The Ghosts Who Write History*

We’re back! Glad a couple of you noticed our absence – technical difficulties and expensive internet connections have delayed postings but they should now all appear. Photographs have also been added to the two Uluru postings.

15 March 2010
Another night of torrential rain, we checked the guidebook and it does say 250mm per annum and not 250m per annum. Didn’t even bother getting up to try and the sunrise illumination of Uluru and as for Olga she was sleeping beneath a heavenly cloud. However we did decide to do the walk around the base of Uluru before we had to catch our flight to Cairns.












The sky was grey ribbed cloud and there was a strong wind which tended to keep the flies away enough for us not to have to wear the face nets and instead whip them around in the air in front of our faces and on to our shoulders in the manner of Joshua Kenyatta. We had already done part of this walk the other day and knew that it was easy going so we’d have plenty of time to complete the 10.5km before going to the airport. What we hadn’t banked on was floods, yes floods, in the desert around the base of the bloody huge pink rock (thanks for putting it into perspective, Tracey).

And of course we were wearing our much admired and trusty Keen sandals (a small advertising fee greatly accepted) as we have been doing for about 99% of our journey. Despite their ‘waterproof’ tag the water does somehow manage to find its way in through the huge holes.

Inevitably we got not only wet feet but red muddy feet too; despite this and frequent stops to drink water (it was still warm) and take photographs we managed the whole 10.5km in just over two hours. We were pleased with that and felt we deserved lunch and a pint but it was of course only 10.30.
As we walked around the Rock there are areas that are fenced off and not only is access forbidden but so is photography because the areas are ‘sacred’. It is supposedly ‘sacred’ because Aboriginal peoples have ‘Dreamtime’ myths associated with the areas usually about giant lizards, huge snakes or massive moles which “explain” how Uluru came into existence or how the caves were formed. These are patently untrue, the rock that makes up Uluru was formed about 900 million years ago and between 400 and 300 million years ago the rocks were folded and forced upwards by the Alice Springs Orogeny, it is probable that Uluru is in fact a visible tip of a huge rock slab that extends 6km below the ground. All of this is fact, the stories about lizards, snakes, moles, emus, dingoes creating the place are fanciful legends created by a people that had no science. Yet, and this is the point of all this, The Australian Government not only allows the perpetuation of these legends but threatens anyone who photographs these places with a $10,000 fine. This, like so much that has been done in the “interests” of Aboriginal peoples seems symbolic and of little benefit – much like the official national apology which, we understand, was seen as an insult by some of the present generation of non-Aboriginal people who were not responsible for past mistakes. Such gesture politics does nothing to address the problems in Aboriginal communities such as alcoholism, appalling health and lack of access to education, disproportionate unemployment and over representation in the criminal justice system. We thought successive Australian Governments were more enlightened and wouldn’t help perpetuate these religious myths. However one thing that puzzles us and perhaps our Australian readers can enlighten us – why isn’t Australia a Republic? Whenever a Canadian, Kiwi or Aussie says “she’s our queen too” to us, Christine always retorts “well you can have her then!”

We got off the high horse and on to the aeroplane – we love the way Quantas staff at check-in desks confide in passengers by telling us about silly decisions the company makes – it seems most of them are looking for new jobs. However once on board they are totally professional and do an excellent job of caring for passengers. So we arrived in Cairns, checked-in at our hotel (only a Holiday Inn this time –but on the sixth floor with lovely views over Trinity Bay and...