Author Archives: d4vid

Ironwood

An ironwood tree at dusk with a crescent moon behind it.  The Europeans used the hard, termite-resistant wood for building.  The aborigines used the wood for weapons.

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Sanctuary

In Alice Springs, went to a kangaroo sanctuary run by a guy name Brolga (a 6’7″ Aussie who got his nickname from a type of tall, slender bird.)There are 50 million kangaroos in Australia, compared to only 25 million humans.Most … Continue reading

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Priscilla

About 4000 kilometers (2500 miles-ish) and five states & territories later, I’ve made it from Sydney to Alice Springs, thus completing my The Adventures of Priscilla: Queen of the Desert route.

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Excess

INXS was playing in the lobby as I checked out of the Ayers Rock Resort, of course.  Still peak Australia.

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Idiot

Years of study and what was the most useful thing I learned in film school?  The dolley counter zoom?  No.  The Kuleshov Effect?  No.  How to overexpose film stock to create pseudo-solarization?  No. Before leaving a location you’ve filmed at, you look … Continue reading

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Nausica

This pass in Kata Tjuta is known as the Valley of the Winds.And, yes, the wind blows through the pass & the trees mellifluously.

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Bornhardt

The local Pitjantjatjara people  call this rock formation Kata Tjuta, but it is also known as “The Olgas” because in 1873 the tallest peak was christened  Mt. Olga after  Queen Olga of Württemberg (daughter of Tsar Nicholas I.)Unlike Uluru, which is an inselberg, Kata … Continue reading

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Cladodes

One of the shifts in environment that I noticed driving to Uluru from the South Australia was the how tangled shrubbery gave way to these trees, which looked to me to be some sort of pine.  However, I learned that … Continue reading

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Dawn

Looking out at the southeastern face of Uluru with the sun just starting to rise behind me.Just off to the left, in the far distance, you can see Kata Tjuta which is the other major rock formation in this otherwise … Continue reading

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Silhouette

The silhouette of Uluru from the northwest with the sun just about to rise behind it.

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Buddy

My sister once told me, “I know Orion!  He’s my buddy!  He comes out for my birthday!”  Nice to see something familiar in a usually unfamiliar sky.

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Going

Looking out at the northwest face of Uluru with the sun setting behind me.Going…Going…Gone.

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Beelzebub

I always have two thoughts when I’m watching movies set in The Outback: Man, they sure do like cutting to shots of lizards Why does everyone have flies on their faces all the time? I now have answers: The lizards … Continue reading

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Sacred

Uluru is sacred to the local Aṉangu tribe, the Pitjantjatjara people, and the site’s creation & texture are accounted for in their myths.A chain was hammered into the rock in 1964 to aid Westerners in climbing to the top, even though climbing … Continue reading

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Rules

You can’t tag me because I’m touching Uluru and Uluru is safe.

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