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This website gives us a look at the animals that live near Uluru. Most of these animals have contributed to the creation of Uluru and the things around it in dreamtime stories.

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Animals | Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park | Parks Australia

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The desert landscape of Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park is far from a barren wasteland.

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The Uluru climbing ban caused lots of heated debate across the country between a small group of people who thought we should keep climbing Uluru and a much larger group who agreed to stop. The aboriginal people were very heartbroken and sad about seeing people climbing, dumping, filming and doing all different things on the rock as it was one of their sacred places like a church or a temple; but they couldn't do anything about it and it continued on for decades before the ban was enforced quite recently in 2019 though it was announced in 2017. I believe that the decision to announce the ban much earlier it was going to be enforced was a very greedy thing to do. I believe that they wanted a boom of people climbing Uluru over the 2 years that it had been announced. The ban had been in the works for years before it happened and was worked very hard for to get, it was worked on for so long because of the greediness of the government and the people above the aboriginal people and the people who owned the national park.

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Tourists flock to Uluru before climbing ban | A Current Affair

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We are not allowed to climb Uluru anymore, this is because of the cultural significance to the aboriginal people of the land. There are these reasons as well as the safety and environmental reasons.

The footprints from people climbing eroded the rock over time, meaning that if it continued for a very long amount of time it would have quickened the pace at which the rock eroded which would have been a very bad thing. Falling off of the rock would be terrible, as the rock is incredibly big making the fall incredibly big. Before being able to climb the rock the aboriginal people did a very good job at preserving the rock as they didn't climb on it or harm it at all.

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Uluru was created over 550 million years ago when the area where Uluru was, was covered by the ocean. The mud, sand and other sediments that lied at the bottom of the ocean were compacted and turned into rock. After the ocean subsided it has been weathered down to the more strong layers of rock that we see today, these layers are still being eroded meaning that the rock will eventually just become sediments again, this is something that will happen very far into the future though.

There is also a dream time story as to how the rock was created. The dream time story tells us that the rock was created over 300 million years ago. It was created by three of the ancestors: Mala (a Rufus-Hare Wallaby), Kuniya (a Woma Python) and Liru (a poisonous snake) when they played an important role in creating the land around Uluru.

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Think you know Ulu ru and Kata Tju t a? Check your knowledge with these fascinating facts about the park.

How high is Uluru?

Ulu r u rises 348 metres above the surrounding plain. That's higher than the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Chrysler Building in New York or the Eureka Tower in Melbourne.

How far is it around Uluru?

If you walk right around the base of Ulu r u, you'll discover the rock has a circumference of 9.4 km.

How much does Uluru weigh?

In 2018 the Northern Territory Geological Survey calculated the weight of Ulu ru for the ABC TV series Catalyst.

Their estimate was 1,425,000,000 tonnes - and that's just the part above the ground!

How high is Kata Tjuta?

The tallest dome of Kata Tju t a rises 546 metres above the plain, the same height as the One World Trade Centre building in New York.

When did Uluru-Kata Tjuta become a national park?

Ayers Rock (which we now call Ulu r u) was first declared a national park in 1950.

In 1958, both Ayers Rock and Mount Olga (now Kata Tju ta) were excised from an Aboriginal reserve to form the Ayers Rock-Mt Olga National Park. The park's name was changed to Ulu ru and Kata Tju t a (Ayers Rock-Mt Olga) National Park in 1977.

In 1985, after more than 35 years of campaigning, A n angu were recognised as the traditional owners of the park and handed back the deeds to their homelands.

The park was officially renamed Ulu ru-Kata Tju t a National Park in 1993.
Read more about the history of Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park
Who owns Uluru and Kata Tjuta?

A nangu own Ulu ru and Kata Tju t a and lease the land to the Australian Government.

Parks Australia and A nangu work together as partners, jointly managing the national park using a mix of modern science and traditional knowledge.

How long have Aboriginal people lived in the Uluru-Kata Tjuta area?

A n angu have lived and managed this country for many millennia. Archaeological evidence shows that Aboriginal people have inhabited Central Australia for more than 30,000 years.

Who were the first non-Aboriginal people to see Uluru and Kata Tjuta?

In 1872, a party led by the explorer Ernest Giles spotted Kata Tju t a during their travels through Central Australia.

The following year, explorer William Gosse became the first European to see Ulu r u.
Read more about the history of Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park
Do Aboriginal people still live traditionally?

Ulu ru-Kata Tjtua is a living cultural landscape. A n angu are still guided by (law) to keep their culture and country strong. This is something that has never changed.

If you visit Ulu ru you may see people dot painting, performing inma (traditional dance and song), telling Tjukurpa stories or gathering bush tucker.
Find out more about Anangu culture
Is it always hot and dry in the park?

In summer it can get really hot, with temperatures as high as 47°C during the day. But during winter the overnight temperature can drop to −7°C .

You might be surprised to learn that the park also gets around 300 mm of rainfall every year.
Find out more about our seasons
How many different types of animals live in Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park?

There are a lot of animal species in the park, including 21 different mammals, 73 reptiles, 178 birds and 4 desert-dwelling frogs.

Is it true that there are shrimps living at Uluru?

Sometimes. After heavy rains, small, tadpole-like crustaceans called shield shrimps ( Triops australiensis) hatch in temporary waterholes and rock pools in the park.

When the water dries up, the shield shrimp eggs also dry up and can remain dormant for several years until the next big rainfall.

Shield shrimp

How many different types of plants are there in Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park?

There are more than 400 different plant species growing in the park. Many of these plants have traditional uses as bush foods, tools or medicine.

How many people visit Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park?

Every year more than 250,000 people come from all over the world to experience the natural and cultural wonders of Ulu ru and Kata Tju t a.

Would you like to be one of them? Start planning your trip today!

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Think you know Ulu ru and Kata Tju t a? Check your knowledge with these fascinating facts about the park. Ulu r u rises 348 metres above the surrounding plain. That's higher than the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Chrysler Building in New York or the Eureka Tower in Melbourne.

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Uluru is located near the center of Australia. The closest city/town to it being Alice Springs which is over 450 km north of Uluru. Uluru is 3.33 square kilometers, it reaches 348 meters above the ground (taller than the Eiffel tower), it is 3.6 km long and 2.5 km wide, it also has a circumference of 9.8 km.

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Uluru is very good for the economy in central Australia, the Uluru-Kata Tjuta gaining over 320 million dollars a year. This is from over 250,000 people who visit the rock every year. There are also over 740 jobs generated around the park and Uluru.

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The first white settler to discover Uluru was named William Gosse. William Gosse discovered the rock 150 years ago around the year 1873. He named the rock Ayers rock after Sir Henry Ayers who was the chief secretary of South Australia at the time. William Gosse discovering the rock made him the first non-aboriginal person to ever see it