Civilizations Around the World: Australian Aborigines

The Most Sacred Place in Australia

Uluru or Ayers Rock is located at the southern part of Northern Territory in Central Australia. The landmark is located within Uluru-Kata Tiu’a National Park. It is a large sandstone rock formation that rises up from the Australian flatland. The area has been declared as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Uluru is sacred to the Anangu, the local population of Aborigines in the area. What seems like a flat mountain on a flatland, is actually an oasis in the area. There are many springs, waterholes, rock caves and many ancient paintings of the indigenous population in the area.

The landmark was named Ayers Rock by then surveyor William Gosse in July 19, 1873, in honor of then Chief Secretary of South Australia, Sir Henry Ayers. The local populace calls the landmark as Uluru. In 1993, the dual naming policy was put in place and in December of that year, the landmark has been named Ayers Rock/Uluru, in consonance with the English and Aboriginal official names. In November of 2002, the names were reversed to Uluru/Ayers Rock upon the request of the Regional Tourism Association of Alice Springs.

Uluru is made of sandstone rising 1,142 feet from the flatland. The rock has a total circumference of 9.4 km. The formation has great cultural as well as religious value for the Anangu people, the local indigenous people of the area. It is also noticeable that the formation changes color at different times of the day. It glows a glorious red at dawn and at sunset. When there is rainfall in the area, the Uluru changes to silvery-gray with streaks of black, where algae formations occur as water channels over the formation.

The area is also rich in animal and plant life. There are known to be forty-six separate species of mammals in the area but this has decreased notably over the years. The local animal life includes the Malleefowl, the Common Brushtail Possum, the Rufous Hare-Wallaby or also known as the Mala, the Bilby, the Burrowing Betong and the Black-Flanked Wallaby. Also indigenous to the area is the Mulgara, which is now vulnerable to extinction. The region is also home to the Marsupial Mole, the Woma Python and the Great Desert Skink. In the plain areas, there is the Red Kangaroo, the Bush Turkey, the Emu, the Sand Goanna and the Perentie. Other mammalian life is the house mouse, the camel, the fox,
the dog, the cat and the rabbit.

According to the Anangu, the original landowners of the Uluru, the world was once a featureless place. None of the places known existed until the creators, in the forms of people, plants and animals traveled all across the land. During the process of creation and destruction, the creator spirits formed the landscape as it is known today. Now, the Anangu land still is home to the spirit people, known as Tjukuritja or Waparitja. There are other stories about the creation of the Uluru, mainly due to wars and conflicts between the spirit beings.

One of the myths regarding Uluru would be the curse befalling on those who take rocks from the formation. Besides these myths and curses, the area is beautiful and rich in history. As it is, it is one of the places to see in the world that needs to be seen before one dies.

Marc Castro is the online editor for the popular community Australian Forum. For a more comprehensive discussion on Uluru, do visit us at Aviation Deal Expands Choice for Visitors to Australia.