Uluru, The Most Famous Landmark and Tourist Attraction in Australia

INDEPHEDIA.com - Uluru is the most famous natural landmark and one of the popular tourist attractions in Australia. Uluru, also known as Ayers Rock, located in the Australian Red Center, is a monolith in the form of a large sandstone rock formation as high as 348 meters and has a total circumference of 9.4 kilometers that has been registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Uluru, part of the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park in the south of the Northern Territory in central Australia, is located 335 kilometers or 208 miles southwest of the nearest big city, Alice Springs. Uluru is famous for the change in color of the large sandstone rock formations at different times and days, especially when it glows red at dawn and sunset.

Uluru has great spiritual and cultural significance for indigenous Australians. Uluru is a sacred place for Pitjantjatjara Anangu, Aboriginal people in the region. In Uluru there are springs, water holes, stone caves and ancient paintings. Uluru and Kata Tjuta, also known as Olga, are two main features of the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park.

Both Uluru and the nearby Kata Tjuta formation have great cultural significance for the Anangu people, the traditional inhabitants of this area. For tours of these attractions, you will be guided by local residents who also provide information to visitors about local flora and fauna, bush food and Aboriginal stories.

To go to the location of Uluru-Kata Tjuta, from Sydney direct flights about three hours to the airport of Alice Springs or Ayers Rock. From Alice Springs it is a five to six hour drive to Ayers Rock Resort.

If you take the road, the trip to Alice Springs is 1500 kilometers or about 932 miles north of Adelaide, about the same distance from Darwin. Then, if you use the legendary Ghan railroad linking Darwin and Adelaide, the four-day trip stops at Katherine, Alice Springs and Coober Pedy. (WS.IN/ENG/*)