The Castaway Hotel: Book 9

We checked in to our lodgings at Alice Springs and spent the night. We didn’t do much, other than clean up and go to sleep, but this way we’d be ready to set out early the next day.

I got everyone up by 6:00 the next morning and had them dressed and fed by 7:15, so we could make the short drive to our first stop – the ‘Alice Springs Desert Park.’ I had made sure we arrived when the park opened, because I’d heard there was a great deal to do and it would take a whole day to get it all in.

As we entered the park, we were given several free audio guides to use – one for every four people. These devices helped explain the park’s features and made it so you could choose what you’d listen to. It even gave you the option of listening to something over again, if you missed a detail or two the first time around. It works like this. All around the park there are posts with numbers on them. If you punch that number into the machine, it explains what you need to know about that location.

I was also given a timetable, which gave me the starting times for the various shows and presentations that would be given. I found it to be was very informative and this material coincided nicely with what I had read online, before we left home.

There are three habitats to view and walk about, and each has its own unique set of plant and animal life that resides there. Over the course of the next couple of hours, we checked out two of these – the ‘Sand Country’ and ‘Woodland’ habitats. Each of these areas feature two or more aviaries, which house the birds that reside in that particular environment. We discovered very quickly, however, that you have to be extremely quiet when you go inside or the birds will remain hidden from view. These areas also contained enclosures for the kangaroos and emus, but since we had seen these at the Wildlife Park, we didn’t spend much time there.

Once we finished at this location, I took the boys to one of the most popular features of the site, the ‘Nocturnal House.’ This building contains the creatures that are active during the nighttime hours, so the building is made to resemble a moonlit night. I was told it was best to view the area before 10:00, because the animals are more active then, so we went in to see the snakes, lizards and other animals that go to work after dark.

This area also features some rare animals and those threatened with extinction. On that list we found the bilby and a desert dwelling marsupial that is related to the bandicoots. There used to be two species of bilbies, but one species went extinct during the 1950’s. The term bilby is an Aboriginal term meaning, ‘long-nosed rat,’ so that should give you some indication of what they look like. The bilbies also have long ears, a soft, silky fur, dig burrows in the ground and do not need to drink water. The bilbies get all the moisture they need from their food (insects, spiders, some plants and other small animals). They range in size from 29 cm, or about 7.5 inches, on up to 66 cm, or approximately 17.5 inches.

Also on the list of endangered animals is the mala, or rufous hare wallaby, which is another marsupial. It has gray fur that fades to yellow on the sides and underbelly, and is the smallest of the hare wallabies. It feeds on herbs, seeds, grass, shrubs and leaves, while residing in shallow burrows. It also prefers to be alone and its average length is around ten inches, which is approximately the size of a rabbit.

Once we finished there, we went to check out the last of the three habitats, the ‘Desert Rivers,’ and this area had a couple of its own aviaries to view. After seeing everything there, we went to view a twenty-minute film, called ‘The Changing Heart,’ which compresses information about what has happened during the four and a half billion years of desert creation.

When we left the area, we went to grab a bite to eat, since the boys were grumbling about being hungry. Maybe this was partially due to the fact that we’d heard so much about what all these other animals eat and it caused the boys’ digestive juices to start to flow too. Whatever the reason, my gang now claimed they were starving.

Once we’d finished our meal, we went to see a show on ‘Aboriginal Weapon Use.’ I found this to be very informative, since it went over many facets. It began with the Aboriginal use of clubs, which ranged from the very simple to those with conical, mushroom, pineapple, bladed or pick-like heads. These were used for hunting, as well as defending against or attacking other groups of people. The balanced sword-club, which could have a blade of up to a meter in length, proved to be a very fearsome weapon indeed.

To my amazement, we were then informed that boomerangs were merely throwing sticks and did not necessarily return to the user. The boomerangs developed differently in different parts of the country, and some Aboriginal people never used a boomerang. Other groups abandoned the use of them over time and one group used a specialized boomerang to help them fish in shallow waters.

The returning boomerang, which we are familiar with, had limited distribution and was mainly used in traditional sporting events and games. It was also used to kill birds or drive them into nets that had been strung up at strategic points. The returning boomerangs are also generally thinner and lighter than the other varieties.

The hunting boomerang was a heavy version and used for both hunting and fighting. It was deadly in the hands of a skilled warrior and was often elaborately engraved or decorated on both sides. One such weapon had a flattened pick-like appearance and could be used to reach around the stick or shield of another warrior, often with deadly results.

The Aboriginal people also used a variety of spears, hatchets and axes, as well as using fire as a weapon. They would use the smoke to mask their location or utilize the smoke and fire to drive animals, or their enemies, out from where they were hiding.

This had been quite a lengthy, yet informative, demonstration, but once it ended we hurried off to check out some of the desert art next. Since the Aborigine didn’t have a form of writing, they often drew pictures in the sand or painted them onto a rock wall, to pass along traditional knowledge. These drawings were only supposed to be seen by those that had reached a certain level within the society, since much of this was sacred and utilized mystical backdrops. Their artwork also appeared to be very simplistic, as Andrew observed.

“I think I could draw better than that when I was in kindergarten or first grade,” he stated, as he looked at samples of the primitive artwork.

“It wasn’t designed to be beautiful,” I informed, “but to convey a message. It would be closer in use to writing, rather than the type of artwork you do.” Andrew seemed to understand what I told him and said nothing more about its simplistic nature.

A short time after we finished up there, we went to see our last demonstration, the ‘Birds of Prey’ show. This was held in a small amphitheatre, but the birds remained totally free and in their natural environment. The presenter explained and demonstrated how the various species differ, before he and his ‘assistants’ demonstrated these things for us.

We discovered some of the birds would fly very close above our heads when they came in, while others refused to cooperate and embarrassed the presenter. One even snuck up from behind and surprised him. The presenter used meat to attract the birds and demonstrate their hunting technique. One particular bird even used a tool, a stone, to break open its desired meal, which had a rather hard covering.

Once this show ended, we left the park and headed back to Alice Springs. Since we had done quite a bit of walking and standing, we were all fairly tired, so we rested a bit, before going out to dinner. When we came back from dinner, most of us just cleaned up and hurried off to bed.

We got up early the next morning, yet were fairly well rested and looking forward to another full day of activity. After downing our morning meal; we set off for our first stop, the Henbury Meteorite Crater site. Shortly after arriving, we discovered that 4,700 years ago, a several ton meteorite, traveling at speeds in excess of 40,000 k.p.h., or 24,855 m.p.h., disintegrated as it entered the atmosphere. This meant it broke into many smaller pieces, several of which struck the earth at this location.

The impact left behind twelve different craters, which varied greatly in size. The smallest impact site was barely noticeable now, because of the passage of time and the effects of weather. It was six meters across, or just under twenty feet, but it was only a few centimeters deep. The largest of the craters was most likely caused by a chunk of meteor about the size of an oil drum and left behind a hole 180 meters across, or 590.5 feet, and fifteen meters, or forty-nine feet, deep. This was due in part to the meteor’s very dense and heavy composition, which was mostly iron, with a little nickel thrown in. Over 500 kg, or more than 1,100 pounds, of pieces were recovered from the area, with the largest piece being 10 kg, or 22 pounds.

We had already walked around some of the smaller craters and were in the process of walking around the largest one when I heard someone speak up.

“Holy crap!” Pat exclaimed. “Can you imagine how much damage there would be, if something like this happened today? To make this big of a hole, it must have kicked up an enormous amount of debris.”

“Well, if it happened in a desolate area such as this,” Jake replied, “it probably wouldn’t be too bad, but if it happened in or near a major city, then results would be catastrophic,”

“Hey, if a meteor wiped out the dinosaurs, it could certainly do the same to humans,” Brandon observed.

“Didn’t something like this happen a few years ago on Jupiter?” Dustin asked. “I think I remember hearing something about that in school. I think it was a meteor or comet that crashed into the planet.”

“You’re correct,” I confirmed. “Jupiter was struck in 1994 by the Shoemaker-Levy 9 comet. The comet had been torn into pieces by Jupiter’s gravity, when it passed by on a previous occasion, so it ended up resulting in eight or nine impacts sites on the surface.”

“Hopefully someone would spot anything like that headed toward earth, so there would be enough time to stop it or change its course,” Sammy added. It was truly a mind-boggling scenario any way you looked at it.

Once we finished walking around, I decided to have the boys grab a snack here, since our next stop would take a few hours to complete. No one complained about eating early, and then we drove over to the Watarrka National Park. The name comes from the Aboriginal word for the umbrella bush that thrives here and protects the rugged and scenic George Gill Range. The park contains a massive gorge and its best-known feature is Kings Canyon. Although we had been to the Grand Canyon in the past, I wanted the boys to see this canyon as well. Part of my reasoning revolved around the fact that not all of the boys had been with us for the trip to Arizona. Little Ricky had not gone along on that trip and we didn’t run in to Nick until after we left there. Jesse also hadn’t joined the family until long after that experience and, of course, Peter hadn’t been with us then either. Not only did I want them to see this, but I also wanted those that had been to the Grand Canyon to be able to make a comparison between the two.

There are two walks you may take to view the Canyon, so I started us out on the shorter and easier of the two first. The Kings Creek walk is 2.6 km, or a little more than a mile-and-a-half in length, and during this trek we walked along the canyon floor. As we went, we passed by numerous signs and displays explaining about the local vegetation, until we reached a lookout point. From here, we were able to view the canyon walls from the ground up and got a different perspective of the canyon than we would get on the next tour. The Kings Creek walk took about an hour to complete, but we were able to enjoy some very spectacular views along the way.

From there, we moved into position to begin the Kings Canyon Rim Walk. This is a six km loop, nearly four miles, and we moved in a clockwise direction around the canyon. The walk begins by climbing a steep path, which the locals call ‘Heartbreak Hill’ or ‘Heart Attack Hill’. This climb is more difficult than if we had been able to go in the reverse, or counter-clockwise direction, but park officials want everyone moving in the same direction, to avoid congestion and tie ups.

Once we reached the top, it became a fairly easy walk, as we proceed along the northern rim. From here, we got a great view of the opposite wall and rim, which is approximately 300 meters high, or a little over 984 feet above the canyon floor. When we reached the upper end of the canyon, the ground became much more uneven and the traveling was considerably rougher. At this point, we also began to pass through a collection of sandstone domes, which is referred to as ‘The Lost City.’ During this time, we also had a chance to take a little detour, which we chose to do, and descended into a very sheltered valley.

When we reached the bottom, we discovered a permanent waterhole, which is called ‘The Garden of Eden.’ It is very peaceful and absolutely stunning, and although you’re not supposed to swim in this area, some of the other visitors did. The walk back was through some narrow gaps and over some rugged parts of the valley, but there were also boardwalks and some steps in the more difficult and steeper sections, to lessen the difficulty.

During the second part of the walk, along the southern rim, we were able to gaze upon some magnificent, and possibly the most beautiful of all the views. By the time we reached the milder grade back down to a point close to where we had started, nearly four hours had passed. I think everyone had enjoyed the experience, although we were all quite tired by the time we reached the mini-bus.

From there, we drove back to Alice springs, were we rested up for a brief period and took some nice hot showers to work out the kinks, before we went to dinner. After we ate, I decided to take the family to a pub. There are plenty of them in Alice Springs and the drinking age in Australia is 18, which meant that everyone except for Jesse, Andrew, Little Ricky, Sammy. Dion and our host, Peter, could indulge. Peter wasn’t going to turn 18 until October and Dion in November, so they were unfortunately going to miss out on this. I did suspect they wouldn’t miss out on it completely, since I figured they’d each take a few sips from the other boys’ mugs now and then, and from the looks of the place, I doubted anyone would give a second thought about it.

We had a good time and filled up more than half of the place. There were some locals and a few other tourists there as well, but they were all quite friendly and even inquired about our situation. As always, we shocked many of them with our story, but got a few cries of ‘here, here’ in the mix. Everyone was quite nice and we enjoyed the time we spent chatting with each of them.

Some of the boys even tried their hand at darts and received some tips from some of the regulars on this art form. I wouldn’t say any of them would threaten anyone there with their accuracy, except if you meant they might accidentally hit someone else with a dart.

After going back to our rooms and getting a good night’s rest, we got up the following morning and took off for our last day in the Outback, or the Never-Never as the locals like to call it. We were going to see the last of the sights I had scheduled, which was a stop at the Uluru/Kata Tjuta National Park.

We started off visiting Uluru, or Ayers Rock as it is called in English. This is a large sandstone, monolithic done and rises dramatically out of the desert. It’s Aboriginal name, Uluru, means ‘earth mother,’ and in reality it is just a large island mountain. It stands 348 meters, or 1,142 feet, tall and has a circumference of 9.4 km, or 5.8 miles. This site is very sacred to the Aboriginal people and has many springs, waterholes and caves, some of which contain ancient paintings.

“Man, this could have been one of those U.F.O. landing sites,” Trey suggested, “like in the movie ‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind.’ It even looks a little like the butte they were trying to find.”

“You may have something there,” Danny teased, “so look for little green men, or are we talking about the grays here?”

“Very funny,” Trey replied, “but you may begin to feel differently about it, if we see any artwork that shows things looking like spaceships.”

The Aboriginal legends often talk about large creator beings, so who knows what might have inspired those legends. However, I don’t expect aliens would be as large as the ones in the legend about how this feature came about. The Aborigine claim that two young boy creator beings made Uluru while playing with the mud in the rain.

We walked around the entire site, which few visitors do, and were surprised by how different the opposite side appeared. This is an area that few visitors ever see and has a much more varied surface, which includes many caves and crevices. This area is also very sacred and where many Aboriginal ceremonies are conducted, but these usually take place at night. Uluru also appears to change color with the changing light, so at sunrise and sunset it appears to glow red.

From here, we then traveled the short distance to Kata Tjuta, which is also referred to as Mount Olga or The Olgas in English. Its name in the Aboriginal language means ‘many heads,’ because it is comprised of a series of 36 rock domes, of varying sizes. It may have once been one large monolithic dome, like Uluru, but over time has been eroded to the point we see now. The Aboriginal great snake, Wanambi, is said to dwell here, either on top of Mount Olga during the wet season or hiding in a water hole during the dry season.

While we were here, we took the Valley of the Winds walk, which is 7.4 km, or 4.6 miles long hike. We started off by walking up the trail to the first lookout point, Karu. From here, we went in a clockwise direction and followed a looping trail over rocky and hilly terrain, which gives us the sense that we were truly in the wilderness. We followed this trail until we reached the second lookout point, Karingana. From here, we looked through a narrow gap in the rock and viewed the valley that stretches out, far below.

Several of the rock domes have been given names. There is a group of these formations associated with the ‘mice women,’ and there is another called ‘Malu’ or the kangaroo man. He is supposedly dying of wounds inflicted by dingoes and can be seen leaning against his sister, ‘Mulumura,’ a lizard woman.

It took us three hours to complete this walk, but I think everyone felt it was worthwhile. Even though we knew the areas we had visited aren’t the most desolate and dangerous places in the outback, it did give us a fairly good idea of what it is like there. We also learned a great deal about the area and the people that have lived here since long before anyone can remember.

The Aborigine believe both Uluru and Kata Tjuta are evidence of feats performed by the creation people during the creation, or dreaming, time. The native peoples may have inhabited this area for 10,000 to 22,000 years and the ceremonies they still perform connect them to the land in many ways.

When we got back on the bus, Ricky had an observation to share. “Dang, Dad. I was in the Outback when I was here before, but I didn’t see any of the places we’ve been to the last couple of days,” he commented.

“Don’t be such a wally,” Peter interjected, which was his way of saying ‘don’t be an idiot.’ “The Outback is huge, so there are probably lots of things you haven’t seen. I suppose you were expecting to run into Bunyip (the Australia Bigfoot) while we were out here.” Ricky gave Peter the finger for chastising him like that in front of the rest of us, so I thought I’d better jump in and put an end to it.

“I know and I planned it that way,” I told him. “I remember what I saw on the videos of your trip, so when I was researching where we could go, I tried to pick different locations.”

“You did all right, Dad,” Ricky confirmed, before flashing Peter another evil glare and tossing him the bird once more.

We didn’t go back to Alice Springs this time. Instead, I drove back to the cabins, because this would be our last night there. Tomorrow, we will be heading back to Sydney for our final day, before returning to the good old U.S.A. I could tell Peter was beginning to feel really sad about the thought of us leaving, because he suddenly became very quiet. I hope we can find a way to cheer him up a bit, before we depart.