First Day Simpson's Gap

Breathtaking! centering ourselves after the busy term.

















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Here are some photos from the plane

The view from the plane when flying to Alice Springs was worth the trip alone! Our God is an artist!

















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Location:Nicklin Way,Warana,Australia

Please excuse typing errors

Have tried to edit some of the posts where auto correct has gone nuts....particularly Day 2, which should read special NOT Racial. I hope you can get the gist of my writing despite the errors. Thankyou :)

Day 8 "In spite of appearances, how can the journey actually continue?

Day 8 "In spite of appearances, how can the journey actually continue? Didn't feel like much brekky today. had a good sleep, finished packing and then we went to get some last minute purchases. we then headed for the airport, to return the vehicles and fly home. We checked in, my luggage over the 23 kg weight limit, so I had to pay $20 excess luggage. We then had a group debrief and reflection in the cafe area. sitting on the Qantas flight I had an interesting talk with a man who was a high school teacher/ tutor, middle school years.  he'd been in Alice for sometime now. when questioned about the intervention, Aboriginal affairs, changes over the years, etc he said that he kept out of all of that and didn't want to discuss it, he just did what he did and that was that. He drove a bus which collected students from their homes in the camps and got between 2 to a dozen students. He felt there were plenty of employment opportunities but then again his son works in the bakery at Coles, so maybe we are talking about different types of opportunities when looking at the town? Main employment industries, tourism, running the town and Aboriginal affairs, also the American research base. didn't find out much about this when we were there but there are 300 homes for the American workers...not sure where there children are schooled and feels that they get their food sourced from outside not as part of the general community. interesting? No new housing being built or developed as Alice is land locked due to Aboriginal claims on the land. As a result prices are based on demand and extremely high. his two bedroom box, as he described it is worth between 400 k and  500 k. He said main violence is between the clans, not Aboriginals against the whites. Interesting. said our goodbyes at the airport. such a great group of people will miss them....sounds funny I know. Mark and kids there to pick me up. Rory couldn't believe I was wearing jeans, but it was 10 degrees cooler than the 38degrees we'd been used to. Words won't be able to describe the experience to others, as wont the photos. Profound and unique!Many personal reflections and introspection as this part of the journey finishes but it really is the beginning of a new awareness, motivation, acceptance and learning.

Day 7 Friday "Where is God now, as the journey comes to an end?

Day 7 Friday "Where is God now, as the journey comes to an end? It has been raining for much of the night. I wasn't sure if we'd still be meeting to go for our sunrise viewing of Uluru and then onto our wAlk at Kata Tjuta.It ended up that 12 of us were up for the adventure....whatever that might turn out to be. It was 5.45am, dark and raining and off we set in the mini bus, with Terry driving. We drove to the Turn off to WA and travelled along that road to the Dune viewing area where we could see both Uluru and Kata Tjuta. It was drizzling Now some of us had rain ponchos....mine was safely back in my suitcase in Alice Springs!As the sun started to come up we could see a burning purple, orange glow coming through the clouds near Uluru. The sky changed to a purple color near Kata Tjuta and you could see the colors come alive, the reds, browns and greens. the ground cover lightened to a creamy color with the red dirt and Green shrubs. We then headed off for a drive around Uluru to see WATER on the Rock!!! just awesome!!! everyone locally as said that this was such a blessing to see this natural wonder with water running and glistening on it! how many more Rich experiences can we have? Incredible! After a 360 degree viewing we went on to do  "The Walpa Gorge Walk " at Kata Tjuta. the landscape was certainly different....rocky ground, barren, like days from the dinosaurs. So many senses alive here! The sounds - running water, wind, birds, crickets, crunching of the rocks as we walk. The smells, like the rainforest, fresh, green, leafy, wet soil. Sight- green lush bush, brown rocks, a rich brown with red, round rocks, jagged, water in the grooves and small holes made from missing rocks and erosion, a myriad of colors from browns to greens and all in between.  We managed to make it back to the resort for breakfast at 9.45am, thinking that brekky finished at 10am, so we pleasantly surprised it finished at 10.30am. Mary and I checked out and then we caught the shuttle bus to the shopping centre at Ayers Rock Resort. First we went past the camel tour place, so That's the only way I got to see camels, as we didn't see any in the wild. We went past some of the structured tour "tent" camp set ups. Some were on the ground, others were off the ground on a base. Don't think that'd be for me. At the shopping centre I just wanted to pick up a couple of pressies for home. We grabbed a coffee, then back to our resort to leave for Alice. We travelled in 3 groups this time. One group had already left, as they were doing the soup van. Another group wanted to leave later, as they wanted to go back to Uluru to get close up pics of the water. We were the inbetween group, who were heading out to the Labyrinth at  " Campfire in the Heart." So on our bus were Deb, Glen, Sean, Beth, Melinda, Mary and I. We had a smooth trip, 4 and a half hours again. Very smooth check in also. Mary and I unpacked small bag we'd taken to Uluru and packed our suitcase for the trip home, then we went to the shops to look for some pressies and memorabilia. It was then time to go out to Campfire of the heart, Sue and David's place, where we'd spent much of Sunday. I've never experienced a labyrinth. being Good Friday, it was a full moon, clear sky and just beautiful. There were 7 of us, Beth, Kim, Melinda, Wendy, Deb, Mary and I and about another 7 people. David lead the group and did a fantastic job. We all started around the outside of the labyrinth and at intervals entered, hitting a bell as we did. The prayer was to be one of gratitude as we walked around slowly, the labyrinth providing a focus, meditative tool. People could stop when they wanted or wait at a turn for others to pass by If they were at a different pace. I wasn't sure how it would go with people walking so close by but it had a flow to it, people pausing, stopping, walking slowly. I felt extremely focused and found my heart overflowing with prayers of gratitude.....so many blessings in my life! halfway through the labyrinth you come to a central point where there is a fire and we all gathered there. we were asked to share some words if we wanted to and then David performed a smoking ceremony as a form of healing. We were asked to take in the smoke as we left the centre to finish the second party the labyrinth. We sang a song but the parts I remember are Do not worry, do not fear, Jesus is in me. At one time the smoke from the fire with the light behind it looked like the rays coming out from the cross, like the resurrection.....so powerful an image. it was a feeling of being at one with the earth, nature and the presence of God. The crunching of the gravel under foot, the crickets, the stars and moon, the 3 crosses in the garden. I thought that I am not here by accident but rather that God had a plan for me to go to uni at the Catholic Uni, to get my degree and teach at Unity, so that I could be given the opportunity to come on this pilgrimage and be here in this place at this very moment. No accident! I love feeling this connection to God and being with people who are aware of their spirituality and are willing to discuss this and share their feelings. Just amazing. felt a silence come over me...too much sometimes to put the experiences into words. Too late for dinner at the resort now, so we decided to get pizza.....the best pizza we've had for a VERY long time and in usual NT style, the largest. We ordered a party pizza with a large garlic pizza bread.....for 5 women, Melinda, Beth, Wendy, Kim and I...what were we thinking? Half seafood and half vegetarian ( being  Good Friday). we sat outside and ate it with more discussions and then time for bed.

Day 6 Thursday "Who am I as an Australian, in this spiritual place?

Day 6 Thursday "Who am I as an Australian, in this spiritual place? The days have gotten hotter and hotter, each day increasing by a degree..from  36 degrees to today's hot conditions. This week had been preceded by two cooler weeks, more like home temps of min 12degrees to tops of 28-30 degrees. Breakfast then drive to Uluru. We had an hour long guided tour with a ranger who took us around the Mala Walk. this showed us many caves used for different purposes and also some of the stories to explain the formation or use of the areas. At the end of the walk we ended up in an area that was like a cathedral with water....quite an oasis. The ranger demonstrated some of the tools used by the Indigenous people of the area. the Arrente people don't describe themselves as Aboriginal or Indigenous, they use a different term. this is important for us to remember s we talk about different clans and groups.   The whole group apart from Deb and Glen Then did walk around base do Uluru. Took 2 and a half hours, 42 degrees, 5-6 bottles of water. Walked with Wendy mostly, which was just wonderful...great pace and very interesting person. She has had so many travel experiences and very wise, calm view of the world.  We couldn't get over the changes in faces of the rock. each few metres or each corner with a different light, colour, texture. The surface of Uluru has to be seen to be believed. The rock has a large quantity of iron and as a result of the atherng it is literally covered in rust. Amazing. Wendy and i did lots of Stopping to listen, deep listening of the wind and sounds like birds. The Aboriginal language and music played in one area was  Very powerful also. We Took our own pace.....experiencing. Being in the present moment. The landscape changed from one side to the other One side was more bushy with trees, the other side more barren. One side obviously gets more of the water running off it which is evident from the black streaks you can see. It was Extremely hot at the end. Cathy, Melinda and Sean were before us with Terry, Mary and Kim just in front and with us at times. We met a German toursit Iris who was TrAvelling Australia on her own. She wasn't worried about this and had been enjoying her time. The Others walked behind. We found out later that Mia hadnt been feeling well so she had to be picked up later by car from one of the stop points. Debbie and Glen did Kata Tjuta instead. After our long walk, which was simply a blessing we spent time at The Cultural centre. We were hot and dusty and there was no chance of recycling these clothes for another wear so we Returned to the resort for a swim in the pool. The juxtaposition from the red hot walk around Uluru to be submersed in the blue, fluid water was incredible!!! All there except Beth and Mary. We decided to enjoy a cooling G & T. Had a great nap in the air-conditioned room before meeting for our debrief at 6.30pm. Prayer of gratitude for the energy form others during the trip and from Times like today from the rock with the wind that was like a breath of life.....breathing life into me. this trip has reenergized me to do what I need to do when I return for myself...continue to find out my heritage and also an energy needed for school to work with the Aborighinal students, the Rap committee projects like the garden and painting, helping to prepare and organize the trip to Murgon. This was followed by a sensational dinner at the Bough Restaurant and Bar. Yum! I had oysters, mussels, prawns, stuffed calamari, Camembert cheese, kangaroo, crocodile, a variety of salads, finished off with a little dessert. very enjoyable eating together as a whole group. We are really lucky to have this group to journey together, as we have shared our stories and laughs and special moments. Everyone has gotten on really well. Dom took us for a walk to the mole hill for a view of Uluru and kata Tjuta at night With the lightening. just meters from end eating area and you could see both Uluru and Kata Tjuta Early start in the morning....so this quick overview of day and then sleep.

Day 5

Day 5  Wednesday "What is being revealed as I journey to the centre (personally, professionally and spiritually)?" Dadirri - inner deep listening and quiet, still Awareness. In convoy, we headed off in 3 vehicles on a 500km trip to the centre of the centre, Uluru, Traveling at speed limit of 130kph. I was in the bus (seats 12). Stopping approximately half way at a roadhouse, at the turn of the Stuart highway named Erlundra.   Along the way we were held up at road works, in the middle of nowhere. Good photo opportunity! Another very hot day, changing landscape, no wildlife visible. Was hoping to see camels along the way.  Sharing this pilgrimage with wonderful mix of people. each person and vehicle has to pay to enter the National Park, $25 and you have to have your ticket on you at all times. It was SO EXCITING to see Uluru and to be here!! It was a bit like when you're a kid and it's Christmas! Uluru is enormous, majestic, just incredible!  We explored the Cultural centre which has a great presentation, explanation about the local people and culture. We decided we had better go to the resort and check in, unpack and get ready for the sunset viewing. The accommodation was lovely, although the check in was very unorganized.  We unpacked And  2 cars went out to Uluru while 5 people went to the Sounds do Silence Dinner. There were lots of clouds around and distant storms. the lightning was spectacular! we set out a spread of cheese and nibbles and enjoyed the view! It was quite windy and we were hoping for the lightning to come across the rock for the ultimate photo op. Mia surprised us with her canapés of with witchetty grubs and cheese on crackers whilst playing"Great Southern Land" on her iPod. Too funny, but the music was very moving! Can't believe I'm here!! The centre of Australia, Uluru, this ancient spiritual site, WOW! There were a line up of cars and people all looking and admiring the changing sky and colors of the rock. Feeling the wind and counting our blessings. When it was dark and we couldn't take any more photos we headed back to the resort. Mia, Terry, Mary and I went and spent some time together listening to the music near the eating area. I had a girl introduce herself to me. After asking where she was from and what she did, she said she as a teacher...not a Christian. I thought this was an odd comment but continued on with our conversation. She was a new teacher who'd just worked for the term in a remote Indigenous community just south of here. When I was retelling this story to the group, they think that she must have thought I was a buddhist because of my hair? I thought it interesting that she would have worked in such a challenging place and yet have a stereotype about me. It was an interrupted nights sleep with the most incredible storm, thunder , lightning and rain! The thunder felt like it rumbled along the ground and was never ending....sounded very different to our storms.