Uluru - Base walk 1

Oyster Moon
Paul Foskett & Rhu Nash
Sat 25 May 2013 08:14

Walked around Uluru base (10.8km) this morning.  Most of it was well away from ‘the rock’.  Whole chunks were not supposed to be photographed as used in cultural ceremonies. 

 

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Compared to the Valley of the Winds walk this was seriously boring.  For the most part the path went through woodland and you could see Uluru in the distance.  We did go through some nice woodland though.  Both Paul and I have been surprised by the landscape.  We expected a desert, I guess must have been fairly dry before the rain but everything is sprouting at the moment.  Tree wise you get two main types of woodlands.  This is desert oak (Allocasaurina decaisneana )

 

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There are two forms the tree – this is the juvenile.

 

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Before they can mature, the young trees have to establish a root system that is deep enough to reach the underground water table.  They have loads of leaves that are close to the trunk and hang down, so that any rain / water that falls on the tree drips down and onto their roots. 

 

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As soon as the roots reach the water table below the tree is not reliant on rainfall and so starts to branch out.  The leaves still droop though, the mature tree is behind the juvenile in this shot.

 

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Mature desert oaks survive drought conditions by storing water in their roots are larger branches.  The drooping leaves help avoid direct sunlight in the hottest parts of the day.  The needle like leaves also reduce water loss.  Wood from these trees is traditionally used for fire sticks and constructing shade shelters.  Their bark is deeply furrowed which protects the tree from fire.  They are very slow growing and some are thought to be over 1000 years old.

 

 

You also get mulga woodland – more like a low shrub woodland.  This is the common mulga (Acacia aneura).  The trees all look fluffy!  They grow really slowly so the wood is very dense and hardy.  Aboriginals used this wood for fire sticks and the tip of their spears and the throwing stick of the spear.

 

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Long, thick leaves.

 

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Interspersed you get solitary or small groups of blue mallee (Eucalyptus gamophylla).

 

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It has these double leaves either side of the branch. After fires these guys sprout from a very large underground root system.

 

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And witchetty bushes (Acacia kempeana)

 

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Close to Uluru in the more shady and moist areas you get other gum trees.

 

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Areas of water swept grass

 

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Lots of grasses have grown.  You can see the yellow colour of the dried up leaves but the whole is looking green

 

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