Uluru - Ayers Rock
Uluru/Ayers Rock NT 0872
Uluru is located 1 395 km s of Darwin and 465 km w of Alice Springs in the NT's Red Centre. This huge sandstone rock formation (348 m) together with Kata Tjuta (the Olgas) are the Northern Territory’s greatest tourist attractions. Aboriginal heritage dates back 10 000 years and the name Uluru is a local family name applying to both the rock and its waterhole on top. European exploration began in 1870s with William Gosse sighting and naming the rock in 1873 to honour Sir Henry Ayers (Chief Secretary of SA) and Ernest Giles being the first European to climb the rock in the same year. In 1958 Ayers Rock, together with the Olgas formed Ayers Rock NP (today Uluru-Kata Tjuta N P). The title of the rock was handed back to the traditional owners in 1985. It is considered a sacred site by the Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara tribes who urge visitors to ‘respect our law by not climbing Uluru’. About 10% of visitors do actually climb the rock which takes approx 3 hours. Around the base of Uluru are numerous Aboriginal paintings and a number of walks – Base Walk (9.4 km), Mala Walk (2 km) and Mutitjulu Walk (1km). Uluru is also famous for seeming to change colour depending on the time of day and weather conditions. The first tourists to visit the rock arrived in 1936 followed by the first vehicle track in 1948 and tour buses in 1950s. The Mutitjulu Aborigines (approx 300) live near the western end of Uluru.
The beautiful surrounding area features Mt Connor (700 million year old sand and rock mesa, similarly sized to Uluru and directly west of it), Giles Track (22 km walking track in Watarrka NP passing spectacular valleys, rocky waterways and large standstone formations), Kata Tjuta (Olgas) (superb collection of 36 eroded domes separated by narrow valleys, covering about 35 sq km and situated 50 km to the west. The Aboriginal name means ‘many heads’ with Mt Olga rising to almost 550 m). Kings Canyon walks (located within the Watarrka NP) include Canyon Walk - 6km loop and Kings Creek Walk - 2.6 km return.
Visitor Information Centre: Ayers Rock Resort. Tel (08) 8957 7377.
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