Tayla Foster
The world is constantly on the move. The concept of travel has progressed leaps and bounds over the past two decades due to the ever-advancing development of technology. Such advancements have allowed easy access for Australians to journey anywhere in the world and still stay connected to friends, family and even work from remote destinations. But just for a moment, consider the natural and spectacular sites from within Australia. Allow yourself to be captivated by the breathtaking and sacred sites located within our very own country and appreciate the beauty from within our borders. A natural wonder of the world highly regarded for its beauty and legends is Uluru. The incandescent beauty leaves tourists in awe of such a magnificent and sacred monument in the beating heart of Australia. Now, before you snatch your new iPhone 11 out of your pocket to snap up such rare beauty that obviously has no need for any sort of filter, or even Facetime your friends to share the experience, ask yourself, could I have done this 20 years ago?
Of course 20 years ago, many of us were in our early and awkward teen years, learning about sites such as Uluru, in our High School classes. We would see the same picture in every textbook and wonder why they have used the same tedious image over and over again. Australian students would study the sacred monument and the rationale behind the significance of the site, learning that it is in fact a living cultural landscape of the utmost importance to the Yankunytjatjara and Pitjantjatjara people. Students would be educated on the cultural practices and respect that our Indigenous Australians, both past and present feel towards this sacred place and the influence it has on their Aboriginal Identity.
Whilst we would learn about the sacred monument for the entire duration of the school term, students nowadays have the uncanny capability of researching the significance, location and tourism features of Uluru, from a simple click of a button, inadvertently stripping them of the same significant education we were so lucky to receive. So before you click that button, take that shot for Instagram or Facetime your friends, consider where you were all those years ago learning about the site in front of you, take a deep breath, put that phone back into your pocket and re discover the radiant beauty of what lays before you.
