Nana and I spent most of our time at Ayers Rock trying desperately to keep warm through a gauntlet of stunning sunrises and sunsets. But the morning of our last day in the Red Centre we took advantage of a free tour through the Ayers Rock Resort gardens, guided by the same folks in charge of the Aboriginal dance performances and cultural talks. The walk provided a great introduction to the plant life of the Australian Outback, which despite its arid climate is home to a wide variety of plants and animals.
Below are some shots of a few of the plants on the tour, with brief notes on any of the ones I remember learning about.
 |
| This bush produces berries colloquially known as "snot-gobblers." |
 |
| As you can tell from Nana's expression, it's an appropriate name. |
 |
| A famous desert plum - very important in the traditional diet of the local Aboriginal tribes. |
 |
| This Jurassic-looking fern is, in fact, a living fossil, having survived for millions of years in central Australia's isolated ecosystem. |
 |
| For whatever reason, most of the trees have whitish trunks. These are actually called "ghost trees." |
 |
| You recognize these from every floral arrangement ever. Never knew they were native to the Outback! |
 |
| This is the old man saltbush. Imagine spinach that tastes like potato chips. |
 |
| Yum! |
 |
| A desert rose. |
 |
| A good shot of a ghost tree. You think of the Outback as being a desert, but most of it is more like very arid savannah - a mixture of sand and scrubby grasses, with sparse stands of trees in the low-lying areas. |
 |
| This is a kind of aloe. Great for your skin, and also a source of water if you're stuck in the desert. |
 |
| Even the leaves and needles have a silvery sheen. |
 |
| This is a honeybush flower. The nectar tastes like, um, honey. |
 |
| A quick glance out from the edge of the resort to more open country. |
