The Last Week, Australia

Since leaving Sydney on Halloween we’ve been without an Internet connection.  We flew to Ayer’s Rock in the “red center,” also known as The Outback as in Q: “Where are you going?” A: “Just out back.”  Along those lines, Australians seem to have a wonderful way of simplifying language.  Eucalyptus trees are called “gum” trees.  Forests are called the “bush,” etc.  My favorite is why a kangaroo is called a kangaroo, which means “What are you talking about?” in Aboriginal dialect.  It came in response to the early settlers’ inquiries…”Whaaat’s THAT?”

The weather at Ayer’s Rock, known as Uluru by the Aborigines, was gorgeous, except at 4 AM when we woke up to watch the sun rising over the rock. Behind us were the domes of Kata Tjuta. I am resisting writing about things you can find in any travel book in favor of just sharing my impressions of the local wonders.  The Aboriginal guide we had, along with his interpreter, took us on the four hour Liru walk of his ancestors, taught us how to attach a spear head to a stick with glue made from leaves (kiti) and tied on with the Achilles tendon of a kangaroo.  I asked how it was discovered that the white powder from that particular plant turned into a black glue when heated, then a rock hard adhesive when cooled.  The answer was:  “Discovery is a Western concept.”  Interesting, no?  Aborigines believe that the god of creation made everything and that their ancestors were born with all the knowledge they needed to survive in this perfect world.  Wouldn’t that be wonderful?

One might think flying 4 hours to see a large rock a bit boring but Uluru is the spiritual heart of this beautiful country.  It is so large that it has its own weather system.  Every marking has a story interpreted by the Aborigines to explain part of their origin.  There is a cave where women go to give birth.  If you take a piece of the rock with you, they believe you take a piece of them.  If you photograph or, worse, videotape, them or their spiritual places they feel you dilute their power.  The southern night sky was spectacular, particularly Mars and Jupiter with its four moons, and the constellations of Scorpio (my husband’s astrological sign) and Pisces (mine). It was a clear night, and of the 200 billion stars our astronomer Mike told us were out there, he pointed out Epsilon in the Southern Cross, Antares at the heart of Scorpio, and the spiral galaxy know as The Milky Way.

Some believe that the Australian Aborigines are the oldest surviving tribal people on earth, dating back 30,000 years.  The ancient sandstone that makes up much of Australia is 3,000 feet thick in places and thought to be hardened silt.  The wildlife is the most astounding thing to me.  There are about 100 mammals indigenous to Australia, all of them marsupials.  Most of them are herbivores.  Only a couple, including the Tasmanian devil (remember Taz from Looney Tunes?), are carnivorous.  There are three species of kangaroo and a grouping of them is called a “mob.”  Kangaroos, unlike the lonely wallabies and wallaroos, live in large mobs and the picture I have attached here reminds me of a scene right out of Jurassic Park. There are 52 species of parrot and 1.5 million wild camels, brought over to help with the construction of the telegraph and then let free.

The third part of our journey was a private tour arranged through Eco Adventures (www.ozeco.com.au).  We lucked out and got the owner, Don Rosenfeldt ([email protected]) as our driver and guide.  We headed out in his Land Cruiser, equipped with “Roo Bars,” for a four day exploration of the Australian bush, through the Blue Mountains and several National Parks.  If we return to Australia, we will hire Don for a month because seeing things through his eyes, learning from his knowledge and experience, and enjoying his company made our days in the bush a time we will never forget.

We left Sydney for Coolah, passing through the Hunter Valley wine country and national parkland to Coolah Tops National Park.  All around us we saw wild kangaroo, wallabies and wallaroos.  We stayed that first night on a 4,000 acre farm owned by Harry and Jill Powell, enjoying a home cooked meal of lamb and vegetables grown by them.  In the morning, Ruby Roo, a nine-year-old kangaroo saved by Jill when his mother was shot, came up to the house for his breakfast.  Then Harry drove us around the farm to teach us a bit about how Australian farmers work.

The second day, we drove to Warrumbungle National Park, then past the Macquarie Marshes.  During all our time on the road and in the bush we scarcely saw another human being.  But the wildlife was astounding and we passed miles and miles of cattle, sheep, horses and the occasional herd of goats, a few foxes, rabbits and an echidna!  We ended the day with a barbeque of local beef, lamb and sausage.  Slept that night in a restored homestead, originally built in the 1880s.

The next morning off to Mudgee, best described as the Napa Valley of Australia.  The wines were fabulous and we’re bringing some back.  On the way, we passed flocks of emu.  To me they look exactly like our wild turkey and nothing like the ostriches we see in American zoos.

Trying to keep this short, so to sum up we stopped at a gorgeous botanical garden on the last day and fell exhausted that night in our bed.  Australia is so immense, and the distances between sights so great, and the people so warm and wonderful, these two weeks felt like the tasty appetizer of a magnificent unfinished meal.