Photograhs of Uluru and Kata Tjuta from the collection of Jan and Bob Wright
WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander visitors are warned that this page may contain images of deceased persons.
Jan has very kindly allowed me to upload many of her photo slides and has kindly added more of their amazing story in the comments underneath the photos. All photographs are copyright Jan Wright. A small bio and contact information is found at the foot of this page. (If you wish to use any of these photographs, you are required under copyright law to contact and obtain permission.)
Glen Helen Lodge
These men were stockmen for Brian Bowman, who owned Glen Helen cattle Station. Some of these cattle stations in the ‘outback’ of Australia are bigger than the state of Texas in U.S.A. Neighbours can be up to 200 miles apart, and still travel to parties. Dawn Severin came from Curtin Springs, near Ayers Rock, to Alice Springs Drive-in theatre, in the evening, to see Jesus Christ Superstar and then went home on the same corrugated red sand road, after it finished. Distance was 283 miles one way, but distance was measured in time not length, and this was quite normal for most of these Centralians.
Curtin Springs is a Road House with shade, home made cakes, petrol stop, mail collection, toilets and bore water – 45 miles east of Ayers Rock. Dawn and Peter Severin ran the Road House at Curtin Springs which every traveller had to stop and refresh before continuing to Ayers Rock. Before that they had travelled 4 hours on the rough road in the middle of nowhere. Curtin Springs cattle station supplied the meat to all the Resort Lodges at Uluru.
There was no telephones, and certainly no mobile phone connection then, only a 2-way crystal radio. When anyone talked on the radio phone, it was linked with the whole of the Territory and people used to listen in to each others’ conversations. No secrets here! View larger version
Early Days at Ayers Rock (Uluru)
The Olgas – now known as Kata Tjuta
It tends to grow in mallee and heathland environments in sandy well drained soils.
Its flowers exist as cylindrical spikes which are initially yellow/green to yellow, and turn bronze in when aged. The Desert Banksia flowers in late winter to spring. The green leaves are elongated wedge shaped with serrated edges about 20 mm wide and 100 mm long. View larger version
Cathedral Cave
Maggie Springs (Mutujulu Springs)
The face appears only in the afternoon and only from a certain angle. View larger version
Uluru
Bio for Bob and Jan Wright:
I first met Janice Relf in the later part of 1961 on an accidental date – 6 weeks later we married—in North Sydney, Crows Nest Methodist Church—I was in the Navy at the time and had just been drafted to Darwin to be the Captain’s Cook at Admiralty House and Government House where the administrator, Rodger Knott was living. So we began a continuing journey … Jan, (as she likes to be known) was used to leaving for Alice Springs for the winter every 6 months with her grandmother and Uncle Les Campbell, who was an artist of some reknown.
They used to camp in a tent at Uluru as far back as the 1950s.
The humidity of the North was hard to take for Jan. After my time in Darwin was completed and after the birth of our daughter Jane, we returned to 404 Princes Highway, Bomaderry and planned our trip to the Centre of Australia. On arrival I secured a position with Lye Underdown as a chief at his new Alice Springs Hotel and while there, we were offered a position managing a lodge for tourists at what was then known as Ayers Rock.
Soon we were able to be familiar enough to learn the mythology of the area, even conduct tours around the Rock, and be fortunate enough to be there with a camera to catch the many moods of the Rock. We entertained the Ansett Pioneer tourists with slide shows in the evenings at the Lodge. After the season completed we left Australia on a 6 months around–the–world–cruise with the Sitmar Line and while away, we were asked if we would come back. We said, “Yes, if we could manage Glen Helen Lodge, west of Alice Springs” and that was all O.K.
There we were the only 3 whites amongst a community of Aborigines who we soon got to know and depend on for news, they had a wireless and we didn’t – they made damper, had meat, and were a very happy, healthy, thriving group. We were cut off From Alice Springs because of rain. Roads were washed out, no traffic was getting through … we heard stories from Long Tall Harry and Mick Whaggo among others. The South Australian Film Corporation had just finished making the film, The Sundowners.
We went back to the Rock for yet another season managing the Lodge; finally leaving the Centre of Australia in 1980. One, never really leaves—it is now 2010 and we still look at the weather map; check the weather and whenever we meet up with people from the Centre, it is like family. The stories are endless and the mateship is forever – Jan and I are currently living at Nowra, n.s.w. Australia. Phone: (+61) (02) 0481 481 383 or 0410 664 797 email: thewrights56@gmail.com