GS travel

C31 - Wednesday, April 18, 1984 - North Share "lews

SAND AND -TUMBLEWEED |
Driving into Australia’s red centre

THROUGH the shattered spider webbed pattern

on the bus windshield,
straight
Australian outback.

By CAROLINE JACKSON

Tiny green paddy melons
hug the banks of rippled red
sand and great balls of strag-
gly tumbleweed race across
the landscape. A flock of
silver and pink galahs noisily
abandon their perches on a
nearby charred gum tree now
enveloped in a cloud of fine
red dust.

‘We'll soon be there,
mite,’’ assures the bronzed
bus driver stepping on the gas
pedal and keeping his eyes
peeled for any roving cattle,
kangaroos or horses

Just SOO kilometres by
road from Alice Springs, we
approach our first destina-
tion, the Olgas which set
against the blue’ horizon,
have the appearance of a row
of miniature loaves of bread.
in fact, they are a group of 36
smooth-face domes, the

Scandinavia

the ochre road stretches

into the shimmering distance of the

highest of which reaches a
height of 546 metres.

Formed primarily of peb-
bles and boulders of granite
cemented together by fine
sandstone millions of years
ago, the conglomerate is ap-
propriately called ‘‘pudding
stone.’’

The sheer sides of the
domes are an obvious deter-
rent to all but experienced
climbers but short hikes
through the gullies swathed
in vegetation provide a
memorable experience.
Warm, thirsty and the loser
in an arm-waving battle with
the tiny bush flies, we return
to enjoy a cool drink of water
in the air-conditioned bus
which provides a welcome
respite.

After a meticulous head-
count, we proceed east to our
next destination in the Uluru
national park, Ayers Rock,
just 32 km. away. Rising

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from the desert floor hke a
great clod of pitted liver, this
giant rock formation steeped
in Aboriginal mythology rises
more than 340 metres above
the desert floor.

The world’s largest
monolith is seen by
thousands of tourists who
flock to admire this giant

| NOW CLOSER THAN EVER

‘*massive pebble’’ which is in
fact just the tip of the iceberg
— the top of a massive ridge
of sandstone hidden beneath
the earth’s crust.

Scientists believe that 600
million years ago, Central
Australia was once covered
by a vast inland sea and that
Ayers Rock and the nearby

Olgas were the only sur-
vivors.

lt is possible to chmb
Ayers Rock and thousands of
visitors do so every year.
Because the path to the top is
fairly steep, a chain link han-
drail for most of the ascent
acts as a psychological as well
as a physical aid.

Conversation en route is
limited to brief exchanges
from those on the knee-
bending downward route,
*“*Good on you, mite. You'll
mike it.”’ It is best not to at-
tempt the 45 minute climb in

See page C32

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