AYERS ROCK

AYERS IS A SANDSTONE ROCK FORMATION IN AUSTRALIA CALLED ULURU.  THE ROCK IS SACRED TO THE ULURU NATIONAL PARK.  THEY HAVE MANY SPRINGS HERE AND ANCIENT CAVE PAINTINGS. AND ROCK  IT IS ON THE WORLD HERITAGE SITE.  ULURU IS A LOCAL FAMILY NAME BY THE ABORIGINALS.  AN ANGLO SIGHTED THE ROCK IN 1873.

THIS S ITE IS AUSTRALIA'S MOST NOTICEABLE AND VISITED PARK.  THE 348 M HIGH ROCK IS HAS A LOT OF ROCK BENEATH THE SOIL.  IT IS @ 6 MILES IN CIRCUMFERENCE.  ULURU HAS GREAT SIGNIFICANCE TO THE ANANGU FOLKS WHO LEAD TOURS HERE.  THEY TELL ABOUT FLORA  AND FAUNA AND THEIR DREAMTIME STORIES.  THE ROCK CHANGES COLORS DURING DIFFERENT TIMES OF THE DAY AND YEAR WITH A GLOWING RED AT SUNSET AND AT DAWN.

MOUNT OLGA IS 16 MILES WEST OF ULURU HAS SPECIAL PARKING TO GIVE TOURISTS BEST VIEW OF BOTH SITES AT DAWN AND DUSK. ULURU IS CALLED A MONOLITH AS IT IS A SEDIMENTARY JOINTING AND BEDDING SURFACES.  IT IS A SEDIMENTARY COARSE SANDSTONE IN A HOT DESERT.  THERE ARE DECREASES IN NATIVE MAMMALS THAT ARE KNOWN TO HAVE EXISTED.  THE MULGARA IS A MAMMAL THAT'S IN DANGER  SO MANY FOLKS COME HERE THAT THE ENVIRONMENT IS CHANGING.  THEY HAVE 7 SPECIES OF BATS IN VARIOUS CAVES.  THEY HAVE  A RICH SUPPLY OF MAMMALS AND REPTILES AND FROGS IN THE SPRING AREA FOLLOWING SUMMER RAINS.  THE ANANGU HUNT IN REMOTE AREAS OF THE PARK- KANGAROO, TURKEY, EMU AND LIZARDS  THEY HAVE CEREMONIES FOR EACH MAJOR PLANT FOOD AS THEY TALK ARE PART OF ANCESTRAL DIET.

THE FLORA IS DIVIDED INTO TREES, SHRUBS, FLOWERS, AND GRASSES.  SOME TREES ARE USED FOR  SPEARHEADS ANS BOOMERANGS AND BOWLS.  BLOODWOOD SAP IS AN INHALANT FOR COLDS AND COUGHS.  SOME OF THESE TREES ARE RARE AND ENDANGERED.  THERE ARE  34 SPECIES INTRODUCED BY FOREIGNERS.  THEY HAVE ONLY 11" OF RAIN PER YEAR.

THE ULURU HAVE 5 SEASONS DURING THE YEAR.  THEY HAVE MANY MYTHS.  ONE IS THAT THE WORLD WAS FEATURELESS.  NONE OF THE PLACES EXISTED UNTIL THE CREATOR BEINGS ARE REFERRED AS WAPA AITIA.  ANOTHER TALK SAYS THE ROCK WAS BUILT BY 2 BOYS WHO FOUGHT EACH OTHER AND ARE NOW BOULDERS.

SOME PEOPLE FEEL CURSED IF THEY TAKE ROCKS.  MANY HAVE TRIED MAILING THEM BACK TO REMOVE THE CURSE.

BASED ON ARCHAEOLOGICAL WORK HUMANS HAVE BEEN HERE FOR OVER 10,000 YEARS.  IN LATE 1800'S THE INTERACTION OF BETWEEN ANANGU AND ANGLOS BECAME MORE VIOLENT.  BECAUSE OF OF GRAZING AND DROUGHT BUSH FOOD STORES BECAME INCREASING DEPLETED,  POLICE PATROLS WERE WERE  INCREASED BECAUSE OF CONFLICT.  LATER IN THE 30'S ANANGU WERE INTRODUCED TO EUROPEAN FOODS AND WAYS. 

FIRST TOURISTS CAME HERE IN THE 1930'S.  BY THE 1940'S EUROPEANS SETTLED HERE TO PROMOTE TOUISM OF THE ULURU.  BY 1960 THE AYERS ROCK BECAME WELL VISITED.  IN 1985 THE GOVERNMENT RETURNED OWNERSHIP TO ABORIGINES.  THE ANAGU ARE JOINTLY MANAGING THE PARK,  THEY DO NOT CLIMB IT BECAUSE OF IT'S SPIRITUAL BELIEF.  THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT START BANNING CLIMBING THE ROCK.

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