Uluru

Uluru. It is a majestic place. It feels more visiting Notre Dame or perhaps I should compare it to the temple at Karnak. Something ancient, built to an alien design, imposing, and serene.

After visiting the culture center, we gained a tiny glimpse of what this enormous rock means to the people who have lived here, in this place, for perhaps 22,000 years.



It is carved by wind and water but the dreamtime stories recall snakes and male and female influences. Geologists note that the amount of rock under the surface is huge, extending down perhaps 6 km. This makes what we see insignificant by comparison. Yet, on a human scale, it is gigantic.

The layers of sediment laid down eons ago and submerged, brought to the surface, and the process repeated of the hundreds of millions of years. Until today, you can see the layers turned vertical and twisted to produce this most ancient of holy places.

In addition, it has been a place of shelter, water, and food. The nomadic hunters/gatherers came in the correct season to this place to survive.

The scale boggles the mind. To stand in the intense sunlight, hearing nothing but the wind and a few birds is to feel the earth in a new way. Your senses open to new experiences. This is a place not to be missed.

Our timing was good for getting a shot of this natural cathedral with the moon.

There are two times of the day especially prized by today's visitors: Dawn and dusk. Here are a couple shots of Uluru taken right at the moment of sunset. The read glow gives a extra enhancement of drama of the place. Makes getting up early/staying up late more than worth it.

The shadow of the low hills to the west covers the foreground but not Uluru giving the glow you see here.