hype had led me to believe that Mona was the size of a large postage stamp. The colours that reflected off the mountain at sunset were OK at best. Arizona and the California desert has it beat, hands down.

 This does nothing to diminish the sanctity and magnificence of Uluru.  Don’t go for the light show; go for the moment. The legends which explain the specific and unique characteristics of the holy site are culturally fascinating. the aboriginals have been hanging out here for 35,000 years, give or taker a millennia or two. They have no written language, relying on the oral tradition to pass down their history. 

Ancient Pictograms in caves

Numbers are also not de rigeur, Their number system does not go beyond three. Example - “Hey _____ (insert Aboriginal name here), how many kangaroos out there?” “Let me count. One, two, three, many.” 

There are unusual marking on the rock and surrounding areas. Some are caused by nature, others reflect pictographs going back that pre-date Picasso. Here is my take on the legends - may the gods forgive me. Two large fissures and a dark serpentine track on the side of the mountain are the result of a battle between two of the Creators. The Creators are the folks who embodies transmographic beings back in the day. The story is a compelling legend, as are all of the tales surrounding the specific and unique aspects of Uluru.

Here is Bruce the cynic’s interpretation. By way of an old joke. A man is walking in the woods. He sees numerous arrows in various trees. All of them are dead centre of bullseyes painted on the trees. Impressed by the astounding marksmanship, he eventually happens across a young boy, bow and arrow in hand.You’re aim is incredible”, he states. “How do you do this?” The boy answers “I shoot the arrow into the tree and then draw the target around the arrow”. 

Same deal for Uluru. The unique aspects of the rock are already there. The legends were created after the fact to explain/justify the physicality of Tyler placer. That said, I refuse to dismiss the legends 100% out of hand. We live on a strange planet.