One of the most impressive monoliths in the world, Uluru rises 348 metres above the surrounding desert plain and is located right at the heart of Australia. This spectacular natural formation has towered over the Australian outback for over 500 million years.
I still remember the first time I saw Uluru. You can feel a powerful presence the moment you set eyes on it. For the local Aboriginal people, the Anangu, the world heritage listed Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park has special cultural significance dating back the beginning of time.
Whether you choose to book a cultural tour with a traditional owner, self-drive or travel with a group tour, Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park is guaranteed to take your breath away. Here are 10 wild facts about Uluru you probably didn’t know!
1. History
Aboriginal people have lined in the area around Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park for thousands of years and their culture has always existed here. Dating back more than 60,000 years, the Anangu people are the traditional owners of this land and continue to centre their lives around the ancient laws of the land and traditions passed down to them. The Anangu people continue to work hard to protect their fascinating history and this beautiful region.
2. Dreamtime story
According to Aboriginal dreamtime, the Central Australian landscape is believed to have been created at the beginning of time by ancestral beings. The world was a featureless place until the ancestors of the Anangu emerged and travelled across the land, creating the features like Uluru that we see today. Uluru is now the resting place for the past ancient spirits of the region.
3. European discovery
Although the traditional owners have been caring for this land for thousands of years, it wasn’t until 1872 that the first non-Aboriginal person ventured to the region. Explorer Ernest Giles was leading a party near Kings Canyon when he came across Kata-Tjuta and named largest dome Mount Olga after Queen Olga of Wurttemberg. In 1873, another explorer named William Gosse was the first non-Aboriginal person to see Uluru and named it Ayers Rock after the Chief Secretary of South Australia, Sir Henry Ayers.
4. Becoming a national park
In 1950, Ayers Rock was declared a national park and it took only a few years later for the area around the rock to be excised from an Aboriginal reserve to form the Ayers Rock-Mt Olga National Park. For over ten years, the Anangu people were sadly discouraged from accessing the park as tourism continued to boom but many continued to gather food and hold ceremonies on their traditional homelands. After more than 35 years campaigning, the Anangu people were finally recognised as the traditional owners of the land on October 26 1985 where the Governor General of Australia, Sir Ninian Stephen handed over the title deeds for the park. In 1987, Uluru was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the official name of the park was changed to Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park in 1993.
5. Climbing the rock
According to Tjukurpa (Anangu law and Culture) it was forbidden for anyone to climb Uluru. However, visitors began climbing Uluru in the late 1930’s and a safety chain was installed on the rock in 1964. Over the years, 35 visitors perished climbing the rock and every death and injury haunted the local Anangu people. In 1990’s, signs were installed around the base of the rock asking tourists not to climb the rock and visitors began learning more about Anangu Culture and their wishes. In 2017, the Board of Management for the park agreed to close the park should the number of visitors climbing fall below 20%. This figure was achieved in 2019 and the climb was officially closed on 16th October 2019.
6. Geology
Uluru is the most iconic natural landform in Australia and if you are like me, you are probably wondering how this giant rock was formed in the middle of the outback!? Around 500 million years ago, Australia’s red centre became covered in sea and over time, sand and mud fell to the bottom and covered two fans the seabed. The weight of the new seabed turned the fans into rock. The sandy fan became sandstone (Uluru) while the rocky fan became conglomerate rock (Kata Tjuta). Uluru began its formation underwater until these fans collapsed under the pressure of the water above them. The collapse, and pressure from the sea above fused the plates together and Uluru and Kata Tjuta were formed.
7. Size
Uluru stretches 1.9km across the desert with a circumference of 9.4km and due to it’s immerse size, it can take up to 3.5 hours to walk completely around it. Uluru rises 348 metres above the surrounding desert and is higher than the Eiffel Tower in Paris whereas Kata Tjuta is 546 metres tall which is the same height as the One World Trade Centre in New York City!
8. Underground
You might be shocked to learn that these remarkable rock formations are a lot bigger than they appear! Uluru and Kata Tjuta are only the tips of huge rock slabs that continue for up to 6km underground! When you finally make the trek to Yulara and see Uluru in person, try to picture it as a land iceberg with a height of seven times what you can actually see.
9. Weather
The best time to visit Uluru is between April and May when temperatures are nice and warm and there is little chance of rain. September and October are also great months to visit because this is when many of the desert plants bloom and the wildlife is most active! Rain typically arrives between October and March and the summer months of December and January can sometimes reach highs of up to 50 degrees!
10. Wildlife
Despite it’s surrounding arid landscape, Uluru is home to a surprising amount of plants and wildlife. Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park hosts over 400 plants species with the Anangu people using many natural resources for food, medicine and tools. You can also spot 21 mammals, 178 birds and 73 reptiles across the park so keep your eyes peel! Common mammals here include dingoes, red kangaroos and the spinifex hopping mouse.
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