To Broome and Back!: Day 20. Exploring Ayers Rock. 31/05/2015

Set the alarm for an early start as we wanted to be at the viewing area to see the sunrise over the Rock. We arrived at sunrise but there was low hanging cloud and no sun was visible. However, we along with a couple of bus loads of tourists, backpackers and others from various parts of the world were there to see the monolith that is Uluru in all its glory.
It is just an amazing icon of our Australian landscape and to use a phrase of my very dear sister "everyone of God's children should see Uluru." We were not disappointed and can only say it far exceeded our expectations of what it would look like up close and personal.
After sunrise, we then drove a short distance so we could park the car and then do our first walk in close to the Rock which was the Kuniya Walk that finishes at the Mugitjulu Waterhole. A very pretty walk in surrounded by the Rock and featuring some caves that had some great Aboriginal art. The Waterhole itself was amazing and was a very protected area from the elements.
The effect of yesterdays downpour was evident with still some flow from the waterfalls, full waterholes and watercourses full of debris. It would have been a amazing sight. Some other travellers we met today were there when it was raining and have supplied us with some wonderful photos.
There is a large number of wildlife in the areas around the Rock but we did not see any on our walks.
We then found our next walk, the Mala Walk. Again we ventured deep into the Kunja Gorge which was just beautiful. It was so peaceful and serene and we spent sometime just taking in all the sights and sounds.
The colours and shapes of the rock walls were spectacular and aboriginal history was explained on signs scattered along the paths. There were woman only caves, training caves for the young men, caves for the older men who could not hunt anymore but told stories to the young men and teach them not to go running off. The ceilings of these caves were blackened from their campfires. The hunting men had there own caves and taught the young men how to hunt emus and kangaroos.
A number of caves were huge and appeared to be shaped by wave action. Many caves had etchings that are being preserved for future generations.
A visit to the Cultural Centre was a welcome stop for a morning coffee and then we viewed a film/documentary of the history of the Rock, when the Aborigines first arrived and how important it was then and is now to their heritage. In October 1985 the title deeds to Uluru and Kata Tjuta were handed back to the Anangu people after much lobbying by the traditional owners. It was agreed upon that the federal government would then lease the land for 99 years.
We loved "The Rock" and would recommend that this is a "must see" for everyone.