Uluru rises 348 metres above the surrounding plain — higher than the Eiffel Tower to its viewing platform — and runs an estimated two and a half kilometres below the surface. The circumference at the base is 9.4 kilometres. The rock is arkose sandstone; the sediment that formed it was laid down around 550 million years ago, and the formation took its present shape roughly 300 million years ago.
Whose land this is
The traditional owners are the Anangu — Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara people who have lived here for tens of thousands of years. Their law and belief system is called Tjukurpa, and it is not folklore: it governs land management, kinship, ceremony and which stories may be told to whom.
Ownership of the park was returned to the Anangu on 26 October 1985, and they immediately leased it back to Parks Australia for 99 years under joint management. UNESCO listed the park twice — for nature in 1987 and for culture in 1994 — making it one of the few mixed World Heritage sites on earth.
The climb, and why it closed
The Anangu asked visitors not to climb Uluru for decades; the route crossed a path of deep significance in Tjukurpa, and they felt responsible when climbers died on it — more than thirty did. On 26 October 2019, exactly 34 years after the handback, the climb closed permanently. The decision was made by the park board, on which Anangu hold the majority.
What replaced it is better. The base walk circles the entire rock in 10.6 kilometres — three to four hours — and passes waterholes, caves and rock art that the climb never showed you. Sections are signed as sacred sites where photography is not permitted; those requests are worth respecting.
Kata Tjuta
Thirty kilometres west stand 36 domes the Anangu call Kata Tjuta, "many heads". Mount Olga, the tallest, reaches 546 metres above the plain — nearly 200 metres higher than Uluru, though far fewer visitors make the trip. The Valley of the Winds walk runs 7.4 kilometres through the gorges between the domes and is the finest walk in the park. It closes at 11am when the forecast exceeds 36 °C.
Beyond the park
- Kings Canyon (Watarrka) — 300 kilometres north-east; the six-kilometre Rim Walk starts with a punishing climb and then delivers sandstone domes and a palm-filled gorge.
- Alice Springs — 450 kilometres away, about five hours by road. Do not assume it is a day trip.
- Field of Light — Bruce Munro's installation of 50,000 stemmed lights has covered a patch of desert since 2016 and keeps being extended.
Practical notes
- Flying is normal: Ayers Rock Airport (Yulara) sits beside the resort, direct from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.
- Heat: summer days pass 45 °C; winter nights drop below freezing. May to September is the sane window.
- Water: three litres per person per day on any walk, and the rangers mean it.
- Flies: buy a head net. Everyone wears one and nobody laughs.