Considered
the world's largest monolith, Ayers Rock stands as
a beacon in the flat, arid land that is the Amadeus
Basin. As much a landmass as a landmark, the rock
is 2.2 miles long and 1.5 miles wide and made of sandstone
infused with minerals like feldspar (Arkosic sandstone)
that help it give off a red glow at sunrise and sunset.
The exact color changes as the sun moves over the
348-meter-tall rock. The rock gets it rust color because
it is actually rusting. The iron in the arkose is
oxidizing. The redder the rock, the longer it has
been exposed. The greyer it is, the more sheltered.
The aboriginal people of this area call it Uluru.
Some say the word means "Great Pebble." Others say
it has no meaning at all. Either way, the rock is
not a pebble, it is a tor, and one of several in this
region of Australia's Northern Territory. There are
a number of caves in the rock which are sacred to
the Anangu people. They have decorated the caves with
carvings and paintings.
- 1872
- Ernest Giles becomes the first European to find
Ayers Rock.
- 1878
- William Gosse names the rock after former South
Australian premier Sir Henry Ayers.
- 1958
- Ayers Rock-Mount Olga National Park formed. It
is now called Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park.
- 1985
- Ownership of Ayers Rock turned over to the Aborigines
who leased it back to the National Park for 99 years.
- 20
September, 2001 - The rock is closed to tourists
for two days. It was closed by aborigines after
the death of a tribal elder. The rock is sacred
to them and they feel it is not appropriate to have
people climbing all over the rock while the tribe
is in mourning.
