AYERS ROCK, AUSTRAILIA

AYERS ROCK IS A LARGE SANDSTONE ROCK IN CENTRAL AUSTRAILIA.  ULURA IS SACRED TO ANANGU.  AROUND THE ROCK ARE MANY SPRINGS, ROCK CAVES, AND ANCIENT PETROGLYPHS AND PICTOGRAPHS, 

THE ABORIGINESE CALL THIS PLACE ULURU.  IN 1873 IT WAS NAMED BY CHIEF SECRETERY IN AUSTRAILIA.  AYERS ROCK IS AUSTRALIA'S MOST RECOGNIZABLE LANDS MARKS.  IT IS A 350 MAD MANY FOLKS CLIMB IT.  THE ABORIGINES LEAD WALKING TOURS TO INFORM VISITORS.  THIS LARGE ROCK IS NOTED FOR CHANGINGCOLORS AT DIFFERENT TIMES OF THE DAYS AND AT SUNSET.

THIS ROCK IS IS A STRANGE GEOLOGICFORMATION AS IT HAS LOW DESERT ALL aROUND IT.  IT IS CALLED A MONOLITH,  THE SANDSTONE LACKS BEDDING SURFACES  THROUGH WEATHERING IRON BEARING INERALS IN THE PROICESS OF OXIDATION THE COLOR OF SANDSTONE IS REDBROWN RUSTY.

46 SPECIES OF MAMMALS LIVE NEAR THIS ROCK.  AS AUSTRALIA IS KNOWN FOR THE WALLABY IT IS HERE.  OTHER ANIMALS ARE POSSUM, BILBY, AND BETTONG, MOLES, AND DESERT SKINK.  THEY HAVE MANY BATS AND SMALL CAVES.  THEIR ARE MANY REPTILES.  ABORIGINALS HUNT KANAROO,  TURKEY, EMU AND LIZARDS.  THEY COLLECT MANY PLANTS FOR FOOD AND CEREMONIES.  MANY PLANTS ARE ASSOXIATED WITH ANCESTRAL BEINGS.  THEY HAVE PUNI TREES, PUTI SEEDS BLOODWOOD IS USED TO MAKE SPEARS, PROJECTILE VOMITING, BOOMERANGS,  ITS SAP IS USED FOR COLDS,

SINCE EUROPEANS CAME HEY HAVE 34 EZOTIC PLANT SPECIES HERE,  TO REDUCE EROSIONTHEY USED BUFFEL GRASS WHICH WAS  MISTAKE! IT HAS BECOME A THREATENING WEED.  THE AREA HAS 11" OF RAIN PER YEAQR.  IN SUMMER IT IS 100 DEGREES AND IN WINTER IT IS 41 DEGREES. THE ABORIGIBALS HAVE 5 SEAONS.

THE ABORIGINAL  LEGENDS SAY THE WORLD WAS ONCE FEATURELESS PLACE.  ONE OF THE PLACES WE KNOW EXISTED UNTIL  THE CREATOR  BROUGHT PEOPLE PLANTS AND ANIMALS.  IN A PROCESS THEY FARMED THE LANDSCAPE WE KNOW TODAY.  TODAY THIS LAND IS USED BY ANCESTRAL SPIRITS THAT THE CREATOR MADE.

ANOTHER MYTH STATES THAT DURING CREATION PERIOD W BOYS [LAYED IN THE MUD AFTER THE RAIN.  THEY BEGAN FIGHTING TOGETHER WHEN TWO BOYS CAME TO MOUNT CONNER WHERE THEIR BODIES ARE PRESERVED.

IT HAS BEEN REPORTED THAT THOSE WHO TAKE ROCKS WILL BE CURSED AND SUFFER MISFORTUNE.  SAME THING IS SAID IN HAWAII.  ARCHAEOLOGISTS STATE THE AREA HAS BEEN SETTLED FOR 10,000 YEARS.  EUROPEANS CAME IN 1890'S AND THEY MAPPED THE AREA AS WELL.    IN THE LATE 1900'S THE AREA HAD A DROUGHT AND THIS MADE FOR FREQUENT ARGUMENTS BETWEEN ANGLOS AND ABORIGINALS.  BUSH FOOD STOPRES WERE DEPLETED.    THEY HAD POLICE PATROLS.  IN THE 1930'S DEPRESSION THE ABORIGINALS STARTED EATING ANGLO FOODS.  BY 1920 ULURU WAS AN ABORIGINAL RESERVE.  BY 1936 TOURISTS CAME.  BY 1948 THEY BEGANSOME ROADS.  BY 1960 THEY STARTED BUILDING MOTELS.  BEFORE 1985THE AUSTRALIAN GOIVERNMENT RETURNED ULURU TO THE NATIVES, BUT IT WAS JOINTLY MANAGED.

BY 2009 THEY BUILT ROADS AND 1 MILE OF WALKING TRAILS IN THE AREA.  IT TAKES 1 HOUR TO HIKE UP THE MOUNTAIN.  IT IS VERY WINDY ON THE TOP.  BECAUSE IT IS SO SPIRITUAL THE ABORIGINALS DO NOT CLIMB IT.  THEY ASK VISITORS NOT TO CLIMB AS IT PASSES A SACRED SITE.  THEY ALSO FORBID TOURISTS TO NOT PHOTOGRAPH SOME AREAS OF THE MOUNTAIN.

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