Mid-Break (Part 1)

Mid-Break Part 1

For the last few years I have been begging my parents to go to Uluru, so that I can tag along on a last family vacation before I get too old. So over the mid-break a friend and I drove for two days to Uluru with my family, stopping at Port Augusta and Coober Pedy overnight on the way and again at Coober Pedy on the way back, then on to Ceduna, where my family are from for a weeks. I thought id add this into my blog, because I got to have a first hand experience in seeing the giant rock which is in the middle of large controversy over people climbing the sacred area, claimed by the local aboriginal people. And along the way I also got to see a couple of art and craft galleries of the local community.

From Port Augusta, 5 or so hours later we reached Coober Pedy, which has a population of around 3,500 and is the opal capital of the world. This was the first time I had been to Coober Pedy and it was very ‘unique’, because of its remoteness and the times of underground structures and houses they had. While there we visited some underground opal shops and galleries and also some of the churches, which there seemed to be a lot of. We also visited a Aboriginal Art gallery which also was the home of orphaned kangaroos of the area, Josephine’s Gallery & Kangaroo Orphanage. This gallery is the largest regional Aboriginal Art Galery and had a wide selection of Aboriginal artists and types of work, from fine art to original hand painted bookmarks (inside gallery, pictured below). There was also didgeridoos for people to play and other craft objects to buy and lets not forget the fact that you could get up close and personal with baby kangaroos. They also have a few strange gift ideas in the shop, such as ‘roo poo’ for $6.99. They also touched lightly on the aboriginal culture of the town and surrounding area.

Tommy Crow, an Aboriginal artist from Alice Springs, really stood out to me. His paintings were a series of stunning landscapes themed ‘Sunset dreaming’ in a uniquely contemporary style. He is a self-taught artist who was inspired by other indigenous artists who he had met travelling and after he says that “the spirit came to me or something like that, and I just went out to my studio and put it down on canvas”. (Below) was a favourite for me, I love how the strong warm colours behind contrasts so well with the silhouettes, forcing them to jump out and come alive. There is also so much movement in the piece through the stance of the people and animals and with one glance you can see that he is portraying the Australian Outback in its most Cultural and traditional sense.

Next we did the big 8 or so hour drive to Uluru, counting dead animals to keep us amused. Uluru is located in the Kata Tjuta National Park which is located on Anangu Land, who have actively managed the ancient land using traditional practices and knowledge passed down through Tjukurpa, the foundation of all Anangu knowledge. Getting there just in time, we went immediately to view Uluru through the lighting of the sunset. Viewing the rock was amazing, before I didn’t really think a rock could be that interesting, but it actually blew me away of its size and beauty in comparison to the sandy plains surrounding. Resulting in the area being recognized by the World Heritage List. (Below, me with Uluru on sunset). After staying at the Ayers Rock Resort, the next day we spent exploring Uluru. After climbing it, My family and I did some of the walks around the rock viewing waterholes and rock caves, and learning about the tribes and people of the area.

'That's a really important sacred thing that you are climbing. You shouldn't climb. It's not the real thing about this place. The real thing is listening to everything'

The area is very well maintained and although there would be a lot of money being made there, I believe it is being done with a lot of respect for the community and the Indiginous people.  Everywhere you turn you are reminded of the culture of the area, such as the quote above, and there are many plaques informing of Aboriginal beliefs connected with Uluru and their connection with it. They believe that about 10 Dreamtime spirit people created the rock during the dreamtime, consisting of many of the local animals of the area, mostly snakes and the different ‘snake people’ who were living around the area at the time. All very interesting and creative in concept. Only spending a day there, we didn’t get to fully experience the area. I would of loved to do an Aboriginal tour and see some more artwork, which is on offer. While at the resort I did visit one gallery/shop, which was very cool and offered different garments and objects with traditional artworks printed on them. Such as this little coin bag (below), which comes with a small booklet, informing you of the artist, in this case Ruth Napaljarri Stewart, and story behind the piece of work and a brief history and culture of the tribe, she comes from. I think this is important when selling aboriginal art. It makes it more personal and you can investigate further into the artists and area if you would like to.

…to be continued.

Interesting Links:

·       http://www.sunsetdreamingaustralia.com.au/artists (Tommy Crow’s Website)

·       http://www.cooberpedy.sa.gov.au/site/page.cfm?u=191 (About Coober Pedy)

·       http://austhrutime.com/mythology_uluru.htm (Dreamtime stories of Uluru)

·       http://www.environment.gov.au/parks/uluru/index.html (About Uluru)