Uluru - Ayers Rock

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What is the best known natural wonder of Australia? Right, it's Ayers Rock. Today it's called Uluru again. That's the Aboriginal name. And where is it located? In Australia center, right in the middle. So you might think that's not far away from Alice Springs, mh? But it's still about a 450km drive, a little bit further south along Stuart Highway and somewhat west on Lasseter Highway. Mr. Lasseter was looking for gold in the desert west of Stuart Highway during the wild days. Nobody knows if he found some because he didn't come back.
On the way you pass by Mt. Connor, another rock formation eroded out of the desert ground. And then finally, where the road ends in the middle of nowhere is Uluru. And Kata Tjuta. You never heard about it? I did not as well. But it's just 50km from Uluru, in the same national park, formed of the same red rock, and just as beautiful.
At the entrance of the national park is a small accumulation of hotels, souvenier shops, bars, restaurants, a supermarket, and a bank. The towns name is Yulara, I stayed stayed at Outback Pioneers Lodge. Scattered Around the place are some red sand dunes that have been marked as lookout point. That's where I spend most of the time and enjoyed the great view, the change of weather and light, the rise and set of the sun. But I also entered the national park to have a closer look at the famous big rock and to walk in the wind-whisteling gorges of Kata Tjuta. Without a car I depended on other tourists to get around. Through this I met some really nice folks. With three of them I took part in the New Year's eve BBQ. Truely a good chance to taste kangaroo steak, emu sausage, and crocodile meat under a clear southern sky. Good live music from a gittar player did the rest.
An issue about Uluru is if you should climb it or not. It is possible to do so, although it's not recommed sometimes in the great heat of summer days. But the main reason why you shoundn't climb is to acknowledge the religious significance of the place to the Aborigines. To have a choice and to chose the right thing is what they want you to do. Today the national park is managed joinedly by the local Aboriginal communities and the goverments national park trust. This agreement exists since in the eighties huge parts of Australian territory have been returned to the Aboriginal owners - mostly desert though. In itself this process is somewhat peculiar because for Aborigines the concept of ownership of land doesn't exist. For them the important concept is to be the one who 'looks after the land'. At Uluru they can do so again. Some of the places around the base of the rock are fenced of due to the religious significance others are free to visit and some information is provided.

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Photos

Uluru
Ayers Rock or Uluru as the natives call it in its full beauty.

Uluru?
´I can see it already!´- no, that´s not Uluru, that´s Mt Connor. We´re on the right way but it´s still another 100 miles further west.

End of the road
Yes, that´s Uluru.

Yulara
Yulara is the village directly at the entrace of ´Uluru and Kata Tjuta Natinal Park´. It consists of hotels and restaurants mainly.

Kantju Gorge
When you do the Uluru Base Walk (about 10km) you pass some places that are religously important for the Aboriginies. This one is a place where water running down the rock gathers.

Kata Tjuta
What is that? It is the so called ´Mt Olgas´or Kata Tjuta, just 50km from Uluru. Not as well-known but at least as beautiful.

Kata Tjuta at sunset
In Yulara there are several lookouts for a view of Uluru and Kata Tjuta.

Southern Sky above Uluru
In Yulara there are several lookouts for a view of Uluru and Kata Tjuta.