Have you ever visited a desert? Roughly 18% of Australia’s landscape is desert, and about 70% is classified as arid or semi-arid, with minimal rainfall. Although I have lived in Australia my whole life, I have only recently ventured into the desert. Flying over the vibrant red, dusty plains gave me a new perspective on our beautiful country.
What a privilege and honour it was to take in the grandeur of this amazing monolith, Uluru, just as the traditional custodians, the Anangu, have for many thousands of years.
The first glimpse of Uluru and Kata Tjuṯa from the air was spectacular. Of course, I had heard about their rugged beauty, but being there in person was altogether breathtaking. The sunset changes the colours of Uluru as the sky transforms from clear, vivid blue to paling watercolour stripes of purple, pink, orange, and yellow just above the horizon before darkening to the star-studded, inky black night.
Uluru, Kata Tjuta, Watarrka and the surrounding desert lands display indescribable natural beauty. As we travelled through this vast desert land and walked the red, dusty trails, we looked out for kangaroos, wallabies, wallaroos, dingoes and lizards. Sadly, we saw none of these. But that is a topic for another blog post.
What we did notice was the lush green scrub and trees lining the dry-looking river beds. Rainfall back in May, 2025, brought life-awakening nourishment for many of the desert plants, and we were fortunate to see more greenery than is often the case and spot several different species of wildflowers blooming.
Kata Tjuta
Water seeps through the rock into the gorge at Kata Tjuta, where it feeds and sustains the trees. After rainfall, flowers are more abundant, adding splashes of colour to the landscape.
Watarrka and Uluru
The beautiful gorge at Watarrka (Kings Canyon) pictured on the left, and the Mutitjulu Waterhole at the base of Uluru, pictured below, are like oases. The majestic gum trees that line the gorge have adapted to this harsh landscape, their roots growing deep into the ground in search of water. They are not bothered by long stretches of drought and heat.
Hope
This is a lesson for us all.
Jeremiah noticed similar qualities in the trees planted near rivers where he lived.
“But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit.”
Jeremiah 17:7-8
Let us send our roots deep down into the Lord, so that whatever harsh realities we may face, we may continue to live and thrive, in Him, who gives us all that we need.
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Add comment
Comments