Uluru, also called Ayers Rock, is a name given to a huge rock near Alice Springs in the Australian Outback and located in Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park. This is a holy place for some Aboriginal Australians. It is in the Western Desert, in the middle of Australia. It was listed as a World Heritage site in 1987 because of its geology.[1] In 1997 it was again listed as a World Heritage site, this time because of its importance to the Anangu people.[1] It was the second place in the world to be listed as culturally significant, and it is one of the few places in the world to have two listings.[1]
Uluru | |
---|---|
Ayers Rock | |
![]() 2007 | |
Highest point | |
Elevation | 863 m (2,831 ft) |
Prominence | 348 m (1,142 ft) |
Isolation | y |
Coordinates | 25°20′42″S 131°02′10″E |
Naming | |
Native name | Uluṟu (Pitjantjatjara) |
Geography | |
Geology | |
Age of rock | 550–530 Ma |
Mountain type | Inselberg |
Type of rock | Arkose |
Official name | Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park |
Criteria | v,vi,vii,ix |
Reference | 447 |
Inscription | 1987 (11th Session) |
The Anangu people believe that Uluru, and the rest of Central Australia, was formed by ancestral beings at the beginning of time. The Anangu are directly descended from these ancestors.[2]
Modern science shows that they have lived around Uluru for more than 40,000 years They continued to live their traditional life until the 1930s.[2] This was a nomadic life, moving around to hunt and gather food according to the seasons. They have a complex ceremonial life based around Uluru.[2] They are one of the oldest human societies on earth.[3]
The first Europeans to see Uluru were explorers led by William Christie Gosse.[4] He saw Uluru on 19 July 1873 and named it Ayers Rock after Sir Henry Ayers, who was Chief Secretary of South Australia.[4] The land was too dry and remote for farming, and very few people came to Uluru until the mid 20th century.[4]