Red Center, Australia: Flashback - March 2007

Scorched red Earth. Blanketing humidity. Menacing biting flies.

A visit to Oz isn't complete without a trip into the Red Center. The central part of Australia is desert. Difficult and expensive to reach, the most populated town in this area is Alice Springs.

The main attraction is Ayers Rock or as the local aborigines call it, Uluru. The massive and towering red rock sits in the center of flat grasslands. An awe-inspiring natural formation, it has been at the root of centuries-old tales and is one of the most iconic symbols of the country.

Kissing the sky at more than 1,000 feet, it is frowned upon by the locals to climb the mighty sandstone rock.

Not far down the road are the equally impressive Olga mountains: rounded, red rolling mounds that appear to tumble over the arid desertscape below. If you aren't too consumed swatting pesky biting black flies, take a ride on a camel through the scorched outback to catch a glimpse of some of the island continent's most deadly creatures like venomous snakes, scorpions and spiders.