The Rock Not To Climb – Uluru Rock
Every city, state or country is defined by its quirkiness. Every nook or cranny takes pride in it. And when you choose to travel or visit such places that teach you about its unknown history, it makes you experience things that you probably never knew existed. One such place is Uluru.
The place is a wonderous adventure when you look at all the other Heritage Site and you look at this one, you “See” the difference, which is pretty prominent because of the size of the structure. It stands at a massive height of 348 Meters, there is about 2.5Kilometers is inside the ground, even the Eiffel tower stands at a height of 324 meters.
Also, the Uluru is called Ayers Rock, since 2002. The structure holds to be one of the few structures, which has a dual named destination in the Australian Region. To climb the rock has always been a profound adventure, but the thrill is not legal. One cannot climb the rock, it is believed that the act is disrespectful, and there have been around thirty-seven deaths, of people who tried climbing the rock, the record is from 1950.
What is Uluru and where is it?
Said to be around 600 million years old, Uluru is the largest sandstone monolith (single huge stone or rock, such as a mountain, or a rock placed within a monument or building) in the world. Coincidently found on the largest island of the world, Australia. Tourists all over the world travel from faraway places to Australia for its beaches and desserts, but sadly miss out on seeing this massive rock. The Uluru is found four hundred kilometers away from Alice Springs, a remote town located between Darwin and Adelaide. The sandstone stands tall at an astonishing height of 1,142 feet. The Uluru rock formation has been known to be formed under the ocean, but it hardened over the years. Today, it rises 2,831 feet above sea level where most of its formation lay underground.
How was it formed?
The Petermann Ranges (a mountain range in central Australia) runs 320 km across the border between Western Australia and the southwest corner of the Northern Territory. Through years of rock and sand erosion, it led to big fan-shaped formations. Around millions of years ago, the ranges were flooded in the sea. The sea bead or sea bottom was crowded with sand, mud and the big fan shapes. The weight of the sea bed converted the fans into rocks. Eventually, these rocks or sandy fans formed a sandstone, known as the famous Uluru. After 400 million years ago, the sea dried. Due to shift in the Earth’s tectonic plates, the Uluru tilted to an angle of 90 degrees. Over a longer period, the softer rocks eroded and left just the colossal Uluru behind. The surface of Uluru is known to be red and grey in colour. The red is formed from the rusting of iron. The grey color is the rock’s natural colour.
Not just a rock
Uluru is also known for its unusual cultural significance that is sacred to the Yankunytjatjara and Pitjantjatjara people. The Yankunytjatjara and Pitjantjatjara people are known as the owners and guardians of the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. While touring and encountering with the on-site cultural center, you would also be able to gain insight into the cultural aspect of Uluru. Around 60,000 years ago, Australia was spread with over millions of local tribes. During that era, the Uluru region was dominated by a local tribe also known as the Anangu tribe. They firmly believed that the Uluru was a creation of their ancestors. Hence, it holds great cultural and spiritual significance for the Anangu tribe. This period is also known as the Dreamtime term as the ancestors were responsible for creating rivers, hills, rocks and more. Currently, also rituals are held in caves, but tourists sadly aren’t allowed to see the proceedings out of respect. Areas of some parks are considered extremely sacred for the Anangu tribe and hence, are under strict restrictions for visitation or photographing any of these areas. But enduring the sacredness of it is allowed. Respect and decorum are expected to be maintained by the tourists. Though the Uluru climb is not forbidden, tourists are expected to not climb as it might hurt the sentiments and cultural significance of the Anangu tribe. It also is known that the climbing of the rock has been known to be extremely hazardous. Around 30 people have been known to have lost their lives climbing it.
Also Read:- AUSTRALIA – KNOW THE LAND DOWN UNDER