Two shots of the infamous AYERS ROCK, though no one calls it that in Central Australia. The Anangu people are the traditional owners of ULURU, the land was officially given back to them by the government in 1985 and the aboriginals asked for help to turn it into a place that people could come to and learn about their cuture. This rock, which stands out from the landscape, is 90 storeys high (348 metres). We walked the base (9 km) as the summit was closed due to winds. They have had deaths due to people climbing it during poor conditions, so it is not open to climb very often. The rock surface gets to 65 degrees celcius! Ouch. As you travel the base, there are many sacred places that you cannot photograph, which show you the places where the aborigianal women had and raised their babies (southside) and where the aboriginal men did their training (northside). Hard to believe that 2/3 of this rock is actually still underground.

Pictured above is the OLGAS, known to the aboriginals as KATA TJUTA (meaning many heads). The size and grandeur of the 36 massive domes was very impressive. These ancient, weather-beaten mountains, covering an area of 3500 hectares, are far larger and just as imposing as ULURU. The most unique thing is that if you look closely at the picture, you can see the outline of Homer Simpson lying down. DOH!!