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 One
of the most recognized and famous landmarks in Australia is the massive
hill of red sandstone which stands in solitary
splendor amid a parched, sandy wasteland in its
outback. Your visit to Australia can never be
complete without visiting the Ayers Rock. Located almost at the very centre of
Australia and southwest of Alice Springs, Ayer Rocks
(320 meters) is one of the most
beautiful natural wonders in this part of the
world and interesting tourist attraction.
The Australian Aborigines, the Anangu
people, who live here call Ayers Rock as Uluru. It
is a place of reverence round which their lives
have followed for thousands of years and is part
of their code of living, the Tjukurpa and among
the attractions Climbing up Ayers Rock,
Australia seen here at the
vast Uluru-Kata
Tjuta National Park are varied springs,
waterholes, rock holes and ancient paintings
making this place one of the most spectacular in
Australia.
Wind-blown sands
have sculpted the domed, elephantine bulk of
Ayers Rock, which rises abruptly from the flat
and dry plains of the Northern Territory.
Besides being a national symbol, Ayers Rock is
regarded as a sacred and mystical place by the
Aborigines. What makes this place interesting is
that Ayer Rocks glows with ever-changing colors
as the sun moves across the sky. It becomes an
orange glow of sunrise as dawn breaks while it
changes to dark and rusty hue during the early
morning shadows. It is suffused with amber
during the afternoon while sunset makes the rock
into a crimson mass like a glowing giant coal.
The best time to view Ayers Rock is during
sunset. This holy place is often referred to as
a monolith but it is actually part of a much
larger underground rock formation which consists
of the Olgas and Mount Connor.
Ayers Rock is a
sandstone hill that was pushed up by earth
movements about five hundred million years ago
whereby most of it is submerged in the
surrounding sea of sand dunes. The only area
that is visible is its flattened 348 meters high
tip which is a formation known as inselberg, or
island mountain. The rock surface is covered by
fine parallel grooves while caves and cavities
weathered into strange shapes can be seen at its
base. At northeast of the rock, a 150 meters
high slab has split away and it is known as the
Kangaroo's Tail.
 This place is quite
dry throughout the year but after the rare heavy
downpour, water cascades down the rock's
towering flanks. Most of the rain runs off onto
the plain below which is badly needed by the plants
found here such
as the blue-grey sandalwood, bloodwood, mulga
trees, desert oaks and hummock grass. Located on
the southern end, a large pool called Mutitjulu
(also known as Maggie Springs) can be seen here.
According to the Aborigines, the water snakes
seen in the pools are believed to be its
guardian. For animal lovers, red kangaroos, wallaroos, emus, wedge-tailed eagles and
honeyeaters are among the many species of
animals spotted in this region.
Photo: The giant 'compass' seen at Uluru
Ernest Giles and
William C. Gosse are the first Europeans to set
eyes on Ayers Rock in which they named the rock
after Sir Henry Ayers who was South Australia's
premier back then. Ayers Rock has been part of
the Uluru National Park since 1985. To the Anangu
people, the Uluru area is a focus of converging
ancestral tracks, or iwara. To them, every part
of the rock has sacred significance while some
caves at Mutitjulu and Kantju Gorge contained
Aboriginal paintings.
A tourist centre is
located eighteen kilometers north of Ayers Rock
at Yulara Resort. To explore the rock, you will
need to walk about four hours to round the rock
or you can choose to travel on a motorcycle
pillion ride. Climbing up to the summit takes
about two hours. For those who do not wish to
walk for so long, you can choose a shorter
walking tour along the Liru Trail with an
Aboriginal guide explaining their culture to
you. As long as you are fit enough, climbing
Ayers Rock is a must. Although a chain handhold
has been fitted to enable the climb to be
easier, it is still a long and steep hike all
the way to the top.
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