Uluru (Ayers Rock)

The sacred red rock that changes colour

Uluru is a giant red rock in the middle of the Australian desert — taller than the Eiffel Tower! It changes colour through the day: purple at dawn, orange at noon, fiery red at sunset. Two-thirds of the rock is underground — like an iceberg. To Aboriginal people Uluru is sacred — they've lived here for 60,000 years and have banned climbing it.

Uluru is a sandstone monolith (inselberg) 348 m high and 9.4 km around in the centre of Australia; layers laid down on a sea floor 550 million years ago were tilted to 90°, and the rock continues 2.5 km underground. Iron oxide (rust) gives it its red colour; the shade changes with the angle of the sun. For the Anangu people it is a place of 'Tjukurpa' (creation-time) stories; its caves hold 5,000-year-old rock art. Named Ayers Rock in 1873; the land was returned to the Anangu in 1985 and climbing was banned in 2019. A UNESCO natural and cultural site (1987, 1994) — one of the few places with both statuses. 300 mm of rain a year; in rain, waterfalls pour down the rock. Nearby is Kata Tjuta — a rock of 36 domes.

Fun facts

• Two-thirds of Uluru is underground — the visible part is like the tip of an iceberg.
• Uluru changes colour 5 times a day — from purple to fiery red.
• 550 million years ago Uluru was a sea floor — now it's in the middle of a desert.