"The Mala men decorated a ceremonial pole, the Ngaltawata. A group of senior Mala men, then climbed to the top of Uluru and planted the pole at its highest point. You can see the Ngaltawata at the Rock's north-western corner as an almost detached curved pillar of stone. The ceremony had now begun. The women had gathered enough food for everybody. They prepared and stored it in caves at Taputji, a small separate outcrop at Ululru's north-eastern side. The Mala women and the nyuma, seed-cakes, that they made are visible as small stones on top of Taputji.
Not long after the men had begun their ceremony, an invitation came from the Wintalyka men, the Mulga Seed men, in the west, to attend their ceremonies. But once a ceremony has begun it must be completed without interruption. The Mala men had to turn down the invitation, but their refusal enraged the Wintalyka men, who used powerful magic to construct an evil monster called Kurpany. Kurpany was sent to wreak havoc on the Mala ceremony.
The Mala women, camped for the night, did not hear the monster's approach. Luunpa, the kingfisher woman who lives at the Ininti waterhole, screamed out a warning just in time and the women fled, right into Malawati, the place where the men were performing their ceremony. The arrival of the women ruined the ceremony, and the monster attacked two Mala men and devoured them. In great fear and confusion, the Mala men and women fled many hundreds of kilometers to the south, with the monster in hot pursuit.
At the Ininti waterhole, Luunpa still keeps watch, but she is now a large rock. Just above her, Kurpany's footprints are deeply impressed into the rock, striding towards the east and south. Malawati, where the Mala men were attacked, remains as a honeycomb of horizontal shallow caverns."
This is just one of many Aboriginal legends about Uluru, which is written on a display at the beginning of the Mala Walk. And probably they know what they say, since they know by more than 10,000 years this large sanstone rock formation located in the middle of Simpson Desert. After about 9850 years, namely in 1870, arriving here the first whites men, and three years later William Gosse note this inselberg and, although he was told it is called Uluru, he named it Ayers Rock, in honor of the Chief Secretary of South Australia, Sir Henry Ayers. Ayers Rock was created a national park in 1950 and in 1958 was combined with Mount Olga to form the Ayers Rock National Park. In 1985 the title to Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park was returned to the local Pitjantjatjara Aborigines, and re-named Uluru.
If they still don’t agree about the origins and the formation of the monolith, about the composition the geologists say clearly: coarse-grained arkose (a feldspar-rich sandstone) and some conglomerate. Uluru rises 348 m from the ground and a trip around at its base measures 9.4 km. Visitors can move up 1.6 km to the top or take a walking tour around the rock with an aboriginal guide, to see the caves, springs, ancient artwork, waterholes, and so on.
Beyond all this information, Uluru undoubtedly worth be seen if the opportunity arises, because it seems to be one of those places about can’t say much, but impressive and memorable. Of course, Uluru was listed in 1987 as a World Heritage Area by UNESCO for its natural and man-made attributes, under the name Uluru - Kata Tjuta National Park
Suspicious at first, Sharon had agreed at last to swap three cards with me, and this is the first of it. Actually I receive it all three, but everything in its turn. Well, on every one of it she used three stamps and none of its don't repeated. Very nice. And flattering. Thanks Sharon.
About the stamps
First on the left is part of the set The ANZAC Tradition, issued on April 12th, 1990 and consist of 5 stamps:
• Soldiers from Two World Wars (41¢) - it's on the postcard
• Fighter pilots and munitions worker (41¢)
• Veterans and Anzac Day Parade (65¢)
• Casualty evacuation, Vietnam, and disabled veteran (1 AUD)
• Letters from home and returning troopships (1.1 AUD)
If there is someone who doesn’t know what is ANZAC, I say it's the acronym to Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, formed in Egypt in 1915 and operated during the Battle of Gallipoli, where he has fought exemplary, but was dissolved in 1916. On April 12th, 1941, during WWII, was re-established in Greece, but after Battle of Greece the name wasn’t used anymore. An unit with this name has fought in Vietnam. Even if I didn’t find much information about the set, I concluded that it’s a commemorative one, very well illustrated and designed, because in 1990 its have celebrated 75 years since the establishment of the corps, and April 12 is on the one hand the date of reconstituting the corps in WWII, and on the other hand is near to April 25th, the ANZAC Day.
The second is in its turn part of a set issued on May 23th 1984, named Clipper Ships and consist of 4 stamps:
• Cutty Sark / 1869 (30¢)
• Orient / 1953 (45¢)
• Sobraon / 1866 (75¢) - it's on the postcard
• Thermopylae / 1868 (85¢)
The last stamp is part of Part 1 (lick & stick) of the set Christmas 1997, issued on November 3th, designed by C. Bryant (Australia Post Graphis Design) and consist of 3 stamps:
• Two Clildren as Angels (40¢)
• Child as Mary with Baby Jesus (45¢) - it's on the postcard
• Three Children as Three Wise Men (1 AUD)
Very beautiful postmarks I saw on the Australia Post website. Unfortunately on this postcard postal officials haven’t tried any.
sender: Sharon Busuttil (direct swap)
sent from (Australia) on 31.10.2011
photo: Jörg Heumüller
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