Photo. Ayers Rock, Uluru, a natual and world famous landmark in Australia. © Travel Explorations.
The site will be closed permanently in October 2011.
Ayers Rock has been closed several times before due to extreme weather conditions. Strong rain, wind and foggy view make it risky to climb the rock.
Each year around 350.000 people visit the gigantic rock. In addition to respect the wish of the Aboriginal people, authorities also plan to close Ayers Rock permanently due to preserve the big stone and the site around.
The aboriginal people of this area call it Uluru. Some say the word means "Great Pebble." Others say it has no meaning at all. Anyway, the rock is not a pebble, it is a tor, and one of several in this region of Australia`s Northern Territory. There are a number of caves in the rock which are sacred to the Anangu people. They have decorated the caves with carvings and paintings.
Ayers Rock is 348 metres high, which can be compared with a 95 story building. The climbing path is about 1.6 km long. The first part has a chain to hold on to. It is a very strenuous climb. Most of the over 35 deaths at Ayers Rock were due to heart attacks. It`s takes about two hours to complete.
If you are fit I'd say half an hour up, half an hour across the top, some time spent up there and the way down
Considered the world`s largest monolith, Ayers Rock stands as a beacon in the flat, arid land that is the Amadeus Basin. Landmass of the rock is huge, and is covering 2.2 miles in lenght and 1.5 miles in wideness. It`s made of sandstone infused with minerals like feldspar (Arkosic sandstone) that help it give off a red glow at sunrise and sunset. The rock gets it rust colour because it is actually rusting. The iron in the arkose is oxidizing. The redder the rock, the longer it has been exposed. The greyer it is, the more sheltered.
Stein Morten Lund, 8 July 2009
Additional information
Read more about Australia on our global travel guide www.TravelExplorations.com
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