Uluru

Uluru/Ayer's Rock Sept. 2011  Photo: B. Perry

25° 20.668’ S  131° 2.085’ E

Near the center of the Australian continent, the outback is a flat expanse as far as the eye can see.  Rising out of this flat land is the enormous sandstone monolith known throughout the world as Ayer’s Rock.  The local indigenous people, the Anangu, call it Uluru.  The rusty red rock is perhaps the best known natural landmark in the world.  Hundreds of thousands of tourists flock to the rock every year to watch it change colors in the sunset, to experience its spiritual power, or to climb it.

The colors of Uluru

Geologically, Uluru is simply the exposed end of an enormous sandstone stratum that extends many miles under the surrounding plain.  This sandstone was originally sand deposited by an alluvial fan from the ancient ancestors of the Mann and Petermann ranges to the south and west.  The sandstone was twisted and thrust upward during a period of intense mountain building.  The exposed sandstone eroded until only the solitary monolith of Uluru remained, rising 1140 feet above plain, its strata turned nearly vertical at 85 degrees.  Of course, sandstone weathers at different rates; wind and rain eroded Uluru’s surface into rib-like furrows dotted with caves, crevasses, and an array of unusual patterns.  The Arkose sandstone is actually grey but oxidation of iron-bearing minerals gives the rock its rust red color.

Uluru plays an important role in the spiritual life of the Anangu .  They believe that the world started as a featureless place.  During what they call the “dreamtime”, various spirits moved about the landscape creating the world as we know it today.  These stories can be read on Uluru.  For example, one story tells of a young woma python snakeboy who was ambushed and killed by a group of spear-wielding Liru (venomous snakes).  The boy’s aunt, Kuniya, was so enraged that she chased the Liru across the rocks and split their heads with her stick.   The impact points of the Liru spears, Kuniya’s path, and the blood of the Liru can all be seen on Uluru’s massive walls. Some areas of Uluru were used for gender-specific rituals.  The rocks in those areas tell stories that must only be read by one gender.  Therefore, visitors are asked not to take pictures of those views of Uluru.

 Bill Harney explaining Uluru cave paintings
 to members of the all-women's tourist group,
the 'Petticoat Safari', 1957. (photo: Keith Barlow)

The first Europeans to explore the central desert of Australia arrived in the 1870’s, almost 100 years after Captain Cook first set eyes on the eastern Australian coast.  In 1872, William Gosse was the first white man to see Uluru which he named Ayer’s Rock after the Chief Secretary of South Australia, Sir Henry Ayers.   For fifty years, the area around Ayer’s Rock remained uninhabited by white men due to lack of water and the difficulty of transporting supplies into the outback.  Large parts of the surrounding area were declared Aboriginal reserves in the 1920’s.  The first tourists arrived in 1936.  Dirt roads to Uluru were built in the 1940’s to accommodate the growing interest in the site as a tourist destination.  In 1958, Ayers Rock – Mount Olga National Park was established and the legendary Bill Harney was appointed Park Ranger.  The first motels were built in 1959 and an airstrip was constructed on the eastern side of Ayer’s Rock. In the 1960’s and 70’s as the number of tourists climbed, more motels were constructed and a large campground was situated near the southeast corner.  It was from this campground that nine-week-old Azaria Chamberlain disappeared as her mother cried “A dingo took my baby!”

The campsite where Azaria Chamberlain disappeared Aug. 17, 1980.

In the early 70’s, environmental damage to the area prompted the decision to move all tourist accommodations out of the park to a new town 9 miles north of Ayer’s Rock named Yulara.  In 1984, the old motels and campgrounds were closed as the new Ayer’s Rock Resort at Yulara opened with a wide range of accommodations, from a 5-star hotel to a campground.  On Oct. 26, 1985, the Australian government officially changed the name to Uluru/Ayer’s Rock and transferred the ownership of Uluru to the Anangu aborigines with the understanding that the renamed Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park would be jointly managed by the National Parks and Wildlife agency and the Anangu.  Uluru was listed as a World Heritage Site in 2000. 

Southwest side of Uluru   Photo:B. Perry

Today, over 400,000 visitors per year make the trek to Uluru by car or plane.  A wide range of experiences await them.  Many fly in, watch the rock change colors with the sunset (along with a few hundred other people), and fly out the same day. Many take the time to hike the six miles around Uluru, enjoying the unique flora and fauna on the way.  A large percentage of them will make the long, steep climb to the top of Uluru even though the Anangu politely request that they don’t.  There are camel rides, outdoor dinners, and helicopter rides if you are so inclined.  Last September, my wife and I hiked around Uluru on a beautiful spring morning.  There were very few others on the eastern side, so it was possible to quietly experience the power of Uluru with only the birds breaking the silence.  That evening, we drove away from the lights of the resort to look at the stars - million and millions, as Carl Sagan used to say.  Dingos yelped in the dark.  And, though we couldn’t see it, we could still sense Uluru’s presence.