Uluru or Ayers Rock, is a large sandstone rock formation located 450 kmilometer (280 miles) away from Alice Springs in the middle of the Australian Outback.
Uluru is probably Australia’s best-known natural landmark.
Uluru is estimated to be around 600 million years old.
It originally sat at the bottom of a sea, but today stands 348m (1141 feet) above ground.
Uluru rises 863 metres (2,831 ft) above sea level,it is 3.6 km long (2.2 miles), 1.9 km wide (1.2 miles), 9.4 km (5.8 miles) around the base, covers 3.33 km2 (1.29 miles2).
Amazingly, some 2.5 km’s of Uluru’s mass is believed to be underground.
The rock is a holy place for the Anangu tribe of Aboriginal people in Australia who have been in the area for around 10,000 years.
Uluru is composed mainly of layer after layer of a type of coarse sandstone known as arkose. This rock consists of a mixture of jagged grains including shiny crystals of pink feldspar.
The striking orange-red hue color of Uluru is due to surface oxidation of its iron content, otherwise the
formation would look more grey.
Uluru is notable for appearing to change color at different times of the day and year, most notably when it glows red at dawn and sunset.
The rock has eroded valleys and ridges and little or no vegetation. The surrounding area however, has a number of springs, waterholes, rock caves, and ancient paintings.
Uluru is not the only rock formation in the area. Kata Tjuta also known as Mount Olga (or The Olgas) is a group of 36 large dome shaped rocks (originally being one massive monolith) located 25 kilometers (16 miles) West of Uluru in the Northern Territory
Uluru was declared a World Heritage site by global body UNESCO back in 1987.
In 1997, it was also put on the World Heritage site list as a cultural site due to its importance to the local
Aborigines. The rock is one of the few places in the world to have two listings.
Stargazing at Uluru is something that just has to be experienced.The sky above Uluru (Ayers Rock) in Australia is one of the most impressive skies in the world to stargaze.
Uluru features stunning Aboriginal rock art sites that can be viewed on guided walks and tours around the base.
By Aboriginal tradition only certain elderly males may climb the rock but despite this tradition the Australian government allows tourists to make the climb using a metal chain installed in 1964.