Bike riding today. All, apart from the senior Browns, headed off on a three hour ride around the base of Uluru. Senior Browns were in control of the support vehicle and followed them around the circuit.

There are a number of places to stop along the way and explore the Rock up close. One of these is the Kuniya walk that ends at the Mutitjulu Waterhole, a permanent pool of water at the base of the Rock. It is the home of Wanampi, an ancestral watersnake. Various markings on the side of Uluru here are explained in terms of a creation story about a battle between two powerful creation ancestors Minyma Kuniya and Wati Liru, (python woman and venomous snake man). ‘Minyma’ means woman and ‘Wati’ is man.

If one stares at Uluru long enough you can see all sorts of shapes emerging from its surface. The imagination can run wild here and you can clearly see things others can’t see. The First Nations people have clearly been quite adept at developing cultural/law ideas from landscape features.

The bike riders completed the circuit in good time. After some ham and cheese sandwiches for lunch and a look see at the Cultural Centre we returned to the village to put the feet up for a short time.

An hour or so before sunset we gathered at the Outback Uluru lookout for our canvas painting effort of the Rock. Homealone had arranged the art boards and paints. Most set to work with the creative juices freely flowing. Only a couple of other people intruded into our space at the lookout, so that was good!

Each of the efforts were quite OK, a couple were not finished and will hopefully be completed back home.

At dinner that evening we celebrated Alyssa’s 15th birthday at the Outback Bar and Grill. There were no takers for the Emu kebabs or the Camel sausages. Stuck to steak, fish, chicken nuggets and burgers. Conservative lot.

Next morning our last day at Uluru started sluggishly, breaky completed around 9.30. Allthego and the McConochies headed back to Uluru for a last look at the Rock from a different lookout. This is one is unique in that you get a view of both Uluru and Kata Tjuta in the same scene.

Kata Tjuta appears small, being someway back on the horizon. There are a couple of short walks here through the sandhills with sign boards that inform about the cultural and domestic roles and responsibilities of the indigenous men and women. Done quite well, informative but not overwhelming as some of this sort of stuff can be.

We managed to get back to the village to join the others at a Bush Tucker talk, short but sweet and a promo for products on sale in the local shop. Allthego got some tasty saltbush dukka, ground wattle seeds and some bush tomato chutney. This stuff might be good on a pizza.

After a late hurried lunch the airport beckoned for the flight back home to Brisbane.

All enjoyed the time away.

Palya Uluru.