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{{Short description|
{{Redirect|Ayers Rock|other uses|Ayers Rock (disambiguation)
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{{Use Australian English|date=October 2019}}
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{{Infobox mountain
| name = Uluru
| other_name = '''Ayers Rock'''
| etymology =
| native_name ={{native name|pjt|Uluṟu}}
| photo =
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| map = Northern Territory#Australia
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| elevation_m = 863
| elevation_ft = 2831
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| ID = 447
| Year = 1987
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'''Uluru''' ({{IPAc-en|ˌ|uː|l|ə|ˈ|r|uː}}; {{
Uluru is sacred to the [[Pitjantjatjara]], the [[Aboriginal Australians|Aboriginal people]] of the area, known as the [[
Uluru is one of Australia's most recognisable natural [[landmark]]s<ref>{{Cite web |last=National Museum of Australia |title=Defining Symbols of Australia - Uluru |url=https://www.nma.gov.au/exhibitions/defining-symbols-australia/uluru |access-date=2024-02-11 |website=www.nma.gov.au |language=en}}</ref> and has been a popular destination for tourists since the late 1930s. It is also one of the most important indigenous sites in Australia.
==Name==
The local [[
On 19 July 1873, the
In 1993, a [[dual naming]] policy was adopted that allowed official names that consist of both the traditional Aboriginal name (in the [[Pitjantjatjara language|Pitjantjatjara]], [[Yankunytjatjara language|Yankunytjatjara]] and other local languages) and the English name. On 15 December 1993, it was renamed "Ayers Rock / Uluru" and became the first official dual-named feature in the Northern Territory. The order of the dual names was officially reversed to "Uluru / Ayers Rock" on 6 November 2002 following a request from the Regional Tourism Association in Alice Springs.<ref name="dualnaming">{{cite web |url=https://placenames.nt.gov.au/policies/dualnaming |title=Dual Naming of Features |work=NT.gov.au |access-date=8 October 2017 |archive-date=12 November 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191112103944/https://placenames.nt.gov.au/policies/dualnaming |url-status=dead }}</ref>
==Description==
[[File:Uluru from above Iss049e010638 lrg.jpg|thumb|View of Uluru from the ISS]]
{{further|#Geology}}
The [[sandstone]] formation stands {{cvt|348|m|0}} high, rising {{cvt|863|m|0}} above sea level with most of its bulk lying underground, and has a total perimeter of {{cvt|9.4|km|1}}.<ref name="welcomeland">{{cite book |url=http://www.environment.gov.au/parks/publications/uluru/pubs/visitor-guide.pdf |title=Welcome to Aboriginal land: Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park – Visitor guide and maps |publisher=Australian Department of the Environment and Water Resources |location=Canberra |date=October 2005 |access-date=3 April 2007 |oclc=754614279 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081030134047/http://www.environment.gov.au/parks/publications/uluru/pubs/visitor-guide.pdf |archive-date=30 October 2008}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web | title=Uluru & Yulara | website=Ayers Rock Resort | date=26 October 2019 | url=https://www.ayersrockresort.com.au/our-story/uluru-yulara | access-date=3 February 2023}}</ref>
[[Kata Tjuta]], also called Mount Olga or the Olgas, lies {{cvt|25|km|0}} 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.
Both Uluru and the nearby Kata Tjuta formation have great cultural significance for the local Aṉangu people, the traditional inhabitants of the area, who lead walking tours to inform visitors about the bush, food, local flora and fauna, and the Aboriginal [[Dreamtime]] stories of the area.
==History==
[[File:Uluru
===Early settlement===
Archaeological findings to the east and west indicate that humans settled in the area more than 10,000 years ago.<ref name="abhistuluru">{{cite book |title=Uluru: An Aboriginal History of Ayers Rock |first=Robert |last=Layton |edition=2001 revised |publisher=Aboriginal Studies Press |location=Canberra |date=August 2001 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vRBblyNmZxUC |isbn=0-85575-202-5}}</ref>
===Arrival of Europeans (1870s)===
Europeans arrived in the Australian [[Western Desert cultural bloc|Western Desert]] in the 1870s. Uluru and Kata Tjuta were first mapped by Europeans in 1872 during the expeditionary period, which was made possible by the construction of the [[Australian Overland Telegraph Line]]. In separate expeditions, [[Ernest Giles]] and [[William Gosse (explorer)|William Gosse]] were the first European explorers to this area. While exploring the area in 1872, Giles sighted Kata Tjuta from a location near [[Kings Canyon (Northern Territory)|Kings Canyon]] and called it Mount Olga, while the following year Gosse observed Uluru and named it Ayers' Rock, in honour of the [[Chief Secretary of South Australia]], Sir [[Henry Ayers]].{{citation needed|date=February 2023}}
Further explorations followed with the aim of establishing the possibilities of the area for [[pastoralism]]. In the late 19th century, pastoralists attempted to establish themselves in areas adjoining the Southwestern/Petermann Reserve and interaction between Aṉangu and white people became more frequent and more violent. Due to the effects of grazing and drought, [[bush food]] stores became depleted. Competition for these resources created conflict between the two groups, resulting in more frequent police patrols. Later, during the [[Great Depression in Australia|depression in the 1930s]], Aṉangu became involved in [[dingo]] scalping with 'doggers' who introduced the Aṉangu to European foods and ways.{{citation needed|date=February 2023}}
===Aboriginal reserve (1920)===
Between 1918 and 1921, large adjoining areas of South Australia, Western Australia and the [[Northern Territory]] were declared as [[Aboriginal reserve]]s, government-run settlements where the Aboriginal people were forced to live. In 1920, part of Uluṟu–Kata Tjuṯa National Park was declared an Aboriginal Reserve (commonly known as the South-Western or Petermann Reserve) by the Australian government under the ''[[Aboriginals Ordinance 1918]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|title=History of the park|url=https://www.environment.gov.au/topics/national-parks/uluru-kata-tjuta-national-park/culture-and-history/history-park|access-date=6 July 2021|website=Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment}}</ref>
===Tourism (1936–1960s)===
The first tourists arrived in the Uluru area in 1936. Permanent European settlement of the area began in the 1940s under Aboriginal welfare policy and to promote tourism at Uluru. This increased tourism prompted the formation of the first vehicular tracks in 1948 and tour bus services began early in the 1950s. In 1958, the area that would become the Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park was excised from the Petermann Reserve; it was placed under the management of the Northern Territory Reserves Board and named the Ayers Rock–Mount Olga National Park. The first [[park ranger|ranger]] was Bill Harney, a well-recognised central Australian figure.<ref name="uktnppm"/> By 1959, the first motel leases had been granted and Eddie Connellan had constructed an airstrip close to the northern side of Uluru.<ref name="engovauhistory"/> Following a 1963 suggestion from the Northern Territory Reserves Board, a chain was laid to assist tourists in climbing the landmark.<ref>[https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-10-26/tourism-pioneer-who-laid-the-chain-at-uluru-peter-severin/11635676 Tourism pioneer Peter Severin laid the chain up Uluru. He predicts it will return] ''ABC News'', 26 October 2019. Retrieved 26 October 2019.</ref> The chain was removed in 2019.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2019-11-13 |title=Unchained Uluru may take 'thousands of years' to return to its natural state |language=en-AU |work=ABC News |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-11-13/uluru-chains-removed-after-climb-closed/11700178 |access-date=2023-04-15}}</ref>
===Aboriginal ownership since 1985===
On 26 October 1985, the Australian government returned ownership of Uluru to the local Pitjantjatjara people, with a condition that the Aṉangu would lease it back to the National Parks and Wildlife agency for 99 years and that it would be jointly managed. An agreement originally made between the community and Prime Minister [[Bob Hawke]] that the climb to the top by tourists would be stopped was later{{When?|date=November 2024}} broken.<ref name="Toyne1984">{{cite book |title=Growing Up the Country: The Pitjantjatjara Struggle for Their Land |publisher=McPhee Gribble |location=[[Fitzroy, Victoria]] |year=1984 |first1=Phillip |last1=Toyne |first2=Daniel |last2=Vachon |page=137 |isbn=0-14-007641-7 |oclc=12611425}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://sites.coloradocollege.edu/indigenoustraditions/sacred-lands/uluru-from-all-angles-the-modern-controversy-of-climbing-the-sacred/ |title=Uluru from All Angles: The Modern Controversy of Climbing the Sacred |work=Indigenous Religious Traditions |publisher=Colorado College |first=Lucy |last=Gamble |date=20 November 2012 |access-date=1 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230604141558/http://sites.coloradocollege.edu/indigenoustraditions/sacred-lands/uluru-from-all-angles-the-modern-controversy-of-climbing-the-sacred/ |archive-date=4 June 2023 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=Journey to handback | website=Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies | date=7 October 2015 | url=https://aiatsis.gov.au/exhibitions/journey-handback | access-date=19 August 2020 | archive-date=19 September 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200919224117/https://aiatsis.gov.au/exhibitions/journey-handback | url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=Handback | website=Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies | date=7 October 2015 | url=https://aiatsis.gov.au/exhibitions/handback | access-date=19 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160229191100/https://aiatsis.gov.au/exhibitions/handback |archive-date=29 February 2016 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
The Aboriginal community of [[Mutitjulu]], with a population of approximately 300, is located near the eastern end of Uluru. From Uluru it is {{cvt|17|km|0}} by road to the tourist town of [[Yulara, Northern Territory|Yulara]], population 3,000, which is situated just outside the national park.{{citation needed|date=February 2023}}
On 8 October 2009, the Talinguru Nyakuntjaku viewing area opened to public visitation. The {{AUD|21 million|link=yes}} project about {{cvt|3|km}} on the east side of Uluru involved design and construction supervision by the Aṉangu traditional owners of {{cvt|11|km}} of roads and {{cvt|1.6|km|0}} of walking trails.<ref name="abc091008">{{cite news |url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/10/08/2708111.htm |title='Spectacular' sunrise platform at Uluru |work=ABC News |first=Eric |last=Tlozek |date=8 October 2009 |access-date=8 October 2009}}</ref><ref name="aust091008">{{cite news |url=http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,26180171-2702,00.html |title=New Uluru view spares desert songlines |work=The Australian |first=Lex |last=Hall |date=8 October 2009 |access-date=8 October 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091013001820/http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,26180171-2702,00.html |archive-date=13 October 2009 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
==Tourism==
[[File:Lasseter Highway1437.jpg|thumb|Driving on the A4 [[Lasseter Highway]] from Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park, April 2007]]
The development of tourism infrastructure adjacent to the base of Uluru that began in the 1950s soon produced adverse environmental impacts. It was decided in the early 1970s to remove all accommodation-related tourist facilities and re-establish them outside the park. In 1975, a reservation of {{cvt|104|km2}} of land beyond the park's northern boundary, {{cvt|15|km|0}} from Uluru, was approved for the development of a tourist facility and an associated [[Ayers Rock Airport|airport]], to be known as [[Yulara, Northern Territory|Yulara]].{{citation needed|date=February 2023}}
In 1983, the Ayers Rock Campground opened, followed by the [[Four Seasons Hotel]] (later renamed Voyages Desert Gardens Hotel) and the [[Sheraton Hotels and Resorts|Sheraton Hotel]] (Voyages Sails in the Desert) in 1984. The town square, bank and primary school were also established. After the Commonwealth Government handed the national park back to its [[traditional owners]] in 1985, management of the park was transferred from the [[Northern Territory Government]] to the [[Australian National Parks and Wildlife Service]] the following year. In July 1992, Yulara Development Company was dissolved and the Ayers Rock Resort Company was established, after which all hotels came under the same management.<ref>{{cite web | title=History & Facts | website=Ayers Rock Resort | url=https://www.ayersrockresort.com.au/our-story/history-facts | access-date=3 February 2023}}</ref>
Since the park was listed as a [[World Heritage Site]], annual visitor numbers rose to over 400,000 visitors by 2000.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.environment.gov.au/parks/uluru/culture-history/heritage/index.html |title=World Heritage and International Significance |publisher=Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts |access-date=17 May 2010}}</ref> Increased tourism provides regional and national economic benefits. It also presents an ongoing challenge to balance conservation of cultural values and visitor needs.{{citation needed|date=February 2023}}
===Climbing===
[[File:uluruwarning.jpg|thumb|upright|Climbers and a warning sign in 2005]]
The local Aṉangu do not climb Uluru because of its great spiritual significance. They have in the past requested that visitors not climb the rock, partly due to the path crossing a sacred traditional [[Dreamtime]] track, and also due to a sense of responsibility for the safety of visitors. Until October 2019, the visitors' guide said "the climb is not prohibited, but we prefer that, as a guest on Aṉangu land, you will choose to respect our law and culture by not climbing".<ref name="welcomeland"/>
On 11 December 1983, the Prime Minister of Australia, [[Bob Hawke]], promised to hand back the land title to the Aṉangu traditional custodians and caretakers and agreed to the community's 10-point plan which included forbidding the climbing of Uluru. The government set access to climb Uluru and a 99-year lease, instead of the previously agreed upon 50-year lease, as conditions before the title was officially given back to the Aṉangu on 26 October 1985.<ref name="Toyne1984"/><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.australiangeographic.com.au/blogs/on-this-day/2010/10/on-this-day-aboriginal-australians-get-uluru-back |title=On this day: Aboriginal Australians get Uluru back |work=Australian Geographic |first=Julian |last=Swallow |date=26 October 2010 |access-date=27 August 2017 |archive-date=8 July 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140708024044/http://www.australiangeographic.com.au/blogs/on-this-day/2010/10/on-this-day-aboriginal-australians-get-uluru-back/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
A chain handhold, added to the rock in 1964 and extended in 1976, made the hour-long climb easier,<ref name="newau20190713">{{cite news |url=https://www.news.com.au/travel/australian-holidays/northern-territory/uluru-october-closure-creates-new-headache/news-story/4252536e49767a73d982d63a19017623 |title=Uluru October closure creates new headache |work=[[News.com.au]] |first=Natalie |last=Wolfe |date=13 July 2019 |access-date=2 November 2019}}</ref> but it remained a steep, {{cvt|800|m|mi|1}} hike to the top, where it can be quite windy.<ref name="abc20190929">{{cite news |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-09-30/uluru-tv-commercial-shoot-results-in-helicopter-crash/11553540 |title=Uluru helicopter crash survivors recall harrowing moments before impact |work=[[ABC Online]] |first=Emma |last=Haskin |date=29 September 2019 |access-date=1 November 2019}}</ref><ref name="abc20190924">{{cite news |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-09-25/veteran-helicopter-pilot-not-sorry-to-see-uluru-climb-closed/11365140 |title=Helicopter pilot recalls danger of Uluru rescues, surprised climb not closed sooner |work=[[ABC Online]] |first=Emma |last=Haskin |date=24 September 2019 |access-date=1 November 2019}}</ref> It was recommended that individuals drink plenty of water while climbing, and that those who were [[Physical fitness|unfit]], or who suffered from [[vertigo]] or medical conditions restricting exercise, did not attempt it. Climbing Uluru was generally closed to the public when high winds were present at the top. As of July 2018, 37 deaths related to recreational climbing have been recorded.<ref name="welcomeland"/><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-07-04/japanese-tourist-dies-climbing-uluru/9937848 |title='Please don't climb Uluru': Japanese tourist dies at sacred site |work=[[ABC Online]] |date=4 July 2018 |access-date=28 July 2018}}</ref>
According to a 2010 publication, just over one-third of all visitors to the park climbed Uluru; a high percentage of these were children.<ref>{{cite book |url=http://www.environment.gov.au/resource/management-plan-2010-2020-uluru-kata-tjuta-national-park |title=Uluṟu–Kata Tjuṯa National Park – Management Plan 2010–2020 |publisher=Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts |location=Canberra |page=90 |date=2010 |isbn=978-0-9807460-1-3}}</ref> About one-sixth of visitors made the climb between 2011 and 2015.<ref name="bbc20171101">{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-41827203 |title=Australia to ban climbing on Uluru from 2019 |work=BBC News |date=1 November 2017 |access-date=2 November 2017}}</ref>
The traditional owners of Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park (Nguraritja) and the Federal Government's [[Director of National Parks]] share decision-making on the management of Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park. Under their joint Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park Management Plan 2010–20, issued by the Director of National Parks under the ''[[Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999]]'', clause 6.3.3 provides that the Director and the Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa Board of Management should work to close the climb upon meeting any of three conditions: there were "adequate new visitor experiences", less than 20 per cent of visitors made the climb, or the "critical factors" in decisions to visit were "cultural and natural experiences".<ref>{{cite book |url=http://www.environment.gov.au/resource/management-plan-2010-2020-uluru-kata-tjuta-national-park |title=Uluṟu–Kata Tjuṯa National Park – Management Plan 2010–2020 |publisher=Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts |location=Canberra |page=102 |date=2010 |isbn=978-0-9807460-1-3}}</ref> Despite cogent evidence that the second condition was met by July 2013, the climb remained open.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jul/09/people-still-climbing-uluru-closure |title=People still climbing Uluru despite closure condition being met |work=The Guardian |first=Oliver |last=Laughland |date=8 July 2013 |access-date=13 November 2015}}</ref>
Several controversial incidents on top of Uluru in 2010, including a [[striptease]], golfing and nudity, led to renewed calls for banning the climb.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2010-06-27/indigenous-group-wants-uluru-stripper-deported/883014 |title=Indigenous group wants Uluru stripper deported |work=ABC News |date=27 June 2010 |access-date=14 November 2020}}</ref> On 1 November 2017, the Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park board voted unanimously to prohibit climbing Uluru.<ref name="climbban">{{cite news |url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-11-01/uluru-climbs-banned-after-unanimous-board-decision/9103512 |title=Uluru climbs banned from October 2019 after unanimous board decision to 'close the playground' |work=ABC News |first1=Georgia |last1=Hitch |first2=Nick |last2=Hose |date=1 November 2017 |access-date=1 November 2017}}</ref> As a result, there was a surge in climbers and visitors after the ban was announced.<ref name="abc20190625">{{cite news |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-06-25/uluru-climb-closure-prompts-local-tourism-fears/11242554 |title=Uluru visitor rush ahead of climbing ban prompts fears for local tourism |work=[[ABC Online]] |first=Emilia |last=Terzon |date=25 June 2019 |access-date=21 October 2019}}</ref><ref name="welcome20181017">{{cite news |url=https://www.welcometocountry.org/numbers-of-tourists-climbing-uluru-skyrockets/ |title=They just don't get it: number of tourists climbing Uluru skyrockets |work=Welcome to Country |date=17 October 2018 |access-date=21 October 2019 |archive-date=25 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191025235657/https://www.welcometocountry.org/numbers-of-tourists-climbing-uluru-skyrockets/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> The ban took effect on the 26 October 2019, and the chain was then removed.<ref>[https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-11-13/uluru-chains-removed-after-climb-closed/11700178 Uluru chains removed, but site may take 'thousands of years' to return to natural state] ''ABC News'', 13 November 2019. Tretrieced 13 November 2019.</ref>
A November 2017 ''[[NT News]]'' poll found that 63% of respondents did not support the ban.<ref>[https://www.ntnews.com.au/lifestyle/uluru-ban-rocks-the-territory/news-story/b9958a1c2296e2ec56a3f19db8af62c2 Uluru climb banned by traditional owners] NT News. Retrieved 11 March 2023</ref> A 2019 [[Essential Media Communications|Essential]] poll found that only 44% supported the ban.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://essentialvision.com.au/support-closing-uluru-climbing | title=Support for closing Uluru to climbing | date=23 July 2019 }}</ref>
===Photography===
[[File:Charles and Di, March 83. Uluru visit.JPG|thumb|[[Charles III|Prince Charles]] and [[Diana, Princess of Wales|Princess Diana]] returning from photo session on Uluru, March 1983]]
The Aṉangu request that visitors do not photograph certain sections of Uluru, for reasons related to traditional ''[[Tjukurpa]]'' (Dreaming) beliefs. These areas are the sites of gender-linked [[Aboriginal Australian ceremony|rituals or ceremonies]] and are forbidden ground for Aṉangu of the opposite sex to those participating in the rituals in question. The photographic restriction is intended to prevent Aṉangu from inadvertently violating this [[taboo]] by encountering photographs of the forbidden sites in the outside world.<ref name="tjukurpa">{{cite web |url=http://www.environment.gov.au/parks/uluru/culture-history/culture/tjukurpa.html |title=Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park – Tjukurpa |work=Australian Department of the Environment and Water Resources |access-date=3 April 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070307175107/http://www.environment.gov.au/parks/uluru/tjukurpa/ |archive-date=7 March 2007}}</ref>
In September 2020, Parks Australia alerted Google Australia to the user-generated images from the Uluru summit that have been posted on the [[Google Maps]] platform and requested that the content be removed in accordance with the wishes of Aṉangu, Uluru's traditional owners, and the national park's Film and Photography Guidelines. Google agreed to the request.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/australia-google-maps-uluru-pictures-scli-intl/index.html|title=Australia asks Google to remove images from top of sacred site Uluru|date=24 September 2020 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Google removes of Uluru climb after it was banned last year|url=https://www.9news.com.au/national/uluru-climb-parks-australia-asks-google-maps-to-remove-images-of-summit-after-ban/cb4779e6-59a8-47d8-aa89-83d526ef5d68|access-date=2021-01-06|website=www.9news.com.au|date=23 September 2020 }}</ref>
=== Waterfalls ===
During heavy rain, waterfalls cascade down the sides of Uluru, a rare phenomenon that only 1% of all tourists get to see.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/ausandpacific/uluru-waterfalls-storms-safety-longitude-131-ayers-rock-best-time-go-a7739886.html|title=Uluru's waterfalls: The side only 1% of visitors see|last=Jackson|first=Lisa|work=[[The Independent]]|date=19 May 2017|access-date=7 January 2021}}</ref> Large rainfall events occurred in 2016<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/gallery/2016/jan/15/ulurus-magnificent-waterfalls-landmark-transformed-by-rain-in-pictures|title=Uluru's magnificent waterfalls: landmark transformed by rain – in pictures|last=Weeks|first=Jonny|work=[[The Guardian]]|date=15 January 2016|access-date=7 January 2021}}</ref> and the summer of 2020–21.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Waterfalls at Uluru during 'magical' weather event|url=https://www.9news.com.au/national/waterfalls-pour-down-the-rock-face-of-uluru-during-magical-weather-event/55c54176-5409-49e1-b181-51525c5995d7|access-date=6 January 2021|website=[[Nine.com.au|www.9news.com.au]]|date=21 October 2020 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|date=22 October 2020|title=Tourists spot rare phenomenon of Uluru waterfalls|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/uluru-waterfalls-ayers-rock-australia-tourists-b1222064.html|access-date=6 January 2021|work=[[The Independent]]|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Martin|first=James Gabriel|title=Visitors delight in spotting the rare phenomenon of Uluru Falls|url=https://www.lonelyplanet.com/articles/uluru-falls-australia-rain|date=28 October 2020|access-date=24 March 2021|website=[[Lonely Planet]]|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-03-24/uluru-rain-creates-amazing-photos-weather/100026672|title=Waterfalls cascade down Uluru as severe weather brings heavy rain to NT|publisher=[[ABC News (Australia)|ABC News]]|date=24 March 2021|access-date=24 March 2021}}</ref>
==Geology==
Line 110 ⟶ 168:
[[File:Panaorama from on top of Uluru.jpg|thumb|right|Panorama from the top of Uluru, showing a typical gully]]
[[File:Uluru close up.JPG|thumb|Close-up view of Uluru's surface, composed of [[arkose]]]]
Uluru is an [[inselberg]], meaning "island mountain".<ref name="Young_etal_2002">Young, David N.; Duncan, N.; Camacho, A.; Ferenczi, P.A.; Madigan, T.L.A. (2002). ''Ayers Rock, Northern Territory, Map Sheet GS52-8'' (2nd edition) (Map). 1:250 000. Northern Territory Geological Survey. Geological Map Series Explanatory Notes.</ref><ref name="Twidale2005b">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WCbCAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA141 |title=Australian Landforms |publisher=Rosenberg |first1=C. R. |last1=Twidale |author-link=Charles Rowland Twidale |first2=Elizabeth M. |last2=Campbell |page=141 |year=2005 |isbn=1-877058-32-7}}</ref><ref name="Quinn2015">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ErkxBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA719 |title=Earth's Landscape: An Encyclopedia of the World's Geographic Features |publisher=ABC-CLIO |editor1-first=Joyce Ann |editor1-last=Quinn |editor2-first=Susan L. |editor2-last=Woodward |pages=719–720 |year=2015 |isbn=978-1-61069-446-9}}</ref> An inselberg is a prominent isolated residual knob or hill that rises abruptly from and is surrounded by extensive and relatively flat erosion lowlands in a hot, dry region.<ref name="NeuendorfOthers2005a">{{cite book |title=Glossary of Geology |publisher=American Geological Institute |location=Alexandria, VA |editor1-first=Klaus K.E. |editor1-last=Neuendorf |editor2-first=James P. Jr. |editor2-last=Mehl |editor3-first=Julia A. |editor3-last=Jackson |edition=5th |year=2005 |isbn=0-922152-76-4}}</ref> Uluru is also often referred to as a [[monolith]], although this is an ambiguous term that is generally avoided by geologists.<ref name="Sweet_1992"/>
The remarkable feature of Uluru is its homogeneity and lack of [[Joint (geology)|jointing]] and parting at [[Bed (geology)|bedding]] surfaces, leading to the lack of development of [[scree]] slopes and soil. These characteristics led to its survival, while the surrounding rocks were eroded.<ref name="Sweet_1992">{{cite book |title=Uluru & Kata Tjuta: A Geological History |publisher=Australian Geological Survey Organisation |type=Monograph |first1=I.P. |last1=Sweet |first2=I.H. |last2=Crick |location=Canberra |year=1992 |isbn=0-644-25681-8}}</ref>
For the purpose of mapping and describing the geological history of the area, geologists refer to the rock [[Stratum|strata]] making up Uluru as the Mutitjulu [[Arkose]], and it is one of many [[sedimentary rock|sedimentary formations]] filling the [[Amadeus Basin]].<ref name="Young_etal_2002"
===Composition===
Uluru is dominantly composed of coarse-grained [[arkose]] (a type of sandstone characterised by an abundance of [[feldspar]]) and some [[Conglomerate (geology)|conglomerate]].<ref name="Young_etal_2002"
===Age and origin===
[[File:UluruRockWater.jpg|thumb
The Mutitjulu Arkose is about the same age as the [[Conglomerate (geology)|conglomerate]] at [[Kata Tjuta]], and has a similar origin, despite the different rock type. It is younger than the rocks exposed to the east at [[Mount Conner]],<ref name="Young_etal_2002"/> and unrelated to them. The strata at Uluru are nearly vertical, [[Strike and dip|dipping]] to the south-west at 85°, and have an exposed thickness of at least {{cvt|2400|m|-2}}. The strata dip below the surrounding plain and no doubt extend well beyond Uluru in the subsurface, but the extent is not known.
The rock was originally sand, deposited as part of an extensive [[alluvial fan]] that extended out from the ancestors of the [[Musgrave Ranges|Musgrave]], Mann and [[Petermann Ranges (Australia)|Petermann Ranges]] to the south and west, but separate from a nearby fan that deposited the sand, pebbles and cobbles that now make up Kata Tjuta.<ref name="Young_etal_2002"/><ref name="Sweet_1992"/>
The similar mineral composition of the Mutitjulu Arkose and the [[granite]] ranges to the south is now explained. The ancestors of the ranges to the south were once much larger than the eroded remnants we see today. They were thrust up during a [[Orogeny|mountain building]] episode referred to as the [[Petermann Orogeny]] that took place in late [[Neoproterozoic]] to early [[Cambrian]] times (550–530 [[Megaannum|Ma]]), and thus the Mutitjulu Arkose is believed to have been deposited at about the same time, hence then in Gondwana (now in Australia).
The arkose [[sandstone]] that makes up the formation is composed of grains that show little sorting based on grain size and exhibit very little rounding; the [[feldspar]]s in the rock are relatively fresh in appearance. This lack of sorting and grain rounding is typical of arkosic sandstones and is indicative of relatively rapid erosion from the granites of the growing mountains to the south. The layers of sand were nearly horizontal when deposited, but were tilted to their near vertical position during a later episode of mountain building, possibly the [[Alice Springs Orogeny]] of [[Paleozoic|Palaeozoic]] age (400–300 [[Annum|Ma]]).<ref name="Young_etal_2002"/>
==Aboriginal myths, legends and traditions==
[[File:Tjamiwa's map of Uluru.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|[[Tony Tjamiwa]]'s map of Uluru]]
{{Further|Aboriginal Australian religion and mythology|The Dreaming}}
As with many sites around Australia, there are stories from [[The Dreaming]] associated with Uluru that date back thousands of years. According to the Aṉangu, traditional landowners of Uluru:<ref name="CWLTH">{{cite web |url=http://www.environment.gov.au/parks/uluru/culture-history/culture/creation.html |title=The Creation Period |work=Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100605003523/http://www.environment.gov.au/parks/uluru/culture-history/culture/creation.html |archive-date=5 June 2010 |url-status=dead| date=10 March 2020}}</ref>
{{blockquote|The world was once a featureless place. None of the places we know existed until creator beings, in the forms of people, plants and animals, travelled widely across the land. Then, in a process of creation and destruction, they formed the landscape as we know it today. Aṉangu land is still inhabited by the spirits of dozens of these ancestral creator beings which are referred to as ''Tjukuritja'' or ''Waparitja''.}}
===Creation of the rock===
There are a number of differing accounts given, by outsiders, of Aboriginal ancestral stories for the origins of Uluru and its many cracks and fissures. One such account, taken from Robert Layton's (1989) ''Uluru: An Aboriginal history of Ayers Rock'',<ref name="abhistuluru"/> reads as follows:
{{blockquote|Uluru was built up during the creation period by two boys who played in the mud after rain. When they had finished their game they travelled south to Wiputa ... Fighting together, the two boys made their way to the table topped [[Mount Conner]], on top of which their bodies are preserved as boulders. (Page 5)}}
Two other accounts are given in Norbert Brockman's (1997) ''Encyclopedia of Sacred Places''. The first tells of serpents who waged many wars around Uluru, scarring the rock. The second tells of two tribes of ancestral spirits who were invited to a feast, but were distracted by the beautiful Sleepy Lizard Women and did not show up. In response, the angry hosts sang evil into a mud sculpture that came to life as the dingo. There followed a great battle, which ended in the deaths of the leaders of both tribes. The earth itself rose up in grief at the bloodshed, becoming Uluru.<ref name="encycsacred">{{cite book |title=Encyclopedia of Sacred Places |url=https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofsa0000broc |url-access=registration |first=Norbert C |last=Brockman |publisher=ABC-Clio Inc |location=[[Santa Barbara, California|Santa Barbara]], California |date=June 1997 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofsa0000broc/page/292 292–93] |isbn=0-19-512739-0}}</ref>
===Other stories===
The Commonwealth Department of Environment's webpage advises:<ref name="CWLTH"/>
{{blockquote|Many other Tjukurpa such as Kalaya ([[emu]]), Liru ([[king brown snake|poisonous snake]]), Lungkata ([[blue-tongue lizard]]), Luunpa ([[kingfisher]]) and Tjintir-tjintirpa ([[willie wagtail]]) travel through [[Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park]]. Other Tjukurpa affect only one specific area. Many exploits of Tjukurpa involve ancestral beings going underground. Kuniya, the [[woma python]], lived in the rocks at Uluru where she fought the Liru, the poisonous snake.}}
It is sometimes reported that those who take rocks from the formation will be cursed and suffer misfortune. There have been many instances where people who removed such rocks attempted to mail them back to various agencies in an attempt to remove the perceived curse.<ref name="rocktheft">{{cite news |url=http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/03/07/1046826515667.html |title=Rock theft brings bad luck |work=The Age |date=7 March 2003 |access-date=3 April 2007}}</ref><ref name="rocktheft2">{{cite news |url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/strange-but-true/news/article.cfm?c_id=500835&objectid=10509543 |title=Uluru tourists return 'cursed' souvenirs |work=New Zealand Herald |first=Kathy |last=Marks |date=12 May 2008 |access-date=14 May 2008}}</ref>
====Mala story====
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One of the major stories associated with Uluru is the Mala story. In this, the Mala ([[rufous hare-wallaby]]) people came from the north, and decided to stay at Uluru for a while, and perform the ceremony known as [[inma]]. The men decorated and raised the ceremonial pole (''Ngaltawata'') and began inma, while the women gathered and prepared [[bush food]], storing seed cakes (''nyuma'') in their caves. The men hunted, made fires, and fixed their tools and weapons. Two Wintalka men approached from the west, and invited the Mala people to attend their inma, but the Mala people declined the invitation, as their inma had begun and could not be stopped. The Wintalka men went back and told their people, who got angry and created an evil spirit, in the form of an enormous devil-dog called Kurpany, in order to wreck the Mala inma. Kurpany approached the Mala people, changing form as he did so, including taking the form of a ghost (''mamu''). Luunpa (the [[kingfisher]] woman) spied him first, and warned the Mala people; however, they did not listen to her. Kurpany attacked and killed some of the men, and the remaining Mala people fled southwards, into what is now the state of [[South Australia]], with Kurpany in pursuit. This story continues among the Indigenous peoples of South Australia.<ref name=malastory>{{cite web | title=The Mala story | website=Parks Australia | url=https://parksaustralia.gov.au/uluru/discover/culture/stories/mala-story/ | access-date=3 February 2023}}</ref>
Aṉangu believe that the ancestors still exist at Uluru today. Luunpa, now a large rock, keeps watch, while the men killed by Kurpany are still in their cave. Kurpany's footprints, heading eastwards and southwards, are still in the rock. The teaching from this story is that people need to heed warnings of danger, and to finish what they have begun.<ref name=malastory/>
==
{{more citations needed|section|date=October 2017}}
[[File:Black-footed Rock-wallaby(small).jpg|thumb|upright|[[Black-flanked rock-wallaby]] near Uluru (''Petrogale lateralis'')]]
Historically, 46 species of native [[mammal]]s are known to have been living near Uluru; according to recent surveys there are currently 21. Aṉangu acknowledge that a decrease in the number has implications for the condition and health of the landscape. Moves are supported for the reintroduction of locally extinct animals such as [[malleefowl]], [[common brushtail possum]], [[rufous hare-wallaby]] or mala, [[bilby]], [[boodie|burrowing bettong]]
[[File:UluruBaseTrees.JPG|thumb|upright
The [[mulgara]] is mostly restricted to the transitional sand plain area, a narrow band of country that stretches from the vicinity of Uluru to the northern boundary of the park and into Ayers Rock Resort. This area also contains the [[marsupial mole]], [[woma python]] and [[great desert skink]].
The [[bat]] population of the park comprises at least seven species that depend on day roosting sites within caves and crevices of Uluru and Kata Tjuta. Most of the bats forage for aerial [[predation|prey]] within {{cvt|100|m|-1}} or so from the rock face. The park has a very rich [[reptile]] fauna of high conservation significance, with 73 species having been reliably recorded. Four species of [[frog]]s are [[Abundance (ecology)|abundant]] at the base of Uluru and Kata Tjuta following summer rains. The great desert skink is listed as vulnerable.
Aṉangu continue to hunt and gather animal species in remote areas of the park and on Aṉangu land elsewhere. Hunting is largely confined to the [[red kangaroo]], [[Australian bustard|bush turkey]], [[emu]] and [[lizard]]s such as the [[sand goanna]] and [[perentie]].
Of the 27 mammal species found in the park, six are introduced: the [[house mouse]], [[camel]], [[fox]], cat, dog and [[rabbit]]. These species are distributed throughout the park, but their densities are greatest near the rich water run-off areas of Uluru and Kata Tjuta.
Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park [[flora]] represents a large portion of plants found in Central Australia. A number of these species are considered rare and restricted in the park or the immediate region. Many rare and [[endemism|endemic]] plants are found in the park.
The growth and reproduction of plant communities rely on irregular rainfall. Some plants are able to survive fire and some are dependent on it to reproduce. Plants are an important part of ''[[Dreaming (Australian Aboriginal art)|Tjukurpa]]'', and ceremonies are held for each of the major plant foods. Many plants are associated with [[ancestor
Flora in Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park can be broken into these categories:
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* {{lang|pjt|Ukiri}} – grasses
Trees such as the [[Acacia aneura|mulga]] and [[Corymbia opaca|centralian bloodwood]] are used to make tools such as spearheads, [[boomerang]]s
Several rare and endangered species are found in the park. Most of them, like [[Ophioglossum|adder's tongue ferns]], are restricted to the moist areas at the base of the formation, which are areas of high visitor use and subject to erosion.
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==Climate and five seasons==
The park has a hot desert climate and receives an average rainfall of {{
Local Aboriginal people recognise five seasons:<ref name="welcomeland"
# Wanitjunkupai (April/May) – Cooler weather
# Wari (June/July) – Cold season bringing morning frosts
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|source 1 = Bureau of Meteorology<ref name="BoM-Yulara">{{BoM Aust stats |site_ref =cw_015635_All |site_name = Yulara Aero |access-date=14 May 2016}}</ref>
|date=May 2016}}
==See also==
{{Portal|Mountains}}
* [[Death of Azaria Chamberlain]]
* [[Indigenous Australian art]]
* [[List of individual rocks]]
* [[List of mountains of the Northern Territory]]
* [[Pitjantjatjara#Recognition of sacred sites|Pitjantjatjara § Recognition of sacred sites]]
* [[Protected areas of the Northern Territory]]
* [[Tietkens expedition of 1889]]
* ''[[Uluru Statement from the Heart]]''
==References==
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==External links==
{{Wiktionary|Uluru}}
{{Commons category-inline}}
* [http://parksaustralia.gov.au/uluru/index.html Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park] – Australian Department of the Environment and Water Resources
* [http://northernterritory.com/uluru-and-surrounds Northern Territory official tourism site]
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{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Uluru| ]]
[[Category:Australian Aboriginal culture]]
[[Category:Inselbergs of Australia]]
[[Category:Monoliths of Australia]]
[[Category:Mountains of the Northern Territory]]
[[Category:Sacred mountains of Australia]]
[[Category:Sacred rocks]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in the Northern Territory]]
[[Category:First 100 IUGS Geological Heritage Sites]]
[[Category:Sandstone formations]]
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