Welcome to Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, a living cultural landscape where the Anangu believe the earth and memories exist as one. The park is home to two major features: Uluru, also known as Ayers Rock, and Kata Tjuta, also known as the Olgas. Uluru is a large sandstone formation located in the center of Australia and is sacred to the Pitjantjatjara, the Aboriginal people of the area, known as the Aṉangu. 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 and is one of Australia’s most recognizable natural landmarks. Since the late 1930s, it has been a popular destination for tourists. It is also one of the most important indigenous sites in Australia.
Click here to see a Photo Gallery of Uluru – Kata Tjuta National Park
Discovery
In the 1870s, Europeans arrived in the Australian Western Desert and began exploring the area. During the construction of the Australian Overland Telegraph Line, Uluru and Kata Tjuta were first spotted in 1872. Ernest Giles and William Gosse were the first European explorers to this area and made separate expeditions.
In the beginning…the world was once a featureless place. Ancestral beings in the forms of people and animals, travelled across the land creating the world as it is today. Anangu (local Aboriginal people) are the direct descendants of these beings. They believe they have always been at Uluru, Kata Tjuta and the surrounding land. Archaeologists suggest they have been here at Uluru for at least 22,000 years. White people are relative newcomers. It is only about 130 years since the first European entered this area. A lot has changed here in that short time.
In 1872, while exploring near Watarrka (King’s Canyon), an Englishman, Ernest Giles, sees “an exceedingly high and abrupt-ending mountain” looming in the distance. This mountain is the highest dome of Kata Tjuta. He names it Mt Olga, after the Queen of a German province. Giles cannot cross Lake Amadeus and doesn’t reach Kata Tjuta on this trip.
Then in 1873, “…an immense rock rising abruptly from the plain… This rock is certainly the most wonderful natural feature I have ever seen…” This is how William Gosse describes Uluru. Gosse and an Afghan cameleer, Kamran, are the first non-Aboriginal people to see and reach Uluru. Gosse names it Ayers Rock after the then Chief Secretary of South Australia, Sir Henry Ayer.
Geology
The sandstone formation stands 348 m (1,142 ft) high, rising 863 m (2,831 ft) above sea level with most of its bulk lying underground, and has a total perimeter of 9.4 km (5.8 mi). Uluru is notable for appearing to change colour at different times of the day and year, most notably when it glows red at dawn and sunset. The reddish colour in the rock derives from iron oxide in the sandstone.
Kata Tjuta, also called Mount Olga or the Olgas, lies 25 km (16 mi) west of Uluru. Special viewing areas with road access and parking have been constructed to give tourists the best views of both sites at dawn and dusk.
Anangu (local Aboriginal people) know how Uluru and Kata Tjuta formed. This knowledge comes from the Tjukurpa (the stories and lores that explain and govern Anangu life). The shaping of Uluru and Kata Tjuta – From a distance, Uluru looks smooth and featureless. But up close its face is weather-beaten: pitted with holes and gashes, ribs, valleys and caves. To Anangu, these features are related to the journeys and actions of ancestral beings across the landscape. On your tours and at the Cultural Centre in the Park, you may hear about some of the Uluru creation stories. These stories, known as Tjukurpa, tell about the travels and actions of Kuniya (Woma Python), Liru (poisonous snake), Mala (Rufous Hare-wallaby) and Lungkata (Centralian Blue-Tongue Lizard). You may learn to see the evidence of their activities in the features of Uluru.
Geologists have different explanations about how these features formed.
The ribs
Some layers of arkose, the rock that makes up Uluru, are softer than others and wear away more quickly. This leaves Uluru’s characteristic parallel ribs or ridges.
Carved out by water
Water has shaped the valleys, potholes and pools of Uluru. Rainstorm after rainstorm over millions of years has sent water plummeting down the hard rock, wearing it away to form grooves, pot-holes and plunge pools often in series.
Flaky red skin
Close up, much of the surface of Uluru is flaky red with grey patches. The flakes are bits of rock that are left after water and oxygen in the air have decayed minerals in the rest of the rock. The red is the rusting of the iron in the arkose. The grey is the original colour of the arkose. You can see the unrusted grey rock inside the caves.
The caves
There are many types of caves at Uluru: those that look like honeycombs, high up on the walls and wave shaped caves at ground level. Perhaps they were formed by uneven flaky weathering. Small pits became bigger dimples, then hollows, and then caves. Or they may have been chemically eaten away by water when the surface of the land was higher: then exposed as the land around eroded away.
The domes
When the huge slab of rock that is Kata Tjuta was being folded and faulted, vertical joints or fractures cracked through the rock. Water seeped down the cracks and over millions of years the rock eroded away grain by grain, pebble by pebble to form the valleys and gorges that split the rock slab into blocks. Curved cracks called topographic Joints formed on the surface of the blocks. Weathering and erosion wore away the rocks above the cracks to produce the rounded domes we see today. Kata Tjuta, the Anangu name for the collection of domes, means “many heads.”
Visiting and Experiences
Yulara, a tourist town is is 17 km (11 mi) by road to Uluru National Park. The town has a population of 3,000 all working in the resorts or in the park. On 8 October 2009, the Talinguru Nyakuntjaku viewing area opened to public visitation. All the sites and experiences have accommodation for all abilities.
Wintjiri Wiru
Wintjiri Wiru, meaning ‘beautiful view out to the horizon’ in the local Pitjantjatjara language, is a breathtaking cultural storytelling experience that brings to life a chapter of the ancestral Mala story through choreographed drones, lasers and projections that illuminate the night sky.
Set upon a desert dune in the spiritual heart of Australia, with spectacular views out to Uluru and Kata Tjuta, you’ll enjoy Australian wines and delicious cheese and dessert selections, while you marvel at the beauty of Uluru’s silhouette in twilight as darkness falls. Take a seat in the sustainably built theatre and watch a chapter of the ancestral Mala story light up the Australian desert skies with choreographed drones, lasers, and projections.
https://www.ayersrockresort.com.au/experiences/wintjiri-wiru/twilight
FROM $190/ adult, $95/ child
The Mala Story
Look at the landscape as we do and know these ancestors are still here. This is the right place to learn about this story because it happened here at this place. Look, take note of what you see. Have a think and take in your surroundings. This is a place of great history, an important place.
In the beginning, the Mala (rufous hare-wallaby) people came from the north and could see this rock (Uluru). They thought it looked like a good place to stay a while and make inma (ceremony). The Mala men decorated and raised Ngaltawata, the ceremonial pole. The inma had now begun.
The Mala people began to busily prepare for their ceremonies. The women gathered and prepared food for everyone. They stored nyuma (seed cakes) in their caves. The men went out hunting. They made fires and fixed their tools and weapons.
In the middle of preparations, two Wintalka (mulga seed) men approached from the west. They invited the Mala people to attend their inma. The Mala people said no, explaining their ceremony had begun and could not be stopped.
The disappointed Wintalka men went back and told their people. Enraged, they created an evil spirit – a huge devil-dog called Kurpany – to destroy the Mala inma.
As Kurpany travelled towards the Mala people he changed into many forms. He was a mamu, a ghost. Luunpa, the kingfisher woman was the first to spot him. She warned the Mala people but they didn’t listen.
Kurpany arrived and attacked and killed some of the men. In great fear and confusion the remaining Mala people fled down into South Australia with Kurpany chasing them. The story continues down south.
These ancestors are still here today. Luunpa still keeps watch, but she is now a large rock. Kurpany’s footprints are imprinted into the rock heading towards the east and south. The men who were killed are still in their cave.
This story teaches that it is important to finish what you start and that you should watch for and listen to warnings of danger.
https://parksaustralia.gov.au/uluru/discover/culture/stories/mala-story/
Sunrise at Uluru
The early rise is well worth it as you experience the two major landmarks in Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. As the sunlight plays with the landscape, the rock formations change colour before your eyes. Taking the time to pause and contemplate the sunrise or sunset is always memorable. But experiencing it at Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park takes the experience to a whole new level. The vastness of the half-lit desert landscape, the grasses gently swaying in the breeze and the enthralling, ever-changing rock texture offers a spectacle second to none.
Talinguru Nyakunytjaku is the main sunrise viewing area for Uluru. You’ll find the perfect spot among its shelters, viewing platforms and kilometres of walking track. The sun rises and the rock comes to life as light and shade dance across the ripples on the surface of Uluru.
Pukul ngalya yanama Talinguru Nyakunytjikitja Yankunytjatjara
Pukulpa pitjama Talinguru Nyakunytjikitja Pitjantjatjara
Anangu traditional owners welcome you to Talinguru Nyakunytjaku. Place to look from the sand dune. All the plants, animals, rocks and waterholes contain important information about life and living here, now and for all time. Anangu will always gain our knowledge from this landscape. We live in it and look after it the proper way. This is Tjukurpa.
Further to the Southwest you will see Kata Tjuta also come alive in the changing light.
Hiking
Walpa Gorge is a beautiful and easy hike that provides stunning views of sandstone domes and Wallabies. The walk can be done in just an hour, making it a great way to take a break or switch off from your busy day. The area is also perfect for photographers as the natural colors and textures are stunning.
Valley of the Winds is a beautiful hiking area with steep sandstone domes that dot the landscape. The views are phenomenal, and it’s a great place to explore if you’re up for a challenge. It’s best to get there early, as the scenery gets more crowded as the day goes on.
Kata Tjuta Dune Walk is a 0.4-mile out-and-back trail near Petermann, Northern Territory. Generally considered an easy route, it takes an average of 9 min to complete. It is meant for all ages and abilities and offers some of the most amazing views of Kata Tjuta.
Field of Light Experience
The experience begins with a convenient hotel pick-up and short transfer to the remote desert location with majestic views of Uluru. You’re welcomed at an exclusive dune top just after the sun has set on the horizon. Savour a selection of outback canapes with sparkling wine or beer as your host provides insight into the light installation that awaits you. As darkness falls, 50,000 glass spheres gently come to life. Covered under a sky brilliant with stars, Field of Light beckons you to explore and lose yourself momentarily in the rhythms of coloured light.
STROLL AMONG THE STARS
$110 /adult, $70 /child. For travel between 1st Apr 2023 – 31st Mar 2024
$118 /adult, $75 /child. For travel between 1st Apr 2024 – 31st Mar 2025
THE ARTIST
British artist Bruce Munro is best known for immersive large-scale light- based installations inspired largely by his interest in shared human experience. Recording ideas and images in sketchbooks has been his practice for over 30 years. By this means he has captured his responses to stimuli such as music, literature, science, and the world around him for reference, reflection, and subject matter. As a result Munro produces both monumental temporary experiential artworks as well as intimate story-pieces.
THE INSPIRATION
After first visiting Uluru in 1992, an idea sprung, that grew from the ground like the small seedlings found in the desert after the rain.
All of us want to connect with the sense of being part of Something larger than our single lives. This connection is no more important anywhere than Uluru, an area Sculpted by landscape and culture and shared memory.
The Field of Light at Uluru represents the convergence of the land and culture and my own re-learning. It’s composed so that the viewer’s experience is from a series of random pathways through the installation, each and any pathway representing traversal through time: my past, our present, Uluru’s timeless future.
- Bruce Munro
STAY
Yulara is the nearest town to the national park. Almost all stay in Yulara is managed by the Ayers Rock Resort with options from very comfortable rooms with views of the desert to campground areas. We stayed in the Desert Gardens Hotel which had a wonderful restaurant called Mangata and a well maintained pool to jump into when the temperatures soared. All tours companies in the area will do pick up and drop from any of the hotels.
To book stay and experiences Click here.
Yulara also a quaint town center with many restaurants, cultural programs, shops and an impressive art gallery – Gallery of Central Australia featuring works by local artists.
Yulara and the Ayers Rock Resort area can be reached daily from any of the big cities in Australia. You will need a minimum of two days but there is enough to do if you want to spend a week exploring the area.
Karthik Raja 