Right: A plaque placed to commemorate a schoolboy climber who died after a fall in the early 1960s at Uluru, at that time referred to in government documents as Ayers Rock.
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Background information
Most of the information below has been drawn from a Wikpedia entry titled 'Uluru'
The full text can be accessed at
Uluru, also known as Ayers Rock and officially gazetted as "Uluru / Ayers Rock", is a large sandstone rock formation in the southern part of the Northern Territory in central Australia. It lies 335 km south west of the nearest large town, Alice Springs, 450 km by road.
Uluru is sacred to the Pitjantjatjara Anangu, the Indigenous inhabitants of the area.
The region is home to an abundance of springs, waterholes, rock caves and ancient paintings. Uluru has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site twice - once for its geographical importance, once for its cultural importance. Uluru and Kata Tjuta, also known as the Olgas, are the two major features of the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park.
Description
Uluru is one of Australia's most recognisable natural landmarks. The sandstone formation stands 348 m high, rising 863 m above sea level with most of its bulk lying underground, and has a total circumference of 9.4 km. Both Uluru and the nearby Kata Tjuta formation have great cultural significance for the Anangu people, the traditional inhabitants of the area, who lead walking tours to inform visitors about the local flora and fauna, bush food and the Aboriginal dreamtime stories of the area.
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.
Kata Tjuta, also called Mount Olga or the Olgas, lies 25 km 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.
Ownership and management
The title for Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, in which Uluru stands, was transferred to Anangu control in 1985. Following the rock's handback, the traditional owners were obliged to lease the park back to the director of national parks, with day-to-day management handled by Parks Australia.
At the time of the handover, the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park board of management (made up of a majority of traditional owners) agreed not to close the climb, to minimise harm to the tourism industry.
In 2010, Parks Australia published a report stating the climb would be permanently closed when:
the Board, in consultation with the tourism industry, is satisfied that adequate new visitor experiences have been successfully established, or
the proportion of visitors climbing falls below 20 per cent, or
the cultural and natural experiences on offer are the critical factors when visitors make their decision to visit the park.