Ayers Rock

No matter how many pictures you’ve seen, nothing will prepare you for your first view of Uluru. Once you stand at its base, touch it and explore its mysteries, you will understand why it’s not only a treasured icon to local Aboriginal people, but also one of the great wonders of the world.

Ayers Rock, now widely known by its Aboriginal name, Uluru, is the symbol of the Northern Territory‘s Red Centre, rivaling the Sydney Harbor Bridge and Opera House as the best known Australian tourist icon in the world. Mount Olga (which is actually the highest of a group of 36 outcrops commonly called The Olgas) are the focal points in the Uluru – Kata Tjuta National Park, about 450 kms (280 miles) south of Alice Springs. Both are extremely important to the belief and culture of the Aboriginal people and are World Heritage listed for their cultural significance as well as their geological uniqueness.

Ayers Rock is the largest monolith (single rock) on earth, standing 348 meters (1,142 ft.) above the desert floor. It is 3.1 kms/1.9 miles from east to west, 1.9 kms wide/1.2 miles and 9.4 kms/5.8 miles around its base. The Anangu people prefer visitors to respect its cultural significance and not climb Uluru. But if you insist, as many do, you must be fit as it is 1.6 kms (.9 mile) from the base to the summit and some sections are very steep. Unless you are a highly trained athlete, allow two hours for the return trip. Some sections are very steep and people have died falling from the rock or from seizures after the climb. The climb is closed when there is rain or high winds.