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On the 4th of August
1872 Earnest Giles and a small
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company of explorers arrived at
the Charlotte Waters Telegraph
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Station which would be their
last outpost of civilization for
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some time to come. Here they
rested and re-shoed their horses
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and made sure they had all the
gear they needed for the journey
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ahead of them. They left the
station on the 12th of August
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and made their way to the Finke
River about 100 kilometers down
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the road. Giles and his
expedition were part of a
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growing group of scientists and
explorers thronging to the heart
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of Australia in search of new
frontiers. Their great objective
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was to cross the barren
plains of the Great Red Center
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and reach the shores of
Western Australia. Australia's
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Red Center is rugged and
unforgiving, yet adorned with
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beauty and brutality in equal
parts. Yet in the face of clear
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and present danger many of these
early explorers pushed eagerly
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westward. The triumph of
discovery propelling them on
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their way. During this
expedition of 1872 Earnest Giles
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would make some amazing
discoveries one of which is the
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famous rounded peaks of Mount
Olga also known as Kata Tjuta to
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its aboriginal custodians. In
the vicinity of Mount Olga rises
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the massive bulk of Australia's
most recognizable natural
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feature, the formidable Uluru.
Today we explore the rugged
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beauty of Australia's Red Center
The towering rocks, unique
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terrain and vivid color schemes
of this vast expanse of largely
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unspoiled land. It's full
of surprises and lessons just
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waiting to be discovered. Join
us as we make this incredible
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journey into Australia's heart
land, the Great Red Center.
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In October 1972 about two
months after they departed the
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Charlotte Springs Telegraph
Station Giles and his company
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were camped near King's Creek
which winds its way along the
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floor of King's Canyon.
Taking his second in command
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Carmichael with him Giles left
camp and started in an easterly
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direction on an exploratory
mission of the area. They
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struggled to find good watering
holes for themselves and their
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horses. This was an ongoing
problem as water is scarce in
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this area. At long last, they
stumbled onto a large salt land
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stretching out as far as their
eyes could see and obscuring
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their way forward. They found
that the lake was boggy and the
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water in it pure brine. The salt
encrusted top layer of the lake
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held their weight but crumbled
under the weight of their horses
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They tried in vain to cross but
the horses kept breaking through
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the top crust and falling into
the hot blue mud underneath.
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Just beyond the reach of this
salty swamp a tall mountain was
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silhouetted against the sky.
Giles was fascinated by this
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mountain range and was
determined to get across the
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salt lake to explore it. However
try as they might, they just
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couldn't get across and finally
they headed home in search of
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water. Giles named the prominent
mountain he had seen Mount Olga
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and the salty bog Lake Amadeus.
A few months later another
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ambitious expedition set off
from Alice Springs Station in
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April 1873. This group of
explorers was led by William
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Gosse, a surveyor. Gosse's party
had horses, camels and enough
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provisions for eight months.
Around the four-month mark the
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group set up camp near King's
Canyon. Shortly after they
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arrived at King's Canyon Gosse
his Afghan cameleer Camron set
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out on a recognizance mission.
Along the way, they sighted an
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an imposing monolith rising
silently from the flat red
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red-brown plains around it.
Fascinated Gosse rode around the
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base of the rock and then
proceeded to climb it barefooted
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From the summit he saw several
other mountain ranges in the
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distance. Gosse named the
moonlight Ayers Rock in honor of
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Sir Henry Ayers the chief
secretary of South Australia.
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He then named the mountain
ranges to the southeast the
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Musgrave Ranges. Gosse
and Camron returned to camp
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elated and Gosse made a record
of his discovery in his journal.
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Uluru is one of Australia's
most recognizable landmarks and
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perhaps its most famous icon.
It's located right at the center
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of Australia and serves almost
literally as Australia's heart.
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It towers 348 meters. This makes
it taller than the Eiffel Tower,
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Big Ben, the Statue of Liberty
and the great pyramid of Giza.
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The custodians of both Uluru
and Kata Tjuta also known as the
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Olgas are the Unungu people.
And both sites have great
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spiritual and
cultural significance for them.
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Uluru is actually an inselberg
which means it's much like and
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iceberg on land. It rises
abruptly from a vast flat plain
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and yet much of its bulk is
actually underneath the surface
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extending an amazing two and
a half kilometers underground.
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Interestingly both Uluru and
the Olgas are part of the same
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underground rock. By the 1920s
Uluru and the Olgas were part of
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southwestern aboriginal reserve.
By the 1940s tourists began to
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trickle into the area and were
required to obtain permits from
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the Northern Territory
government. Many of these
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tourists made the trip into the
area from Alice Springs which
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were the closest township
and back then was a two day bus
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ride away. Often buses would
get bogged in the soft sand
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and passengers would have to get
out and push the bus to get the
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vehicle moving again. In 1958
Uluru and the Olgas were severed
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from the Southwestern Aboriginal
Reserve and a dedicated National
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Park spanning some 1300 square
kilometers was created. The park
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was named Ayers Rock-Mount Olga
National Park and placed under
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management of the Northern
Territory Reserves Board. The
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rough terrain and inhospitable
conditions didn't deter the
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flocks of tourists and numbers
swelled in the 1970s. This
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forced the government of the
Northern Territory to plan the
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development and construction
of a dedicated tourist town that
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would service the needs of
visitors to the area. The town
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was named Ulara and is located
11 kilometer north of Uluru.
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Unesco also listed the Uluru/
Kata Tjuta National Park as a
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biosphere reserve in
1977. Biosphere reserves are
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ecosystems that
enable scientists to explore
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biodiversity, sustainable
use of natural resources and
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conservation. The traditional
custodians of the land the
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Anangu people were extremely
adept at conservation and land
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management. During the winter
months of the year the Anangu
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people conducted controlled
burns in the area. Fire was used
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as a tool to make the land
productive as it made way for
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new growth. The Anangu would
only burn small patches of the
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land at a time so that the fires
would not flare out of control.
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Through this practice the
land would look like a patchwork
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quilt of burnt and unburnt areas
and within each of these patches
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different animals and plants
would thrive. This gave the
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Anangu a much broader variety
of food than if they had set the
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entire plain on fire. Recently
burnt areas would have plants
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sending out tender young shoots
of regrowth while areas that
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had been burnt previously would
have the same types of flowers
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and plants flowering or
bearing fruit. This provided for
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biodiversity and gave the land
a chance to rest which in turn
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allowed for sustainable
land management. When the Anangu
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were driven from the
area in the 1930s traditional
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control burning of
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the area ceased. Throughout
the 1940s the land flourished in
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the wake of good rainfall. Then
in 1950 fire ravaged the land's
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fueled by the vegetation that
had been left to thrive over the
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past 20 years. The fire
decimated about one third of the
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park's vegetation. This pattern
continued to repeat itself over
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the next few decades and in
1976 two major fires burned out
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three quarters of the park.
Several species of medium size
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mammals became extinct
emphasizing the need for sound
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land management practices. Today
controlled burns are carried out
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in keeping with the traditional
land management patterns
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practiced by the Anangu people.
This ensured the preservation of
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the ecosystem within the park
and contributes to a sustainable
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future. The area is home to
a wide variety of amazing and
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unique wildlife. All five
families of Australian lizards
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are present here. One of them
being the thorny devil. They're
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active during the heat of
the day and eat ants and other
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insects. The world's deadliest
snake the Fierce Snake or
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or inland taipan hides in cracks
of the dry land to avoid the
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heat of the day. The venom from
one bite is so toxic it's enough
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to kill over 100 people. There's
also a variety of mammals such
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as red kangaroos, wallaroos and
dingo's. The region is rich in
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birdlife. There are 150 species
of birds including ring-necked
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parrots, mulga parrots,
budgerigars and wedge-tailed
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eagle. The wedge-tailed
eagle has a wingspan of over two
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meters and can travel over large
areas of the outback searching
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for anything that catches its
eye. Even young tawny frogmouth
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who are masters at camouflage
can't always avoid detection.
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And there are plenty of Imus.
They are the largest bird in
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Australia. These flightless
birds are constantly searching
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for food in the arid red sand.
The area is also rich in plant
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life and the Anangu people used
140 species of plants for food.
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Many of these were harvested
for their seeds or for other
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practical benefits. For example
resin was extracted from the
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spiky spinifex bushes to make
glue strong enough to attach
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handles onto stone tools. About
40 kilometers west of Uluru the
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towering dun peaks of the Olgas
or Kata-Tjuta rise from the red
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earth of the central Australian
plain. Kata-Tjuta means many
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heads and this reflects the 36
domes that make up the group of
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rocks. Also in the vicinity of
Uluru and the Olgas are King's
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Canyon and Palm Valley. It was
at King's Canyon on the banks
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of King's Creek that the
explorers Ernest Giles and
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William Gosse camped when they
first entered the area. It was
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from their campsite here
that they both ventured out on
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scouting trips of the land and
discovered Uluru and the Olgas.
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The walls of King's Canyon
rise over 270 meters. The King's
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Canyon solar power station is
Australia's largest flat plate
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solar photovoltaic station. It
began operation in December 2003
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The solar power station reduces
diesel consumption by 105,000
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liters per year and saves more
than 300 tons of greenhouse gas
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emissions a year. Another
important natural landmark is
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the Palm Valley area located
within the Finke Gorge National
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Park. The area is an east-west
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valley in the Prichauff? Ranges.
It's usually quite dry but
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hidden within it are small
pockets of semi-permanent spring
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fed pools that allow the unique
flora to survive the otherwise
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harsh conditions. During periods
of heavy rainfall a large amount
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of water flows through the
valley gorge bringing the barren
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desert area to life. When this
happens a variety of aquatic
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life takes up residence in the
streams of water. Species like
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desert fish, shield shrimps,
tadpoles and frogs flourish.
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Albert Namatjira the famous
aboriginal artist learned the
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techniques of watercolor
painting from Rex Battarbee on
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a two-month-long trip they
made into the Palm Valley Area.
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Battarbee wanted to paint
the rugged central Australian
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landscape and took Namatjira
along as his cameleer and guide.
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All of these amazing natural
features are found within the
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Northern Territory. The Northern
Territory of Australia has five
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major towns which act as supply
centers servicing the large
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swaths of land surrounding them.
These five centers are Darwin,
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Alice Springs, Katherine,
Tennant Creek and Nhulunbuy.
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The southern part of
the territory is arid and
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experiences very little rainfall
Interestingly 18% of the
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Australian mainland is
considered desert area, but 35%
00:16:18.31\00:16:22.84
of the continent receives so
little rainfall that the area is
00:16:22.88\00:16:27.82
effectively a desert which means
that only 65% of the Australian
00:16:27.85\00:16:33.39
continent is habitable. The
most significant exploratory
00:16:33.42\00:16:38.46
expeditions to reach the
northern territory were John
00:16:38.49\00:16:41.56
McDouall Stuart's expeditions
charting the Australian mainland
00:16:41.60\00:16:45.37
from south to north. His
successful expeditions from 1861
00:16:45.40\00:16:51.07
to 1862 led to the discovery
of land that was of agricultural
00:16:51.11\00:16:58.01
value. He also encouraged the
colonial government to consider
00:16:58.05\00:17:01.82
establishing a permanent
northern port. In 1869, the
00:17:01.85\00:17:07.69
South Australian government sent
George Goyder to establish a
00:17:07.72\00:17:11.76
settlement in the northern
territory. They proposed the
00:17:11.79\00:17:15.20
site of the current city of
Darwin. The settlement was to
00:17:15.23\00:17:19.47
encourage settlers to move into
the area and raise livestock.
00:17:19.50\00:17:23.51
Goyder successfully established
the settlement and named it
00:17:23.54\00:17:28.28
Palmerston. Two years later the
undersea telegraph cable link
00:17:28.31\00:17:33.11
between Australia and London
came ashore at Palmerston making
00:17:33.15\00:17:38.09
it an important hub for
international communication.
00:17:38.12\00:17:41.69
Palmerston was later
renamed Darwin in 1911 after the
00:17:41.72\00:17:47.80
naturalist Charles Darwin.
Alice Springs is the closest
00:17:47.83\00:17:54.50
township to many of the popular
natural features in the northern
00:17:54.54\00:17:58.11
territory. It is situated
roughly in the very center of
00:17:58.14\00:18:02.04
the Australian mainland and the
surrounding region is known as
00:18:02.08\00:18:06.25
Central Australia or the Red
Center. In 1871 the surveyor of
00:18:06.28\00:18:13.15
the new overland telegraph line
discovered a water hole in the
00:18:13.19\00:18:17.06
area and named it in honor of
Lady Alice Todd who was the wife
00:18:17.09\00:18:21.70
of the telegraph pioneer Sir
Charles Todd. Todd accepted a
00:18:21.73\00:18:26.97
position as the head of the
Electric Telegraph Department of
00:18:27.00\00:18:30.17
South Australia. He arrived
in Adelaide with his 18-year-old
00:18:30.21\00:18:35.54
wife, Alice, and discovered that
his department had no telegraph
00:18:35.58\00:18:38.25
lines. Todd began by setting up
telegraph lines between Adelaide
00:18:38.28\00:18:43.62
and Port Adelaide and then
Adelaide and Melbourne. In 1859
00:18:43.65\00:18:50.89
he came up with the idea of a
transcontinental telegraph line
00:18:50.93\00:18:54.53
extending from Adelaide to
Darwin. By 1870, plans were laid
00:18:54.56\00:19:00.74
to construct the Australian
Overland Telegraph Line from
00:19:00.77\00:19:05.04
Port Augusta in the south to
Port Darwin in the north. The
00:19:05.07\00:19:09.28
line was completed on the 22nd
of August 1872. In 1929, a rail
00:19:09.31\00:19:17.65
line linking Adelaide to Alice
Springs was constructed and in
00:19:17.69\00:19:21.89
the year 2003 the line was
extended north to Darwin. The
00:19:21.92\00:19:27.40
passenger train linking Adelaide
to Darwin is called the Ghan in
00:19:27.43\00:19:32.83
honor of the Afghan cameleers
and workers who helped build the
00:19:32.87\00:19:36.77
railway line. A trip on the Ghan
is listed as one of the world's
00:19:36.81\00:19:41.08
great train journeys. Afghan
workers who were really workers
00:19:41.11\00:19:46.68
from various parts of the middle
east came to Australia in the
00:19:46.72\00:19:50.42
19th century. They brought their
camels with them and used the
00:19:50.45\00:19:54.79
animals to set up a
transport and delivery operation
00:19:54.82\00:19:58.19
servicing remote settlements in
the northern territory. The lack
00:19:58.23\00:20:02.20
of local shops led many of the
settlers to depend on the Afghan
00:20:02.23\00:20:08.14
camel trains to supply their
household needs. During the
00:20:08.17\00:20:12.11
construction of the railway
line the camel trains carried
00:20:12.14\00:20:16.24
building materials for the line
from Adelaide to Alice Springs.
00:20:16.28\00:20:20.02
They also carried materials
for the construction of the
00:20:20.05\00:20:23.69
the telegraph line. Camels
were better suited to the harsh
00:20:23.72\00:20:28.02
desert climate of the Australian
center than horses or other pack
00:20:28.06\00:20:33.03
animals. After the construction
of the railway line and with the
00:20:33.06\00:20:37.20
advent of motor vehicles Afghan
camel trains became redundant.
00:20:37.23\00:20:41.90
Many of the camel drivers
or cameleers returned to their
00:20:41.94\00:20:45.77
homelands while others remained
and settled in Australia. Most
00:20:45.81\00:20:50.68
of the camels were released into
the wild where they thrived and
00:20:50.71\00:20:55.95
multiplied. Today Australia has
the largest camel herd in the
00:20:55.98\00:20:59.92
world. There are about one
million camels running wild in
00:20:59.95\00:21:04.56
the Red Center. The heart of the
Australian continent is a dry
00:21:04.59\00:21:12.20
and barren land punctuated
by immense mountain ranges
00:21:12.23\00:21:15.60
scattered across its sandy face.
Each of these mountains stand as
00:21:15.64\00:21:21.41
ancient witnesses to the ever
changing face of the continent.
00:21:21.44\00:21:26.31
Through the highs and lows of
plenty and scarcity these rocks
00:21:26.35\00:21:30.59
have remained unyielding
and unchanging. The massive
00:21:30.62\00:21:35.92
sandstone faces of Uluru and
Kata Tjuta are a testament to
00:21:35.96\00:21:40.70
the consistency and constancy of
nature, it's power to withstand
00:21:40.73\00:21:45.13
the raging tempests of time and
fortune, its resilience in the
00:21:45.17\00:21:50.57
face of drastic change. The
Bible uses the symbol of a rock
00:21:50.61\00:21:56.61
in the desert to illustrate the
great unchanging nature of God.
00:21:56.64\00:22:01.62
In particular, it illustrates
three aspects of the character
00:22:01.65\00:22:05.05
of God. Firstly, the
Bible refers to God as a rock of
00:22:05.09\00:22:10.13
refuge and shelter.
Here's what the Bible says in
00:22:10.16\00:22:13.50
II Samuel
chapter 22 and verse 3:
00:22:13.53\00:22:16.77
This concept is mentioned over
and over again in the Bible like
00:22:31.65\00:22:37.75
in Psalm chapter 62 and verse 7:
00:22:37.79\00:22:41.09
God is able to offer us shelter
and rest from the highs and lows
00:22:49.43\00:22:54.74
of the human experience.
In the shade of his love and
00:22:54.77\00:22:58.31
faithfulness each weary traveler
can find refuge and pause for a
00:22:58.34\00:23:03.71
moment of much needed peace.
Secondly, the Bible refers to
00:23:03.75\00:23:09.82
God as our rock of strength.
Notice how King David refers to
00:23:09.85\00:23:15.32
God in Psalm 18 and verse 2:
00:23:15.36\00:23:18.73
Rocks, especially ancient ones
like Uluru and Kata Tjuta, have
00:23:32.14\00:23:38.75
weathered the worst assaults
that nature has thrown at them
00:23:38.78\00:23:41.98
and have endured. As our rock
of strength, God enables us to
00:23:42.02\00:23:47.06
endure the fierce tempests of
life unbowed. God's strength is
00:23:47.09\00:23:51.69
able to give us the resilience
we need to weather our personal
00:23:51.73\00:23:56.36
storms and to empower us to go
the distance. Finally, the Bible
00:23:56.40\00:24:02.44
refers to God as the Rock of our
Salvation. In II Samuel chapter
00:24:02.47\00:24:07.31
22 and verse 47 King David
acknowledged God as the Rock of
00:24:07.34\00:24:12.28
of my salvation. Here it is:
00:24:12.31\00:24:14.85
The word salvation refers to
deliverance or preservation from
00:24:24.39\00:24:30.27
harm, ruin or loss. And in many
ways God's hand preserves and
00:24:30.30\00:24:35.84
delivers us. The first instance
of his preserving power is seen
00:24:35.87\00:24:40.38
in his ability to deliver
us from the harm, ruin and loss
00:24:40.41\00:24:44.48
that sin creates in our lives
and in the lives of those around
00:24:44.51\00:24:49.28
us. The second instance is found
in God's ability to deliver us
00:24:49.32\00:24:55.22
from the harm that our own
unwise choices might create in
00:24:55.26\00:24:59.09
our lives. And thirdly, God is
able to deliver us from the ruin
00:24:59.13\00:25:03.97
and loss that the unwise choices
of others create in our lives.
00:25:04.00\00:25:08.97
Even in the scorching red plains
of Australia's desert heartland
00:25:09.00\00:25:14.84
the hand of God has written a
message of love for each of us.
00:25:14.88\00:25:18.85
To each of us he says, I am your
rock, I am your refuge from the
00:25:18.88\00:25:24.99
uncertainties and perils of life
I am your strength to endure
00:25:25.02\00:25:30.63
the trials and challenges of
life and I am your salvation to
00:25:30.66\00:25:35.40
preserve you from the pain
and loss that you face in life.
00:25:35.43\00:25:39.47
Jesus offers to be your rock and
mine. If you would like to find
00:25:39.50\00:25:44.91
shelter in him as well as
experience the true inner peace
00:25:44.94\00:25:48.64
and happiness that he offers
then I'd like to recommend a
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free give we have for all our
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00:25:56.69\00:26:01.46
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Don't delay. Call or text us now
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If you've enjoyed today's
journey to the Red Center of
00:27:16.60\00:27:22.14
Australia to visit Uluru and the
Olgas and our reflections on the
00:27:22.17\00:27:25.77
refuge, peace and happiness
that God provides then be sure
00:27:25.81\00:27:30.55
to join us again next week when
we will share another of life's
00:27:30.58\00:27:34.58
journeys together. Until then
let's ask God to be our rock,
00:27:34.62\00:27:39.89
our shelter and our
salvation. Let's pray.
00:27:39.92\00:27:44.06
Dear Heavenly Father, thank you
for the beauty and majesty of
00:27:44.09\00:27:49.50
Uluru and the Olgas, Kata Tjuta.
Today we are being reminded that
00:27:49.53\00:27:55.64
we all need a place of refuge
when we are facing the storms
00:27:55.67\00:28:00.81
and challenges of life. We
need a place of safety. There is
00:28:00.84\00:28:04.48
nothing stronger or more secure
than your love. Thank you for
00:28:04.51\00:28:09.28
being our Rock, our shelter and
our salvation. In Jesus' name
00:28:09.32\00:28:14.42
we pray. Amen.
00:28:14.46\00:28:16.99
¤ ¤
00:28:17.03\00:28:26.97