RP229 Rock Star

 RP229 Rock Star

Uluru rises, huge and red, out of the vast center of Australia. The land spreads flat around it, making the colorful, humped rock look very dramatic. For the aboriginal Anangun u native to that area, Uluru is a sacred spot. It is central to their creation story and their history. To visitors, it is a breathtaking natural wonder.

Uluru (also called Ayers Rock) is an island, which means" island mountain." It is the remains of an ancient sandstone mountain range that gradually eroded around it. We can actually only see the tip of Uluru. The majority of it is underground. However, about 350 meters of it thrusts up out of the soil.

Uluru is remarkably cohesive, with few fractures; it appears solid and uniform. Most photos show Uluru at sunset, when it looks bright red, but the huge formation changes color with the seasons and times of day. It can look silver or even violet in the rain.

Aside from being astounding naturally, Uluru also safeguards the history of the most ancient cultures on Earth. Humans have lived near Uluru for more than 10,000 years. The Anangu people believe the shapes of Uluru and the rocks around it contain the stories of ancestors and gods. Areas of Uluru are decorated with rock paintings that have been updated for thousands of years.

Uluru was first spotted by Western explorers in 1873 and named Ayers Rock after Henry Ayers, Premier of South Australia at the time. By 1920, part of the area had been made into an aboriginal reserve. The land was later taken back, though. It wasn't until 1985 that the Australian government gave ownership of Uluru back to the local aboriginal people. They agreed to manage it jointly with the Australian park service. The natural and cultural wonder remains open for visitors. The aboriginal owners ask merely that tourists show respect for their sacred land and its stories.