Uluru
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Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park is inscribed on the World Heritage List for both its natural and cultural values.
Rising from the broad desert plain in the deep centre of Australia. Uluru/Ayers Rock is Australia's most recognisable natural icon.
The famous "Rock" stands348 metres high and, like an iceberg, has most of its bulk below the surface. It is located 440 kilometres south-west of Alice Springs in the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. Forty kilometres to the west of Uluru/Ayers Rock is Kata Tjuta, also known as The Olgas. This massive pile of rock domes dates back 500 million years.
Both Uluru and Kata Tjuta have great aborioginal cultural significance for the Anangu traditional landowners, who lead walking tours that inform about the local flora and fauna, bush foods and the Aboriginal Dreamtime stories of the area.
Watarrka National Park, encompassing Kings Canyon, lies 300 kilometres to the north-east of Uluru and approximately a four hour drive by road. Kings Canyon has 300-metre-high sandstone walls, walking trails, palm-filled crevices and views across the desert.
Uluru Sections - click to expand
Arguably Australia’s most famous natural icon, Uluru/Ayers Rock is best visited at sunrise or sunset. Seeing this 348-metre tall natural wonder glow in the changing sunlight is mesmerizing.
As ruggedly beautiful as it is culturally significant, visitors to Uluru/Ayers Rock are entranced by the unmistakeable spirituality of the region. See Uluru through the eyes of its traditional Aboriginal owners, the Anangu, by joining a cultural tour.
The adventure experiences on offer here are not for the faint-hearted. Get an Uluru experience with a difference and trek the 9-km Uluru base walk, take to the skies in a helicopter, jump on the back of a camel or feel the wind in your hair with a ride on a Harley Davidson.
Until recently, this monumental landmark was known as Ayers Rock, as named by European explorer William Gosse in 1873 and often misspelt as Ayres Rock. Today Uluru is jointly managed by the Anangu people and Parks Australia.
Estimated to be over 500 million years old, the 32 weathered rock domes that are Kata Tjuta sit 40 kilometres to the west of Uluru/Ayers Rock.
Kata Tjuta/The Olgas represents nature on a monumental scale, with the cluster’s tallest peak being 200m higher than Uluru! Much like its geological cousin, Kata Tjuta is most spectacular when viewed at sunrise or sunset.
If you’re after some serious adventure, you can grasp how incredibly ancient and remarkably imposing Kata Tjuta is by tackling the moderately difficult Valley of the Winds Walk. Trekkers are rewarded for their efforts with breathtaking views over the desert plains of the Red Centre.
Alternatively, take the easier Walpa Gorge Walk for a more a leisurely stroll amongst Kata Tjuta’s enormous domes into a lush desert refuge for plants and wildlife.
Meaning ‘many heads’ in the local Aboriginal tongue, Kata Tjuta is deeply sacred to the Anangu people, who have inhabited the area for more than 22,000 years. Join a cultural tour to uncover some of Kata Tjuta’s sacred mysteries.
It is situated on the western edge of the George Gill Ranges, 300 kilometres to the north east of Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park and 310 kilometres west of Alice Springs. Drivers can reach Kings Canyon from Uluru in around four hours by taking the Lasseter Highway and Luritja Road. Those with a four-wheel-drive and at least a day’s travelling time can then take the unsealed Mereenie Loop on to Alice Springs.
Watarrka National Park is an important conservation area with rock holes and gorges providing refuge for over 600 species of plants and many native animals. The sheer red rock face of Kings Canyon soars over 100 metres above dense forests of palms, ferns and cycads; sheltering them from the surrounding desert conditions.
A moderately challenging six-kilometre walk takes in magnificent views of the Canyon rim, the weathered, buttressed domes of ‘The Lost City’ and the ‘Garden of Eden’ - a sheltered valley with permanent waterholes and lush vegetation. The walk is suitable for fit, relatively experienced walkers and can be completed in about three to four hours. For the less energetic, the shorter and easier Kings Creek Walk leads into the centre of the Canyon.