Red Center

Morning at Mt

For breakfast, Anne prepares muffins specifically for us. We can hear her preparing the sweets at least half an hour before the alarm goes off. We also enjoy the Cuandong jam, a fruit similar to wild peaches that grow spontaneously in semi-desert areas. To avoid offending the local indigenous people who believe they are the rightful owners of the fruit growing on their territory, Anne collects them about eighty kilometers away and prepares the jam which we find on our plates. The taste is good but not better than many others; of course, knowing its history makes it more appealing. We go for a walk in the early morning on Sunday; everything is quiet around us. We visit a couple of museums (Cave hotel and Umuda), both dedicated to opal, and we see the Catholic church from the outside, also modeled after a dugout. A sign indicates that it is closed for renovations, but it seems that everything is missing, from the parish priests to the priest. We continue to spend time with Anne, who tells us about a very precise regulation for obtaining licenses: these are granted to individuals, who can even be in partnership, but the territory is limited. This rule can somehow be circumvented by assigning a license to a family member, but everything remains within the scope of small business. If it is not exercised for a certain period of time, the license is revoked and given to others. Although there are 3000 inhabitants from at least 45 different countries, it seems that a major turning point is on the horizon. Large mines are about to be opened in the area, which could significantly increase the number of residents, disrupting the delicate balance that has been created over time. These are copper, uranium and gold deposits. Their exploitation has not yet begun, but various companies are organizing themselves to start work as soon as possible. One of these mines, located about one hundred kilometers away, plans to employ around 400 workers.

Along the Stuart Highway

It's interesting to hear how people who have lived in this area for decades end up fearing places with dense forests or vegetation, as if there were some hidden entity lurking there. It's true that from this perspective, the desert offers maximum transparency. Let's leave this country with its very distinctive features and head towards the Oodnadatta Rd., at Anne's suggestion, for a Breakaways. There are essentially two main attractions: the first is the Dog Fence, a fence running east-west of 5600 km, the longest of its kind in the world, created specifically to prevent entry of... Dingo in the south-central part of Australia, to protect sheep herds. It starts from the coast to the south and stops when it encounters the rainforest, where it is no longer territory for Dingoes. In fact, the Australian farm is divided into two areas: the area north of the Dog Fence is used for cattle grazing, while the area to the south is for sheep. This is actually a grid-like fence with wooden posts, which was necessary to prevent wild dogs from damaging the herds. After turning north for 17 km, we see the second reason for the detour: it's a hilly desert with some eroded mountains of the Breakaways, from wonderful colors They range from white to yellow and red. Around us, we see frequent sand dunes created by the excavations of opal hunters. The names of the hills are personalized and dedicated to various entities: a captain, two dogs, etc. Everywhere, even on postcards, there are signs warning people to be careful not to fall into the extraction pits. We return after about 30 km on the Stuart Hwy after driving along the unpaved road and enjoying a decent cellulite massage. We head north towards Marla. There are arid areas while others are more covered by vegetation typical of places where it rarely rains. We enter the Northern Territory with a landscape that is quite similar, marked by alternating areas where only a few species of spinifex survive, to other areas where the vegetation is slightly richer. We turn onto the Lasseter Hwy towards Uluru. A curious incident occurred when we stopped at the side of the road due to an elderly Aboriginal man. He was waving frantically to get our attention, and after stopping, he told us in broken English that he had run out of gas, asking for $10. Sensing a few inconsistencies, such as the open hood with nothing to do with the empty fuel tank and the considerable distance from the first gas station, we let him go without comment, not giving any money to the unfortunate man, who must have been completely sober before running out of gasoline. We will confirm this when we return in a couple of days. Unfortunately, alcoholism is a serious problem among the local population, as well as drug use and parasitism.

Ayers Rock

Luckily, the guide warns us about the presence of Mount Conner and we avoid mistakenly identifying it too early as Uluru; it's still a beautiful "mesa," a rocky plateau in the style of Monument Valley that surrounds it completely. We refuel at Curtain Springs, a small village well-maintained "in the middle of nowhere," as they say around here. The gas station attendant is surprised when I describe his country as small and semi-serious, and he asks me if a country with an area of one million acres seems small to me. Along the frequent parking areas there are picnic spots in the shade (often equipped with barbecues) and water tanks so that you can quench your thirst if necessary, which is a clear sign of the danger of the heat during the summer months. We continue maintaining a speed of 110 km/h to avoid the strict checks by the police and arrive at Sunset Point, facing the Ayers Rock/Uluru just 10 minutes before the sun sets over these lands. We are finally standing in front of the largest monolith in the world, depicted in every detail in all publications about Australia, and dressed in evening wear, it truly lives up to its fame. Its appearance is distinctive even from a distance, and the changing colors as the sun goes down until reach the violet color, which gives it a magical charm.

Evening at Mt

We recognize the Sunset Point for the large group of people gathered with various cameras and equipment waiting for the sunset. It might even be more fun to stand on the other side and photograph this crowd, which we will soon join ourselves. We return satisfied at the Outback Pioneer Resort, arranged in blocks of four communicating rooms with the rest of the resort via illuminated walkways. Going to the bathroom at night means navigating and walking a few dozen meters through the tropical vegetation. Whoever manages to find the facilities also finds the laundry room with an ironing board and iron for those who decide to thoroughly wash after their experiences in the outback. The restaurants are essentially open-air pavilions, especially where we go, you pass from the butcher's counter and cook your meat to your liking. We take a mix consisting of crocodile skewers, kangaroo skewers, emu and beef sausages. Everything is cooked on a grill, with the onions separately. We look for an available space at one of the many tables set up like a pub, near which a country singer performs. This could seem like a celebration of rural life, but in such a place it couldn't be more charming. Here, the Australian self-service restaurant perfectly combines with the quality of the products and the surrounding environment. Self-service is also available at the bar counter for drinks. A peculiarity is this service that before serving a simple beer asks to see your room key, another way to prevent intrusions by indigenous people. This protects their health, as well as the thriving tourism industry that has taken root in this desert.