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City guide · Uluṟu · Yulara
Uluru (Ayers Rock)
The sacred rock of Australia's Red Centre: Anangu land and law
Uluru is a huge sandstone monolith 348 m high in the desert of central Australia, glowing from orange-red to deep purple at sunrise and sunset. It is sacred to the Anangu; visitors usually stay at the resort town of Yulara, about 20 km away, and enter Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park from there.
History
Los orígenes de la ciudad
For the Anangu, Uluru holds Tjukurpa — their law, knowledge, religion and philosophy. On 19 July 1873 the surveyor William Gosse saw the rock and named it 'Ayers Rock' after Sir Henry Ayers, Chief Secretary of South Australia. In 1958 the area was excised from an Aboriginal reserve to create a national park. On 26 October 1985 the traditional owners were granted freehold title to the park and immediately leased it back to the Australian government for 99 years under joint management. The park became a World Heritage Site in 1987. In 1993 it became the Northern Territory's first official dual-named landmark, 'Ayers Rock / Uluru', and in 2002 the order was reversed to 'Uluru / Ayers Rock'.
- 1873Gosse named it 'Ayers Rock'
- 1958A national park was established
- 1985The land was handed back to the Anangu and leased back to the government under joint management
- 1987Inscribed as a World Heritage Site
- 2002The official name became 'Uluru / Ayers Rock'
Stories
Historias de la ciudad
Leyenda · Uluru
The paths of the Mala people
In the Anangu people's Tjukurpa (law and creation stories), the route visitors used to climb Uluru is the very path the ancestral Mala men took when they came to Uluru. Because it crosses a sacred traditional route, the Anangu themselves never climb it, and have long asked visitors not to climb either.
Historia · Uluru
Handback and the climbing ban
On 11 December 1983 Prime Minister Bob Hawke promised to return land title to the Anangu and agreed to a ten-point plan that included banning the climb. On 26 October 1985 the traditional owners received freehold title to the national park and immediately leased the land back to the government for 99 years under joint management, but the promise to ban the climb was not kept at the time. Only in October 2019 was the climb officially closed, and the chain installed for visitors in 1963 was removed in 2019.
Must see
Lugares imprescindibles
Before you go
Normas que debe conocer en Uluru (Ayers Rock)
Australian beaches: swim between the red and yellow flags
- Swim only between the red and yellow flags where lifeguards are on duty
- If you don't know the conditions, ask a lifeguard
- Swimming at unpatrolled beaches or outside the flags
Outside the flags there may be rip currents, and lifeguards cannot reach you in time.
Sin verificarFuente: Surf Life Saving Australia: beach safety signs
Uluru: climbing is not allowed
- Walk the base track around Uluru and learn about Anangu culture
- Climbing Uluru
The climb closed permanently on 26 October 2019; climbing breaks the federal Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act and is punished.
Verificado el 19 oct 2026Fuente: Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park: climb closure
Entering Australia: food, plant and animal products must be declared
- Truthfully declare all food (even small, packaged snacks), plants and animal products on your arrival card
- If in doubt, declare it
- Bringing fresh fruit and vegetables, meat, seeds or wooden souvenirs without declaring them
You can be issued an infringement notice; your visa may be cancelled, you may be refused entry and barred from returning for up to 3 years.
Sin verificarFuente: Australian Department of Agriculture: travelling to Australia
Australia: tipping is not required
- When service is especially good, round up or leave a small tip
- Feeling bad about not leaving a tip
There is no penalty; Australian wages do not depend on tips.
Sin verificarFuente: Mozo: tipping in Australia