Ulu..WHO? (Uluru (Ayers Rock))

Member Name: kissy1

Product:	Uluru (Ayers Rock)
Date:	23/08/09 (78 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: stunning, beautiful and awe inspiring

Disadvantages: Disrespectful people climbing the rock

Uluru (or Ayers Rock) is a UNESCO world heritage site in the south of the Northern Territory, Australia. The rock itself is sandstone, and around 200 miles from Alice Springs (the nearest large town). It is located in the Kata Tjuta National Park, and is the bigger of the 2 main rocks, Uluru and Kata Tjuta. Uluru is sacred to the local aboriginal people (the Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara).

~~~ Name ~~~

The name Uluru is the one used by the aboriginal people. The word itself has no meaning in their traditional language, but is the family name of the tribe elders. It was named Ayres Rock in 1873 by William Gosse, who was a surveyor; it was named as a tribute to Sir Henry Ayres (who was, at the time, the chief secretary of South Australia). In 1993 Uluru was the first feature in Australia to be given a duel name, and it was known as "Ayres Rock/Uluru" (this was reversed in 2002 at the request of the Regional Tourism Association to "Uluru/Ayres Rock").

~~~ Description ~~~

Uluru is one of Australia's biggest draws for tourists, and is instantly recognisable. It is 1142 feet tall (348 meters for the young ones among us!) and over 2800 feet above sea level. Most of the sandstone which makes up Uluru is actually underground, and what we can see is only the very top. If you were to walk around the outside (I did!) it is 5.8 miles (or 9.4km).

One thing Uluru is famous for is the way it changes colour depending on the time of day. The best time to see it must be sunset, when the whole rock appears to glow red. 25km to the west of Uluru are the Olgas (or Kata Tjuta, as it is know by the aboriginals). Both are now easily accessible for tourists, due to roads which have been built. Uluru and the Olgas are what is known as island mountains, left over from a whole mountain range, which has been eroded away over time.

~~~ getting to Uluru ~~~

Due to where Uluru is (right in the middle of the outback) it should prove tricky to get to, but is anything but. Most tourist will head to Alice Springs, which is near to Uluru (if your definition of 'near' is 200 miles!) Alice is the nearest big town to Uluru. For those who are travelling the whole country Uluru can be done as a stop off of one of the many guided tours available of the country. For people who are in the country on vacation you can catch a flight to Alice Springs from many of the big cities in Australia. Do be warned though that the flights can be expensive (but if you are flying from Sydney, for example, the distance is comparable to flying from London to Africa!)

~~~ Where to stay ~~~

As I mentioned before, Alice Springs is the popular choice for people wishing to visit Uluru. There are a variety of options available from camping to 5 star hotels. I stayed at the legendary Annie's Place hostel, which was brilliant.

If you want to stay a bit nearer there is a resort called The Ayres Rock resort, which offers camping at higher than average prices, and hotels with dodgy customer service (so I'm told) and overinflated room prices. I didn't hear a single good review of the resort while I was at Uluru.

For backpacker Annie's Place really is the place to be. The hostel is funky and really nice to stay in. It is a tad more expensive than most hostels around Australia, but well worth the few extra dollars. The staff were all really friendly and welcoming, and the rooms were very nice. I can't recommend it highly enough. There are organised tours directly run by Annie's which take in the whole national park, and aren't too expensive either.

~~~ My Uluru experience ~~~

Me and my travel partner decided to take the Mulga's 3 day Ayres Rock tour, which was fantastic. It included all transport, meals and camping. We started off in Alice Springs and headed out to Kings Canyon, where we spent the afternoon hiking and swimming. We camped the night before another hike the next morning, then after some lunch we headed to Uluru. We walked around the base (but didn't climb it, as the aboriginals hold the ground sacred and climbing the rock is frowned upon). After another night of camping we went back to Uluru for another walk. There was an option to climb the rock, but we didn't do it. Then we headed back to Alice, with a stop on the way to ride a camel. The tour cost $250 (around £130)

While we were at Uluru we visited the cultural centre, which has tonnes of information about Uluru and its history. You can explore the myths and legends associated with Ayres Rock and get an insight into the lives to the aboriginal people, who have lived here for thousands of years.

~~~ My conclusion ~~~

My trip to Uluru really was unforgettable. My memories will stay with me forever and I would love to go back. When you see the rock at sun down or sunrise and you see it glowing bright red, it's impossible for it not to make an impression on you. The effort it takes to get to will be rewarded and thousands of tourists make the journey every year for this reason.

The best advice I can give anyone thinking of going is to think hard about whether or not you climb Uluru. The ground is sacred to the aboriginals and really don't like people climbing it. Clambering over Uluru I guess is comparable to thousands of tourist coming and scaling the outside of St. Pauls cathedral every year, we wouldn't like that very much. Do your research and make an informed decision. The views from the top are only of things you can see from the ground anyway.....

Summary: Unforgettable