Uluru (Ayers Rock)
Uluru is estimated to be around 600 million years old and is sacred to the Pitjantjatjara Anangu, the Aboriginal people of the area. The area around the formation is home to an abundance of springs, waterholes, rock caves and ancient paintings. Uluru is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Interesting Facts
The name ‘Ayers Rock’ was given by Gosse in honour of the South Australian Premier at the time, Sir Henry Ayers.
Archaeological findings to the east and west indicate that humans settled in the area more than 10,000 years ago.
Standing 1,142 feet high, Uluru is taller than the Eiffel Tower and London's Shard. It is hot, slippery and often windy, yet it resembles a “land iceberg” as the vast majority of its mass is actually underground - almost 2.5km
Uluru is an inselberg (island mountain). An inselberg is a prominent isolated residual knob or hill that rises abruptly from and is surrounded by extensive and relatively flat erosion lowlands in a hot, dry region.
Following the restoration of ownership of Uluru back to the Pitjantjatjara people in 1985 CE, Uluru has been jointly managed by both the National Parks and Wildlife Agency of Australia and the native peoples of the area.
On the eve of the October 26 ban, the walkway up the huge monolith was finally closed to the public a couple of hours before sunset, according to Australian broadcaster ABC. It reported that hundreds had made the trek up the landmark on the final day.
GALLERY
Videos
Driving to Uluru
Climbing Uluru
Uluru from the air (drone footage)
Photos
Credits
All media by Luke Cabading.
Sources
Tarabay, Jamie. "A Climbing Ban At Uluru Ends A Chapter. But There’S More To This Australian Story.". Nytimes.Com, 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/24/world/australia/uluru-climbing-ban.html.
Marcus, Lilit. "Crowds Surge To Uluru As Climbing Ban Imposed". CNN Travel, 2019, https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/uluru-australia-last-climb-day-intl-hnk/index.html.
Coller, Jack. "Uluru". Ancient History Encyclopedia, 2019, https://www.ancient.eu/Uluru/.
Parksaustralia.Gov.Au, https://parksaustralia.gov.au/uluru/.
"Uluru". En.Wikipedia.Org, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uluru.
"Uluru Ayers Rock Facts - Quick Facts & Interesting Information". Experienceoz.Com.Au, https://www.experienceoz.com.au/en/uluru-facts.