BLUEPRINT TRAVEL UPDATE:
Central Australia and the Outback
This past week really pushed our comfort with an outback adventure and we succeeded! We decided to head to Central Australia, located in Australia’s immense outback. It contains sacred Aboriginal landmarks and we hiked in Uluru-Kata Tjuta and Watarrka National Parks to see these important sites and learn about the Aboriginal culture of the region.
Yes, we hike a lot but we rarely camp; however, this week we slept outside in swags, similar to a sleeping bag but with a canvas exterior and mattress on the inside (and we added sleeping bags inside the swag to add warmth for the cold nights.) The swags we used were not fully enclosed and our heads could be peaking out the top of the swag for some fresh air. We were able to watch the stars (until we took off our glasses to sleep). No bugs or snakes entered our accommodations since we kept everything zipped up and we were too tired to think about the creepy crawlies for very long. We were told that the most pesky creature in the area is the dingo, a wild dog-like animal that loves to steal stinky shoes and socks. Now we probably won’t camp in swags again anytime soon but it was fun to immerse ourselves in the outback lifestyle for a few nights.
We loved learning more about the Aboriginal culture of the region. It is hard to comprehend the tie that these people feel to the land since they have been living in harmony with this land for over 50,000 years. Walking through these vast, stark, beautiful, and serene landscapes is incredibly special. One moment you are walking through a red desert; the next moment you are standing beside an enormous rock; and after walking for 15 minutes in a barren landscape, you find a pool of fresh water. It's striking and you can’t help but wonder how people have felt among such harsh beauty for tens of thousands of years.
During our visit, we also learned about how European settlers and explorers have taken advantage of the Aboriginal people and exploited their sacred land for tourism over the last few centuries. It is only over the last few decades that the Aboriginal people have been able to start to regain some control over the area and share in part of the tourism (although it is unclear exactly how much they benefit from it). The Aboriginal people have kept a lot of their culture private and guarded from tourists because it has historically been exploited and appropriated. It is the Anangu people, the local Aboriginals, who have determined the parts of their stories and culture that they choose to share with visitors. It was an honor to get to learn what we did in Uluru and it is through respecting the desires of the Original Owners of the land (the Anangu people) that tourists and visitors can continue to experience and visit these magnificent landscapes.
