Come in under the shadow of this red rock

Here is no water but only rock
Rock and no water and the sandy road
The road winding above among the mountains
Which are mountains of rock without water
If there were water we should stop and drink
Amongst the rock one cannot stop or think
(Did TS Eliot ever get to Australia??)

Since I last posted we've been on a 4 day tour of the outback, sleeping out in the open (amazing stars and upside-down moon!) and being fed on only big, bloody steaks (these damn Australians really love their meat). It's been interesting. Being on a tour is a lot like being on a school trip. It was very weird to us as we've been used to planning our own time. Everything was organised for us; transport, meals, camping, stuff to do. Partly frustrating and exhausting, partly very relaxing, like being a child again.

Vic and I were convinced that we would be touring with a load of British 18 year olds on gap years, but thankfully we were wrong. We were actually among the youngest, in a group of 14 with about 7 different nationalities represented, including some actual Aussies and a couple from Tasmania. Ah, they were fun. There were various people who spoke English as a second language to varying degrees, so lots of really cute accents and hilarious mistakes. Love it. We pretty much escaped any excruciating 18-30 style games, though we did get to sit round the bonfire and toast marshmallows (flashbacks to Brownie camp 1990, shiver).

Uluru was amazing. The desert was amazing. The landscape is just so...alien. Flat and dry. Red earth and scrub stretching away, occasionally broken up by dry river beds or salt lakes. Then the huge rock just...tipped in the middle (they've thankfully avoided putting any kiosks/hotels/McDonalds right next to it so far, touch wood). It really looks like it fell from a great height. Just one big red rock (it's a single piece of sandstone).

We didn't climb it. I don't know how anyone can, when there are leaflets and signposts all over the place from the Anangu aborigines saying "Please don't climb the rock" etc. When someone asks so nicely, how can people just think "Hey, wonder what the view's like from the top?"?? Grrr. 5 people in our group climbed, the bastards. They should just ban it, I think, if people are going to fail to respect a polite request.

Would have been good to see the view, admittedly. Damn ethics.

We walked round the base - 10km, which was gruelling in the heat, but I successfully avoided sunburn (how? It's a miracle.)

Following sunrise at the rock (which followed sunset at the rock - I really feel like I've "done" the rock now...) we did some climbing in the Olgas - sandstone mountains in Kata Tjuta national park - and around Kings Canyon. And some driving - alot of driving. Central Australia is just so big, and so empty - aside from the flies, but oh, man: I promised myself I wouldn't talk about the flies. Kings Canyone was amazing and possibly my favourite outback destination. The gullies and rocky walls are stunning, and there's a shockingly lush green bit in the middle called the Garden of Eden.



On a less transcendental topic, we also went quad biking at the cattle station we were staying at. (The choice was quads or camel-riding). It was so much fun. We were both terrified, because the guy who took us out went relaly crazy in his safety briefing, and also because Ozzy Osbourne injured himself on one and I mean if he, master of motor-skills and co-ordination, couldn't do it then what chance did we have? However, once we got over the fear it was amazing. I don't know why I was scared actually, I mean I can drive a car and I'm pretty good at it, right John? (Christmas day 2004 - the only time my non-Catholic brother has actually crossed himself).

Disaster, though, I lost a contact lens. Whilst quad biking (that's gonna look good on the insurance claim form). So a) I had to finish the ride with imperfect, skewed vision, which was probably very dangerous and reckless, but what was I going to do, walk home? and b) now I'm stuck with the hot glasses all the time. Lucky they're so hot.

Last night we did crazy end of tour partying in Alice Springs. Much fun. We're now in Melbourne at Uncle Andrew's house being amazingly well looked after. This house has all the technology we could want. There are more photos up at www.getjealous.com/vicandmary and I'll post some Uluru ones on here in another entry.