REFLECTIONS FROM THE RED CENTRE

Partner in Conservation and photographer Brenden Hayes recently travelled to Central Australia, spending a few days exploring Uluru before joining WWF-Australia's Larapinta Challenge, Trek for Nature. Over the following four days, he trekked through Tyurrentye on Arrernte Country, a vast region of 16 Traditional Estates containing many sites of cultural importance, while raising funds for nature and wildlife.

Over a total of nine days, Brenden walked through spectacular mountain ranges, including Mount Sonder and Mount Giles, visited Ormiston Gorge, and explored iconic landmarks such as Kata Tjuta and Watarrka (Kings Canyon). Along the way, he captured photos of the wildlife and landscapes that made the journey so memorable. "It's a very powerful landscape. I've captured some that I hope help people feel things and inspire them to come out here. But seeing it in pictures and actually feeling it in person are two fundamentally different things."

For Brenden, one of the most powerful aspects of trekking the Larapinta trail was the sense of time and history woven through the landscape. "This landscape has been here for many, many millions of years. Indigenous peoples have been caring for it for many millennia." He describes feeling the weight of both the landscape itself and the generations of care that have shaped it, saying "You feel that when you're out here. You absolutely feel every bit of it."

Each stop felt different, but all led Brenden to a deeper appreciation for the age and significance of these places and what it truly means to experience them respectfully. Visiting Uluru, in particular, left a lasting impression. The more he learned about Uluru’s cultural significance, the more he understood why climbing the sacred site has not been permitted since 2019, following a longstanding request from the Anangu Traditional Owners.

"You see all the pictures, and it looks big and spectacular. But it just doesn't prepare you for the feeling. I'm really glad they closed it off for climbing. We've got to understand this is bigger than us. This goes further back than us. This goes deeper than us."

Rather than approaching nature as something to be conquered or completed, Brenden says the experience encouraged him to slow down, be present and allow himself to feel connected to what’s around him. "Just looking out into the distance, seeing all the different mountain ranges and sensing all the sacred storylines has weight. I felt that. If you can be with the lands that you walk through and not try to conquer them, that feels like the authentic way to be out here.”

This entire experience left Brenden with a deeper appreciation for the places, stories and connections to Country he encountered along the way. Those experiences continue to shape his commitment to protecting nature as a Partner in Conservation. Inspired by Brenden's story? Join a community of passionate nature lovers and discover the impact you can make as a Partner in Conservation.