Mount uluru in australia. Australian Aborigines banned climbing Uluru. Excursions to Ayers Rock

This mysterious wonder of nature is located almost in the center of the Australian continent and attracts about half a million tourists a year, despite the heat and hordes of annoying insects.

The formation of the mountain occurred approximately 680 million years ago. In fact, this is one huge stone with a length of 3.6 km and a width of 3 km, which from a bird's eye view looks like a baby elephant lying on its side. Until now, there are disputes regarding the nature of the mountain. Some believe that this is a monolith, while others believe that Uluru is connected underground to another mountain located 25 km away. This mountain is called Olga, in honor of Olga, the daughter of the Russian Emperor Nicholas I. The natives call the mountain Kata-Tyuta.

Local residents settled at the foot of the mountain 10 thousand years ago. But for the first time this miracle of nature became known relatively recently. Ernest Giles, while on the shores of Lake Amadius in 1872, saw the mountain. But the ascent happened only a year later. This was done by William Goss, and it was he who gave the name to the mountain, by which it is still known today - Ayers Rock.

halo of mystery

Local tribes are convinced that Uluru is a door that connects the world of spirits with the world of people. Shamans have been performing their rituals here for centuries. And even now locals consider the mountain a relic. But some tribes consider Uluru a helper and ask her for various benefits. Others consider the rock to be the seat of evil spirits.

There is another belief that the rock is actually hollow inside. And in the very heart of the mountain is the "source of sacred energy."

But be that as it may, the mountain really makes an impression. mystical place. Australian Robin Davidson wrote in her book that she had never before felt the extraordinary power that comes from the mountain.

By the way, the natives believe that if you take a piece of the mountain, you will be damned. And many tourists confirm this. They say that after they took the pebble as a souvenir, misfortunes began to happen in their lives. And now, in post offices a lot of parcels with stones accumulated, which arrived from different countries.

tourist attraction

Mount Uluru was opened to tourists only in the middle of the last century. Aboriginal people do not interfere with the visit. Because this is a good article for making money. But they are against tourists climbing the mountain. Officially, officials have not issued a ban on Uluru, but many tourists respect the beliefs of the tribes and enjoy the view from the ground.

In addition, at the foot of the mountain there are places where you can not take photos. This is also related to the beliefs of the natives. These places are marked with signs.

The nearest town where tourists can stay is called Yulara, and it is located 18 km from the mountain. To get the right to visit the mountain, you need to buy a ticket. For AU$25 you get a 72 hour pass to Uluru.

Mount Uluru located in the center of Australia in the heart of the continent. The nearest town of Yulara is only 18 km away. On the border of the town, an airport was built specifically to receive 500 thousand tourists a year. But do not forget that for the Australian aborigines, the Uluru rock is sacred, and therefore climbing to its top is not welcome, although not prohibited.

Mount Uluru itself is 348 meters high and 3.5 km long, this is just the tip of the iceberg. Uluru goes underground for about 6 km and reappears at a distance of 25 km. in the form of a Kata-Tjuta complex. The highest of the mountains is called Mount Olga, its height is even higher than that of Uluru 546 m. ​​This place is also revered by the natives.

Once in the center of Australia there was Lake Amadius, and Uluru, according to scientists, is what remains of mountain range towering in the center of the lake in the form of an island. Thus, in ancient times this place was no less interesting.

From afar it may seem that Uluru is very smooth, but in fact it is not, due to the large temperature changes during the day and night, as well as the annual hurricanes, it is covered with cracks.

Uluru has the unusual property of changing its color depending on the time of day. This is due to the characteristics of the red sandstone that makes up the mountain.

An interesting fact: Uluru was also called Ayers Rock in honor of one of the governors of Australia, but at the request of the natives in the 70s, the old name Uluru was returned.

Near Uluru, a spring springs from the ground, and there are also a lot of caves where you can hide from the sun, so it is not surprising that this place in the middle of a hot desert has been a refuge for the ancient Australians for many centuries. At the foot of the mountain, as well as in its caves, you can see examples of ancient rock art.

Previously, Uluru belonged to the Australian government, but in 1985 the relic was returned to the natives, more precisely, the Anangu tribe. True, it must be said that Uluru was immediately bought out again by the Australian government, or rather, leased for 99 years for 75 thousand dollars a year, plus 20% of the cost of entry from each visitor. The entrance ticket costs 25 Australian dollars.

Aborigines are not happy with so many people who want to climb to the top of their sacred mountain but do not discourage tourists.

Uluru on the map:

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Video: Mount Uluru.

The road spreads along the endless and lifeless plain. Behind one and a half thousand kilometers of the road to the heart of the Australian deserts - the town of Alice Springs, and from it - another four hundred kilometers to the south-west, to the outskirts of the most impregnable Gibson Desert in Australia.

Behind him were the low Flinders Ridge, the shores of Gardner and Eyre lakes bordered by a white strip of salt, and the sandy ridges of the Simpson Desert stretching towards the horizon, in places covered with thickets of thorny bushes - scrub.

But the main thing that remains in the memory of the last two days car travel- this is a monotonous, absolutely flat flatness of the surrounding landscape: reddish-brown sands with rare bushes of thorny grass - spinifex.

The monotony of the road is broken only by occasional bridges over dry riverbeds—screams filled with water for a day or two only once every few years, when the wet season is particularly heavy with rain.

Against this background, a gigantic chocolate-brown rock suddenly appears on the horizon, which becomes more and more grandiose as it approaches it, all the more miraculous. Ayers Rock (this is the name of this unique stone hill) is probably the largest rock monolith in the world.

Its oval hump, 2.4 kilometers long and 1.6 kilometers wide, rises 350 meters above the surrounding plain!

There was a lot of controversy about its origin at the time. The mystery of the emergence of a huge mountain range in the middle of an endless, flat, like a desert desert gave rise to a lot of the most incredible assumptions, such as the fact that this is a giant iron meteorite that fell on the plain thousands of years ago.

But later geologists explained the appearance of Ayers Rock in a much more prosaic way, which, of course, did not make it less impressive, although, perhaps, it became less mysterious. According to modern science, Ayers Rock is a typical product of erosion, the never-ending process of natural forces destroying high relief and turning rugged terrain into a plain.

At the same time, more durable rock masses that survived are called remnants by scientists. They can be found in the Sahara on the Tibesti plateau in our Northern Urals, in Arabia and in US state Georgia in the famous Monument Valley. A typical remnant is and widely famous mountain sugar loaf in Rio de Janeiro.

However, Ayers Rock undoubtedly overshadows any of them both with its size and the impression of absolute unreality that arises at the sight of a huge rock reigning over a plain that stretches for hundreds of kilometers around.

The first European to see Ayers Rock was the Australian explorer Ernest Giles, who then crossed the Gibson Desert from north to south in 1872. However, the local Aboriginal tribes by that time had known this rock for many centuries.

They called it Uluru ("The place where there is a shadow") and annually gathered near it for ritual festivities.

Some tribes believed that the rock fell from the sky in ancient times, others attributed its appearance to the giants who created it even before the arrival of people in this country, and still others believed that Uluru was the abode of the Wanambi Rainbow Serpent, the supreme judge over all living on Earth.

It was at the behest of Vanambi that his servants created humans and populated the desert with them. The children of Uluru multiplied and laid the foundation for all the aboriginal tribes, and every year they came to sacred mountain to glorify the best hunters and gain courage for new exploits.

Time and natural forces have worked hard on the surface of the rock, leaving notches and scars on it, and even large recesses of the most bizarre shape. Giant, animal-like footprints, dents on a strong stone gave rise to many legends and beliefs among superstitious indigenous Australians.

Traces on the rock, according to the natives, were left by the monstrous huge dog Kura-Punya, sneaking towards the hunters' camp in order to devour them all without a trace. Only the help of the everlasting friend of people - a cheerful kookaburra bird, which with its cry warned people about the approach of a terrible beast, saved their lives.

Or the gull bird, and now one of the favorite birds in Australia. Her cheerful cry, similar to human laughter, begins the morning broadcasts of Australian radio.

In the caves at the foot of the cliff, many Aboriginal ritual drawings have been preserved, and without exaggeration it can be called the main center of the primitive culture of the indigenous people of Australia.

The dimensions of the caves are impressive: the largest of them reach eight hundred meters in length and thirty meters in height.

Three lakes formed in them, filled during the rainy season with water seeping through the cracks of the rock.

In the hot summer, when all the springs in the area dried up, the natives found here shelter from the hot rays of the sun and life-giving moisture.

But some lakes and caves were considered forbidden and protected from ancient times by sacred taboos. So, all the locals believed that Lake Mutijula ​​would bring inevitable death to any daredevil who dared to swim in its waters.

After all, it was here that the Rainbow Serpent Vanambi himself chose as his place of residence and, so as not to be disturbed, poisoned the lake with the magical poison of Aran-Gulta, from which there is no escape.

Other caves already by their name (like "The Grotto of the Cut Throat") scared away the curious. Involuntary trembling caused people and repeated booming echo in the Cave of Laughter.

And dark as night, Putta Grotto was inhabited, as the legend said, by the spirits of dead children, waiting for the moment when they could move into a new, just born body of a child.

Along the steep slope of the mountain, a narrow path leads to its summit. Not everyone can overcome a risky rise, although now in the most dangerous places and put up metal railings.

To the purely climbing difficulties, there is also the need to carry a supply of water in a capacious flask - otherwise the climber will face death from dehydration or sunstroke.

From the height of Ayers Rock, a panorama of a vast desert, almost devoid of vegetation, opens up. Only at the foot of the cliff do rare groves of stunted eucalyptus and acacia-mulga grow green.

A few kangaroos and emus nibbling at spinifex's thorny shoots as they move leisurely across the red, heat-cracked plain.

In the distance, the bizarre massif of Mount Olga is blue through the air haze. Before him in a straight line 24 kilometers. Rare here, but heavy downpours carved deep furrows-gorges in it, breaking the massif into thirty rounded remnants.

The aborigines gave Mount Olga the apt name Katajuta ("Mountain with many heads"). WITH opposite side the silhouette of Mount Connor, located twice as far, is barely visible.

Unlike Mount Olga and Ayers Rock, it has a flat top. Covered with gray-green grass, this peak, when viewed from an airplane, contrasts sharply with its neighbors.

Now the Ayers Rock area has been declared a National Park, and the flow of tourists who want to see unique rock, is growing every year.

Despite the remoteness and inaccessibility of this corner of Australia, located in the very center of the continent, people on cars and planes get here to admire the beauty of the extraordinary landscape, which cannot be found anywhere else in the world.

Of course, in the mountains and deserts of Australia and along its coast there are many beautiful and amazing places. These are the Great Barrier Reef with its fabulous inhabitants, and the picturesque Blue Mountains, in the depths of which the two hundred-kilometer system of Jenolan caves is hidden, and the protected Kangaroo Island and Shark Bay, and cool coniferous groves and waterfalls of Tasmania, and ghost lakes Western Australia disappearing every year, only to reappear in a different place…

Tourists coming to a distant continent from around the world are enchanted by underwater coral multicolor barrier reef or the majesty of the cave halls of Genolam, where the grotto of the Devil's Carriage Shed reaches a height of one hundred meters!

And yet, having enjoyed the spectacle of these beauties, having talked with friendly kangaroos and koalas in the national parks of the coast, an inquisitive traveler will certainly insert a new film into the camera and set off along the dusty highway running along the border big desert Victoria and the Simpson Desert.

His path will not be easy and not close. The Main Miracle of Australia, hidden in the depths of the Great Deserts, is not soon revealed to man.

Location: Australia
Height: 348 m
Width: about 3 km
Length: 3.6 km
Coordinates: 25°20"40.9"S 131°01"53.9"E

General view of Uluru rock

Uluru is located almost in the very center of the smallest continent and annually attracts the attention of more than half a million tourists every year who want to see the huge stone "elephant" "lying" in the desert with their own eyes. Why an elephant? Yes, because if you look at the photo of the Uluru rocks, taken from a bird's eye view, the rock, which, according to the most conservative estimates, was formed about 700 million years ago, looks like a real elephant. True, not standing and not eating vegetation, but dead in the middle of one of the hottest deserts in the world. The Uluru rock, in addition to being the subject of controversy by many reputable geologists and historians, is fanned by many myths and legends.

As mentioned above, Uluru is located in the desert, but people lived and live near it. The rock paintings of the Uluru rock allow scientists to draw a definite conclusion, the Australian natives lived near this monolith (or maybe not a monolith) 10,000 (!) Years ago. “How can a person survive in a desert where there is practically no vegetation, and the air temperature during the day warms up above 40 degrees Celsius?” Any tourist can ask a question, even on the outskirts of the stone giant. The thing is that near Uluru there is a source from which the purest ice water beats. It is she who helps the Australian Aborigines survive in such extreme conditions.

The “discovered” rock of Uluru in Australia was relatively recently in 1892 by Ernest Giles, who conducted most of his life in travels across the Australian continent. The word "open", of course, has a certain connotation: it was discovered by immigrants from Europe who inhabited Australia. The Australian Aborigines have long known about the rock, which is a little over three and a half kilometers long, a little less than three meters wide and 170 meters high. So long ago that there is nothing about their history on this moment unknown. You can only get an idea of ​​how the tribes lived at the Uluru rock rock paintings. The honor to describe the giant monolith fell to William Christine Gross, who did it already in 1893.

To say with certainty whether the rock of Uluru is a monolith, like, for example, weathering pillars, or whether it is connected underground with the mountain, until not a single scientist decides. More precisely, they decide, however, they have different opinions. One part of the geologists claims that Uluru in Australia is a monolith and does not accept other points of view, while the other part proves that the rock is connected deep underground with a mountain that has a strange name for Australia, Olga. The name is really strange, however, like everything on the smallest mainland. By the way, the mountain began to be called Olga in honor of ... the wife of the Russian Emperor Nicholas the First!

Uluru rock - legends and myths

No matter how much geologists argue about whether Uluru, resembling a lying elephant, is a monolith or, nevertheless, it is associated with Mount Olga, the natives have their own opinion about the appearance of the rock. IN ancient legend, which the Australian Aborigines pass down from generation to generation, it is said that two tribes lived at once near a small rock. One tribe lived on the side of Uluru, which was always lit by the sun, and the other tribe lived in its shadow. Which tribe was more comfortable is a moot point. The first tribe was called Mala, and the second - Kunia. These tribes once decided to invite another tribe, called Windulka, to visit them. In addition to the Mala and Kuniya tribes, lizard women were invited to visit. These beautiful and seductive creatures were part of the Liru tribe. On the way to the Windulka tribe, representatives of the male part of Mala and Kuniya saw female lizards and began to show them signs of attention. What happened along the way, and whether the process of courtship reached its culmination, is not specified, but no one came to the holiday arranged by the Windulka tribe. Either the courtship lasted a long time, or the lizard women nevertheless decided that the men from the Mala and Kuniya tribes were worthy of their attention (in this case it becomes clear why the Winddulka holiday was forgotten), is also not known.

The Windulka tribe wielded great power over the forces of nature, a fact that was overlooked by men who were fascinated by the charming female lizards. The sorcerers from Windulk called for help giant hairless dogs and snakes that lived in large numbers near Mount Olga. Cruel, hungry dogs and poisonous snakes were sent to the Mala and Kuniya tribes. Probably, at that moment, the loving representatives of these tribes greatly regretted their fleeting passion: the legend says that literally in a day Mala and Kuniya were completely exterminated. However, this is not the end of the legend about the rock, but only its beginning. After all the natives from the two tribes died, Uluru rose even stronger from the earth and absorbed the souls of the slain into its caves.

After this tragedy, another legend appeared among the natives that whoever takes with him at least a small pebble from the sacred rock will incur the wrath of the souls enclosed in the rock. Aborigines believe in this myth, but tourists do not. As time has shown, in vain. Australia Post is literally littered with parcels containing a small stone taken by unlucky travelers from Uluru. Everyone who brought home a piece of the monolith knew what a real disaster is. Therefore, in order to get rid of the curse, tourists send their terrible "souvenirs" to their homeland.

Uluru - the origin of the rock - official versions

As mentioned above, the Uluru rock arose about 700-hundred million years ago. Geologists say that the legendary Australian monolith (or not monolith) arose from sedimentary rocks at the bottom of almost dry lake Amadius.

In the middle of the lake formerly towered huge island, which gradually collapsed, and its parts were compressed at the bottom of the once gigantic reservoir. Thus, over a long period of time, the Uluru rock was formed in the very center of the Australian continent.

The opinion, which many consider official and scientifically confirmed, is quite often questioned by modern authoritative experts. To be extremely precise, it is not possible at the moment to say for certain how and as a result of which the Uluru rock was formed. By the way, it is impossible to say why the rock bears such a name. Linguists suggest that the word "Uluru" in some Aboriginal language (In Australia, almost every tribe has its own language) means "mountain".

It is rather difficult to explain the origin of the rock, but how numerous cracks and caves formed on it, in which ancient people probably lived, is as simple as that. By the way, cracks on Uluru continue to appear in our time. This is due to the characteristics of the Australian desert climate. As mentioned above, during the day the temperature in the desert, where the rock is located, exceeds 40 degrees Celsius, but at night real frosts begin in this area: with the onset of darkness, the temperature often drops below zero. In addition, the strongest hurricanes are often observed in the Uluru region and Mount Olga. Such a sharp change in temperature, strong gusts of wind lead to the destruction of the rock and the formation of cracks on it. By the way, the natives fundamentally disagree with a scientific point of view: they argue that the cracks and caves on Uluru appear due to the fact that the souls imprisoned in it are trying to break free.

Uluru rock is one of the main attractions of Australia

As mentioned at the very beginning of the article, almost half a million tourists come to see the Uluru rock every year. They are attracted not only by the amazing shape of the rock, but also by its wall paintings made by ancient people in numerous caves. Despite the fact that the Uluru rock became known in the civilized world as early as 1893, tourists have been drawn to it only since the middle of the 20th century. Only in 1950, the Australian authorities, who decided to actively develop tourism infrastructure in their country, held to mysterious rock road. In fairness, it should be noted that even before the construction of the highway, amateurs thrill accompanied by guides traveled to Uluru. Until 1950, 22 ascents to the sacred rock for the natives were officially registered.

After the opening of the highway to the miracle of nature, a stream of tourists simply poured in: they were not embarrassed by the inconvenience and extreme conditions. The number of people wishing to see how the rock changes its color several times during the day increased every year. By the way, the rock really changes during the day: it all depends on where the sun is at a certain moment. If the luminary is hidden behind the clouds, Uluru appears to the traveler in brown with an orange tint. The orange hue of the rock stands out due to the huge amount of iron oxide contained in its rock.

But as soon as the sun rises from the horizon, Uluru suddenly becomes dark purple. The higher the sun rises, the softer the colors of the Australian rock become. Around 10:30 am Uluru turns purple, then the color becomes more and more saturated, then for a short period of time the “lying elephant” turns red, and at exactly 12:00 the rock turns into a huge piece of “gold”.

In 1985, the rock, which the first European who conquered it called Ayers Rock, was transferred to the private property of the natives of the Anangu tribe living near the sacred Uluru. It was from that year that the name "Ayers Rock" ceased to be used, and in all tourist brochures the miracle rock is listed as Uluru. Aboriginal people got their place of worship back, but survive in modern world You can only if you have money. Animal skins and bone arrowheads are no longer enough, even if your ancestors lived that way. Therefore, the natives decided to earn some money on Uluru: they simply rented it to the Australian authorities for 99 years. During this time the unique australian rock is part of national reserve. For this generosity, the Anangu Aboriginal tribe receives US$75,000 each year. In addition, 20% of the cost of a ticket giving the right to visit Uluru also goes to the tribe's budget. The money for the natives is very decent. And if we also take into account the fact that each representative of the tribe, dressed in National Costume(that is, almost naked), receives several dollars from tourists for a photo next to him, then we can conclude: the Anangu tribe is thriving.

Ayers Rock is the largest and oldest monolith rock in the world. This unique place is one of the main attractions of Australia

Ayers Rock- orange-brown oval-shaped rock, formed approximately 680 million years ago. Its oval "hump" 2.4 kilometers long and 1.6 kilometers wide rises 348 meters above the surrounding plain! This is what's left of the big mountain range Peterman. Ayers Rock is part of the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park

There was a lot of controversy about the origin of Peterman in his time. The mysteriousness of the emergence of a huge mountain range in the middle of an endless, flat as a table desert gave rise to a lot of the most incredible assumptions, such as the fact that this is a giant iron meteorite that fell on the plain thousands of years ago. Later, geologists explained the appearance of Ayers Rock in a much simpler way, which, of course, did not make it less impressive, although after that it became a little less mysterious)

According to modern science, Ayers Rock is a typical product of erosion - the never-ending process of the destruction of high relief by natural forces and the transformation of rugged terrain into a plain. At the same time, more durable rock masses that survived are called remnants by scientists. They can be found in the Sahara on the Tibesti plateau, in Arabia and in the American Monument Valley. A typical remnant is the Sugarloaf in Rio de Janeiro. The same remnant is Ayers Rock, with the only difference that it outshines any of them both in its size and in the impression of absolute unreality that arises at the sight of a huge rock reigning over a plain stretching for hundreds of kilometers around

The first European who saw a huge stone block in the middle of the desert was Ernest Giles. In the 19th century, he noticed a rock from the shores of Lake Amadies, but he could not reach it. However, a year later, the English explorer William Goss climbed to the top of the miracle mountain. He named the rock "Ayers Rock" after Secretary of State South Australia Henry Ayers

The circumference of the rock is about 9 km, and to get to the top, you have to overcome an inclined path 1.6 km long. Not everyone can overcome a risky climb, although metal railings have now been installed in the most dangerous places.

From the top Ayers Rock opens beautiful view on a vast desert that stretches in all directions, almost devoid of vegetation - only at the foot of the cliff do rare groves of stunted eucalyptus and acacia grow green

australian aborigines They call this rock Uluru and have considered it sacred for thousands of years. This word does not mean anything and is often used by the natives as a name. Numerous legends and traditions are associated with the name of Uluru. Giant, animal-like dents on a strong stone gave rise to many legends and beliefs among superstitious indigenous Australians.

The natives believe that the monstrous huge dog Kura-Punya left footprints on the rock, sneaking up to the hunters' camp in order to devour them all without a trace. Only the help of the everlasting friend of people - the cheerful kookaburra bird, which with its cry warned people about the approach of a terrible beast, saved their lives.

In the caves at the foot of the cliff, many ritual drawings of the natives have been preserved. Ayers Rock can, without exaggeration, be called the center of the primitive culture of the indigenous inhabitants of Australia. The dimensions of the caves are impressive: the largest of them reach 800 meters in length and 30 meters in height. Three small lakes even formed in the caves, filled during the rainy season with water seeping through the cracks of the rock. So in the hot summer, when all the sources in the area dried up, the natives found here shelter from the hot rays of the sun and life-giving moisture.

Ayers Rock looks unusual in any light, and during sunset or sunrise, you have to constantly remind yourself that this is not a dream, but real natural phenomenon)

The stone monolith is famous for the fact that it can change its color during the day, like a chameleon, from fiery red and pink, to purple, blue and brown.

Time and natural forces have worked hard on the surface of the rock, leaving notches and scars on it, and even large recesses of the most bizarre shape. When rains are rare for this area, silvery streams of water run down the cracks and grooves.

Tourists started visiting Ayers Rock only in the middle of the last century, after the completion of the construction of the highway through this area. Despite the remoteness and inaccessibility of this corner of Australia, located in the very center of the continent, the flow of tourists who want to see the unique rock is growing every year. People on cars and planes get here to admire the beauty of the extraordinary landscape, which cannot be found anywhere else in the world!