Ayers Rock

Uluru, also called Ayers Rock, is a rock formation composed of sandstone found in central Australia, in the Northern Territory, 460 km southwest of Alice Springs, within the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park.

The mountain was named Ayers Rock by the surveyor and explorer William Gosse on the day of its discovery, July 19, 1873, in honor of Sir Henry Ayers, then Senior Secretary of South Australia.

It is, together with Kata Tjuta, one of the greatest attractions of the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, being one of the largest monoliths in the world, with more than 348 meters high, 9 kilometers in outline and 2.5 kilometers under land.

Uluru is a sacred place for Australian Aboriginal people, also known as the navel of the world.

Uluru is one of Australia's most famous natural icons. The rock formation rises 348 meters above the surrounding terrain, and 863 m. above sea level, although most of it is underground. The outline of the monolith measures 9.4 km. Both Uluru and Kata Tjuta have great cultural significance for the traditional Aṉangu inhabitants, who organize guided tours to inform tourists about the local fauna and flora, the bush, and the native legends.

The surface The monolith changes color depending on the inclination of the sun's rays, both throughout the day and in the different seasons of the year. Particularly famous is the image of Uluru at sunset, when it turns a beautiful bright red. Although rain is infrequent in this semi-arid area, during wet periods the rock acquires a silvery gray hue, with black stripes due to algae that grow in the waterways.