"Ananda´s Sacred Rock." Uluru National Park (Ayers Rock) by euzkadi

Located in the Uluru National Park, Uluru (also known as Ayer´s Rock) is a massive rock made of arkose sandstone and located in the Amadeus Basin. The formation stands 348 metres high (with a huge part of it below the ground) and measures 9,4 kilometres in circumference. It´s famous for being a sacred place for the Anagus (Yankunytjatjara and Pitjantjatjara people) who are the owners of the place. The rock has a red colour caused because the iron minerals are weathered by water and oxygen (a kind of iron rusting). The rock is one of the Icons of Australia and was recognised as a World Heritage Site listed by it´s natural and cultural values.

The rock was discovered in 1873 by William Gosse and named after the Chief Secretary of South Australia Sir Henry Ayers, actually it´s also called Uluru (the aboriginal name). Uluru is aboriginal land and some areas around the rock are sensitive areas (no enter and no pictures are allowed).

The park opens at 5.00 pm and closes at 9.00pm (depending on the season). There are four walks around the rock: 1. Mala Walk: 2 km return, to Kantju Gorge, is conducted daily by Park Rangers. 2.
Lungkata Walk 4 km return, 1.5 hrs from Mala Carpark. 3. Kuniya from the car park to Mutitjulu Waterhole. 4. Uluru Base Walk. 10.6 km loo, 3.5 hours.
Finally one can see the sunset from the Cark park viewpoint, a good place to see the changing colors of the rock.