Ayers Rock (Uluru) and the Olgas
 
Ayers Rock (Uluru) rivals the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera House as the
best known Australian icon in the world. It is the largest monolith (single
rock) on earth, standing 348 metres above the desert floor. It is 3.1 kilometres
from east to west, 1.9 km wide and 9.4 km around its base. And that is just the
third above ground. Uluru is the Aboriginal name for a rock hole.
Though the Rock is red ochre in colour, it has many faces and can change
colours dramatically. Sunset can turn it from vibrant red to orange to lilac in
minutes. Cloud cover, dust, the position of the sun can all affect how you see
it. Though rare, heavy rain festoons the rock with silver cascades.
The Anangu people prefer visitors to respect its cultural significance and
not climb Uluru. If you insist, you must be really fit as it is 1.6 kilometres
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.
Uluru has a special place in the Anangu people's lore and stories of
creation, known as Tjukurpa, which Aboriginal guides explain on tours around the
base. These stories are depicted in displays at the Uluru-Kata Tjuta Cultural
Centre, along with audiovisual presentations of the history of the park and how
it is managed. The centre also operates Maruka Arts and Crafts, an Aboriginal
cooperative which shows and sells the works of more than 800 traditional artists
from Central and Western Australia.
Mount Olga (Kata Tjuta) is a spectacular group of 36 massive red rock
outcrops separated by narrow valleys and covering 35 square kilometres about 50
kilometres from Ayers Rock. The highest is Mount Olga which rises 546 metres
above the desert floor. Kata Tjuta means 'many heads' in the language of the
Anangu people. Many visitors find The Olgas even more inspiring than Ayers Rock.
There are walks from an hour to five hours through the gorges and around the
outcrops, though restrictions apply if it is forecast the temperature will
exceed 36 degrees C.
Ayers Rock and Mount Olga were originally sediments in a shallow inland sea
which dried out and was covered by desert. They were forced through the desert
floor by a major upheaval about 300 million years ago and moulded by the wind.
The park is a haven for birds including the massive Wedge-tailed Eagle,
lizards, snakes and 24 known mammals such as dingoes (native dogs) and red
kangaroos.
Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park is owned by the Anangu Aboriginal people who
manage it jointly with Parks Australia. World Heritage listed for its cultural
and natural significance, it covers 132,000 hectares (about 330,000 acres). It
is open from an hour before sunrise to an hour before sunset daily. Children 15
and under are admitted free of charge. Adults pay $15.
The entrance to the park is at Yulara, a resort complex built in the 1970s
specifically to cater for visitors to Ayers Rock and The Olgas. The Northern
Territory Government demolished a pub, motels, cabins and camp sites which had
sprung up over years around the base of Uluru and returned the Rock and the land
to its traditional Aboriginal owners. Yulara is a delightful mini township with
five accommodation houses ranging from the luxury Sails in the Desert Hotel to
bunkhouse beds. There is also a grassed camping area. Yulara is almost 450 km or
a four and a half hour drive from Alice Springs. A flight takes 40 minutes.
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If anyone wants to send me any pictures so I can place them
on the site then email me at
tim@timsaxon.co.uk
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