Hello again! Thanks for joining me on the story of my adventure with Yalari. So we pick up the story from day 4 of this awesome trip...
Quick re-cap of the previous days:
Day 1: Arrive in Alice Springs
Day 2: Simpson's Gap & Ormiston Gorge
Day 3: Hermannsburg & Palm Valley
Day 4:
It was a long day of driving to Kings Canyon over some very bumpy dirt road! We kept our eyes out for wildlife and spotted some wild horses (or as they are called in Australia – Brumbies).
During the drive, we stopped at the house of Albert Namatjira, one of Australia’s most famous Aboriginal artists from the 1950s.
🌴 Watarrka / Kings Canyon Once we arrived at Kings Canyn, we went on “The Big Walk”, climbing up the rocks to see the amazing views! We stopped at the top for a “photoshoot” as the girls had the goal of being on the front cover of the next Yalari Newsletter! (Al, did we make it?)
That evening, we camped at Kings Creek Station – a working cattle and camel station covering 1800 square kms. They export camels to Saudi Arabia!
Day 5:
⭐️ Uluru & Kata Tjuta / Ayers Rock & The Olgas We continued the long drive to Uluru! We had a competition on the way “who could see Uluru first” – after many false sightings (the girls confusing Uluru for Mt Conner) – we finally saw the iconic rock!! It was my second time to see it, and once again it took my breath away.
That afternoon, we completed the base walk around Uluru which took us about 3 hours finished with sunset at the base of Uluru. There were many people climbing Uluru when we were there, which broke the hearts of many of the girls.
If you don’t already know, Uluru is an important part of Aboriginal culture and is a sacred sight. Climbing it, whilst it is still allowed, is disrespectful towards Aboriginal people. You can read here about why you shouldn’t climb Uluru - https://parksaustralia.gov.au/uluru/pub/fs-pleasedontclimb.pdf
Day 6:
In the morning, we met some local elders who gave us a presentation on bush tucker and language. This was special as we were able to share some stories about where each of the girls came from and understand a little bit of their backgrounds. Did you know that Australia has an indigenous land map? Check it out here: https://aiatsis.gov.au/explore/articles/aiatsis-map-indigenous-australia
It was our last day together and we went for a walk to Kata Tjuta and watched the sun set over Uluru and had our final photoshoot!
Every night, we shared yarns around the campfire and I really enjoyed getting to know the girls. Their humour, stories, culture and personalities were all very special. I think that one of the most important things that I learnt was that no matter where we come from, everyone has their own personal story which shapes who we are. Through our actions we have the power to change our future.
These girls come from remote areas of Australia and through this amazing opportunity, they are making the best of their education. They all have hopes and dreams and are trying their best to make them happen! I hope that the camp showed them that they have support from everyone (peers and Yalari staff) to get them through the next 3 years of school and to finish grade 12!!
It was an honour to be part of such a special trip and one I will remember for a long time!
Thanks Waverly, Llew and the Yalari crew for this amazing experience. xoxo