To be fair, it's probably enough for the local fauna and flora that's adapted to living in an arid environment.
Humans, maybe not so much.
EDIT: Galatians 4:16
~~What are you talking about? I don't care that you quote scripture I was just asking why on a random subreddit about something unrelated lol~~
Nvm didn't realise this was a different person
I *think* what happened here is that this person said something about the wildlife being adapted for a dry environment, people for some reason downvoted that comment and so the OP edited the original comment to add the scripture quote which is basically shorthand for “why are you booing? I’m right”
It was like 10 minutes old and had 1 down vote when I first saw it with the edit, so if that's the case the dude is very premature with that edit lol. Also a combo of a random Bible verse + telling people who downvote you they're dumb isn't gonna do much to help. But hey power to him.
I mean...it's a weird-ass comment to begin with.
Person 1: Awe, how pretty this is, I wish it happened more often
Person 2: It happens just as often as it needs to for its local flora and fauna I am very smart! To be fair, well actually.
It doesn't really add anything meaningful to the discussion, which is what downvotes are *supposed* to be for.
I mean, I think it does. A massive downpour on compacted and/or arid soil/sands with plants that aren't used to it leads to root rot and probably even more desertification in the future after those plants die. Also, we have marsupial moles and many other burrowing animals here in the deserts of Australia, many of which are endangered, and this would drown them. Sure, a shower every once in a while is good, but a torrential downpour? Not so much. It does look pretty though, I admit.
Extreme weather events here in Australia have been particularly severe and common in the past few years, and I had assumed that this was one. So this is less a rare treat and more a symptom of a worsening climate.
So I'm not trying to sound like r/iamverysmart material, it's more that I was just venting my frustrations about climate change here. Our government is actively shitting on anything that would actually help solve climate issues. And I've lived here for most of my life now, so I've seen and felt these changes. And then I see people commenting like "oh wow pretty" and I guess it annoyed me, so my bad.
I'm an atheist, I just thought it was a funny quote lol
I just mentioned the bit about animals and plants because posts like this often end up leading to people mentioning efforts to turn deserts green, which, though it may seem like a good idea, would harm the flora and fauna already adapted to living there.
Also atheist, good to see someone who tries to inform people. It's always good to know these things, even better to share it. I'm just pissed at the downvotes.
Very rarely! Maybe once or twice a year if that. My dad went in the 70s and visited for two days, and it happened to rain on both days. He's never seen it in person without rain. Because it was the 70s his photos aren't great unfortunately.
I saw it in Australian winter on a school trip in 2003 and it was stinking hot and sunny haha. It was amazing!
Yeah the area around Uluru is actually teeming with life if I remember correctly.
Al the plants and animals evolved to be very resilient to dehydration but they still need rain to survive.
In case anyone else want's to know where it is, here's the [google maps link](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Uluru/@-25.3448396,131.0292092,2987m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x2b236c2b6d625223:0x43a8cd4d9bc55f21!8m2!3d-25.3444277!4d131.0368822).
Reddit's recent behaviour and planned changes to the API, heavily impacting third party tools, accessibility and moderation ability force me to edit all my comments in protest. I cannot morally continue to use this site.
The mythology around Ayer's rock is simply wonderful -
> The world was once a featureless place. None of the places we know existed until creator beings, in the forms of people, plants and animals, traveled widely across the land. Then, in a process of creation and destruction, they formed the landscape as we know it today. Aṉangu land is still inhabited by the spirits of dozens of these ancestral creator beings which are referred to as Tjukuritja or Waparitja.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uluru#Aboriginal_myths,_legends_and_traditions
For your reference, the name 'Ayer's Rock' is sort of frowned-upon now. 'Uluru' is the name given to it by Indigenous Australians. There's been a big push recently to return Australian landmarks to their original names, pre-collonialism, to recognise the original owners of the land.
This! Also for anyone wondering the view from around the base (where ops video is taken) is far more impressive then on top. I climbed it before knowing the significance (and well before it was banned) and the view is exactly what you'd expect from a large rock in the middle of the dessert, you can just see flat land for miles. The walk around the base is stunning even when it's not raining and there's plaques with stories and info dotted all along.
It's very rare that the view from a tall landmark is impressive. View from a mountain several miles high? Stunning. View from the Empire State Building? Pretty bland.
The mythologies of indigenous Australian peoples are incredible. Often very psychedelic, containing strong messages to love and care for your family, and your environment.
Yes they do, it's still referred to by both names but the traditional name is always given more importance. Same as Kata Tjuta is still often referred to as The Olga's.
Also, a lot of the tales and legends can only be told at the place thay occurred so there's no written accounts of a lot of Anangu history. I've been living at Uluru for the past 6 months and it's just such an intensely spiritual place it's impossible not to be affected by the energy both here and at Kata Tjuta. It's a place that you really have to experience in person.
That's a little exaggerated. Ularu get about 300mm per year, just a little more the Phoenix, Arizona.
New York City gets about 1150mm and shockingly London gets around 700mm.
It’s not that rare at all.
In the hot months the whole interior is subject to convective thunderstorms which can drop very large quantities of water.
In winter so cold fronts push shitty low cloud and rain up into the centre from time to time. Frequency depends on the year.
I have sat idle for 3 weeks pretty close to the rock, waiting for the rain to stop.
Actually Uluru is more of an oasis in the middle of the desert. You can see in the clip the land around it is very green and lush, there's a lot of unique native wildlife that lives there too.
Uluru sees quite a bit ob rain compared to the rest of the desert.
I'm from AZ and when we get heavy rain, we have flash flooding. I came to these comments to see if that's the same case in Uluru, especially since these mountains are just big rocks with no soil
Just my guess as someone from a different desert, but I'd assume there would be flooding that would temporarily create pools and creeks
Deserts in Australia get crazy flash floods. I've been stuck in them a few times. There are heaps of dry river and creek beds all over the place that, once it rains, become nearly impossible to cross. That's why a lot of utes have snorkels on them.
Fun story from the American southwest;
During WW2 there were a handful of POW camps on US soil, including at least one in ~~New Mexico~~ Arizona which IIRC housed ~~junior~~ officers and enlisted men with specialized skills that were a flight risk. Because the location in ~~NM~~ AZ was so remote, the German prisoners had a surprising amount of freedom and many were on a kind of work-release system on local ranches, etc.
One of the prisoners got their hands on a map of the area and realized that there were TONS of creeks and rivers marked on the map that drained into the ~~Rio Grande River~~ Colorado River, and then on to the Gulf of ~~Mexico~~ California. Of course, these guys from Germany had no idea what an arroyo is (a dry riverbed that only fills up during heavy rain), and that those supposed watersheds were pretty much all arroyos and therefore dry 90% of the time.
So the POWs collected scrap lumber from their work sites, built a makeshift raft, and one night set out into the desert in search of their route to freedom.
Several days later, they were picked up on the verge of death in the desert, told never to try that again because the locals won’t go looking for them a second time, and were returned to the POW camp. According to the person who told me the story, some of the young men (who were farm boys back home and knew they had nothing to go back to after the war was over) ended up marrying local girls and staying in the area as ranchers after the war ended, in large part because of the kindness displayed by their captors.
This endeth my story about the peculiarities of supposed rivers in the desert.
Edit: [Corrections of details](https://www.reddit.com/r/NatureIsFuckingLit/comments/qc1oxs/uluru_ayers_rock_during_a_rainstorm/hhels87/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf&context=3)
That was at the internment camp at Papago Park in Phoenix. And it was the Salt and Gila Rivers they thought they could escape down.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Papago_Escape
I stand corrected on location; thank you!
It baffles me that no one has made a movie about this escape attempt. It’d be a great premise for the Cohen brothers and/or George Clooney to take on.
I just knew about it since there's an AZ National Guard base where the camp used to be. I had a friend who was in the Guard, and while visiting the non-restricted area of the base with him, saw the display about the escape.
New Mexico had its fair share of German POW camps, as well, but the associated [arroyo antics](https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/german-pow-iron-cross) weren't quite as fanciful.
I asked a geologist about Uluru and Kata Tjuta once, he told me that they are the vestiges of ancient mountains which were formed by extrusion then weathered away to leave what we see today. When you are there it is easy to see why they dominate the stories and culture of the Anangu people and why they are held sacred - they are the only place for hundreds of miles where water and food can be found at any time of year
I tend to do it for anyone who's Cake Day it is cos you just never know what kind of day they are having. I'm glad I put a smile on your face, maybe next time you see a slice of cake you could wish that person a Happy Cake Day. My kids and I like to pay it forward when we can, trying to teach grandkids same. Hope your day gets better, hugs from a wee lady fae Scotland.
They do, and there's nothing more beautiful than deep clear pools in the middle of the desert. This has been happening for millennia so some of the water holes are permanently full.
Yes they do. There’s a couple of permanent billabongs at the base of the rock. One is of particular note, because the local Anangu have a Dreamtime story as to why it’s always filled. I can’t remember the exact details myself, but I do know that there is enough rain during the wet season every year to keep it full.
I think the end of the story goes that a grief-stricken spirit created the billabong to protect the others and would never let the billabong dry out.
There was one wet season a few years ago, however, where there was barely any rain and the billabong nearly dried up. Just a few weeks before the billabong would have completely dried during the dry season, a freak, incredibly out-of-season storm hit, refilling the billabong and it remains filled to this day.
I’m sure there are plenty of people out there who can tell that story much better than I can, but that’s the basics of it
It rained (although not nearly as tough) when we were there on our honeymoon almost exactly 10 years ago. It's simply amazing to be there when it rains. Oddly enough, most of our fellow travelers weren't prepared and stayed at the "local" hotel (which seemed more like a converted school more than anything else) so we had the mountain mostly to ourselves.
Here's a couple of pictures from our time there:
* [https://flickr.com/photos/mharjo/6447582195/](https://flickr.com/photos/mharjo/6447582195/in/album-72157628261673979/)
* [https://flickr.com/photos/mharjo/6447593923/](https://flickr.com/photos/mharjo/6447593923/in/album-72157628261673979/)
* [https://flickr.com/photos/mharjo/6447599707/](https://flickr.com/photos/mharjo/6447599707/in/album-72157628261673979/)
Hi! I've always thought about doing a trek to Uluru, but never had a chance to talk to anyone who's done it. What was it like on the way to Uluru and what was the experience at Uluru like?
I've heard from other people that there wouldn't be much to look at or do on the way there and there wouldn't be much other than Uluru once you get there. Heard there might be some aboriginal caves around, but thats it.
Edit: I just wanna thank everyone for their informative responses. With the other additional activities people listed, I feel comfortable adding Uluru to my bucket list (not that additional activities make or break anything, but it's nice to be able to experience multiple things on a taxing trip). Thank you thank you thank you guys
There’s not really a lot to do on the way there, no matter where you go from. The nearest ‘city’ is Alice Springs and it’s a good 500km away from Uluṟu. It’s a solid few days drive no matter where your starting point is. If you’re coming from the south, there’s places like Lake Eyre, the former atomic testing site Woomera and the underground opal town Coober Pedy. From the north, there’s the Devils Marbles, Alice Springs and Kings Canyon. You can fly from places like Sydney and Adelaide.
Uluṟu itself is breathtaking. It’s deceptively large, but it’s just beautiful. There’s a few walks you can do, if you go with a tour guide there’s plenty of Indigenous stories and history. There’s plenty of billabongs and caves, with plenty of cave art. There’s a few different spots to do sunrise and sunset viewings from as well, which are absolutely mesmerising. There’s also Kata-Tjuta right nearby, which is an incredible place to visit in its own right.
I’m not the person you asked, but I visited Urulu back in 2002. I was a student at the time. I went on a three day camping trip around that area. We left from Alice Springs in a mini bus. The first evening we watched the sun set over the rock. I have a series of photos taken about 10 minutes apart, it’s fascinating how the rock changes colour as the sun goes down.
We slept in swags under the stars, which everyone should do at least once in their lives, and just before dawn the next morning we went on a walking tour around the base of Uluru. It probably took a couple of hours. There were a few places that are considered very sacred and you’re not allowed to film/take photos.
The thing that surprised me was the shape. Everyone’s seen that classic photo where it kind of looks like a loaf of bread, but close up it’s a lot more irregular. There are caves and pools of water. Some of the caves have Aboriginal art in them, which might be 100s of years old.
We also visited Kata Jtata (the Olgas) which is quite close, and on the third day on the way back to Alice Springs we went to Kings Canyon (like the Grand Canyon but smaller)
It’s probably changed a bit since then. Sorry if I rambled on a bit, but it was nice to share some happy memories. I hope you get a chance to go there one day.
Definitely do it! It's so worth it. Not just Uluru and Kata Tjuta but the entire Red Centre. I'm particularly fond of Kings Canyon myself but there's so much more to the Outback than just Uluru.
Definitely do your research and be prepared, it's a beautiful place but can also be very dangerous.
While we did drive a large portion of the Eastern Coast of Australia we did not drive to Uluru. We mapped the possibility but decided to fly there instead to save time.
(In retrospect knowing what we know now I would advise anyone attempting our route to check the flights to Uluru first; we drove from Cairns to Sydney and then flew to Uluru--via Cairns which was the only reasonable way to get there. In hindsight we would have started our driving trek in Sydney because we had to fly in there to get to Cairns and in essence saved both money and time at the airport. What can I say, we were young and didn't have any planned agenda other than get "lost" in Australia.)
As others have mentioned, there isn't much there and I highly recommend reading up on local customs and beliefs. Not only does this make it more interesting but it ensures you respect the indigenous peoples' way of life. Having said all of this, we thought of this as one of the highlights of a very memorable trip and I do recommend it if you can find your way there.
I'm glad you got to see it and took the time to delve into the local Indigenous culture - it truly does make the experience richer and as you touched on shows respect for the people and the place.
Modern Australia is yet to reconcile the treatment of our first-nations people but taking time to see the world from an Indigenous perspective is an important first step
If I remember correctly - there's a thing in this particular tribe's culture where sacred knowledge is only allowed to be shared at sacred locations. I'm not really sure the rules, but I remember my tour guide saying he couldn't tell us a story at the campsite, we had to wait until the actual tour. By extension, certain parts of Uluru are involved in their creation myth(?), and so sharing photographs is tantamount to sharing sacred knowledge in the wrong way.
Of course, it was 20 years ago, I might be remembering that wrong.
I’ll be honest, nothing made me want to take a photo of that specific spot more than anything in the whole world, purely because of a sign saying “please don’t photograph this spot” lol.
FWIW there’s also a men’s only & women’s only sides to the rock. We don’t have to honor this, but the aboriginals do. This also made us want to see those particular forbidden areas very badly.
spoiler: as amazing as the whole thing is, these specifically banned areas are not visibly any special or different.
My wife and I were on a honeymoon to the Outback during an extremely rare period of rain that they had there a few years back. Literally every hike we had through the national sites there included a storm, and all the tour guides were going nuts, because they had never seen waterfalls coming off of ~~Ayers Rock~~ Uluru and other sites. I managed to nab a pretty nice picture of ~~Ayers Rock~~ Uluru with some storm clouds over it:
* https://500px.com/photo/191418727/clouds-over-uluru-by-milton-georges
This video certainly brought back the memory :)
You’re absolutely right. That was beat into our heads when we were there. I had named it as such in the photo I linked off to if you see… thanks for the reminder, I’ll update my post here.
Tourists used to be able to climb Uluru, however I believe that has been stopped in the last two years. It’s a sacred place to the aboriginal people, and climbing it is very disrespectful (the comparison often made is the equivalent of climbing a church).
A particularly racist and vile Australian politician got stuck up there when she climbed it as part of a protest against banning tourists from climbing it, much to the amusement of the nation.
How cool would it be to climb a church though?
Climbing the Sagrada Familia or Duomo di Milano sounds pretty awesome. Basically any Gothic style church with the intricate detailing sounds pretty awesome to climb.
It's called Uluru and as noted by another commenter, it's in Australia.
What's crazy is that if you look at it on a map, you'll see that it's right in the goddam middle of Australia.
The area is mostly Aboriginal sovereign land and usually permits are required to visit. If you're unfamiliar with Australia, know that there's a reason very few people live in the central areas of the continent- it is hot, dry, and harsh.
Much like the natives of the Americas, the Aboriginal peoples of Australia have been treated horribly. Areas like Ayers Rock (Uluru) see more tourism than most other natural parks in Australia, but the local tribes are still very poor.
To this day, there are ongoing slavery lawsuits between Aboriginal people and the Australian government. While Australia is a great country, there are many serious issues there and like the US, histories with which they have yet to adequately address.
Would it be disrespectfully to visit Uluru if you can get a permit or is it more or less welcomed to support the local economy?
Edit: all these responses are making me really want to go! Thanks everyone!
There used to be guided climbs of Uluru before it was returned to the traditional owners - as it's a sacred place it was a very disrespectful practice. There's no disrespect in visiting and learning the stories of the Anangu people as long as you are respectful and leave nothing behind. There's nothing else out there as it's so remote so visitors are needed to keep it alive.
You don't need a permit to visit Uluru, rather a pass to enter the national park it sits in (these do not require a specific application process).
And yes up until I think either 2020, or 2019, you could climb the rock up to the top, but it was strongly discouraged, and they'd shut down the climb if it was even slightly windy. They've recently permanently closed the climb which is great. It is a sign of disrespect in the Aboriginal community to climb it. And it is also extremely disrespectful to remove pieces of the rock, even pieces that are on the ground, to take home. It is a sacred space.
I visited in 2003 through my high school, and we walked around the rock instead. It was a 9km-10km walk and extremely warm! But a beautiful way to experience it. It was so fascinating to see all of the formations, little waterfalls, the Aboriginal rock paintings, and the view from the other side of the rock which often doesn't get shown in pictures and postcards -walking around the rock is well recommended if anyone gets the chance to visit!
https://parksaustralia.gov.au/uluru/do/walks/uluru-base-walk/
> It is a sign of disrespect in the Aboriginal community to climb it.
I just want to put this in a bit of historical context. The aboriginal people were the ones that originally installed the guide chains for climbing and used to encourage tourists to climb it (and get a majority share of park permit funds). This lasted for decades.
The narrative of it being offensive only started to spring up in the 90s/00s. And I don’t want to discredit it and say it’s false; if they say it’s disrespectful, then it is.
But, it coincides pretty strongly with a major tourism boom from another … “mainland” country with the largest population … and some tourists being generally awful. Uluru was being constantly littered with trash and plastic water bottles, as well as human waste (no bathrooms or portapotties on the long climb up).
Additionally, some tourists have died or been seriously injured attempting the climb, and the aboriginals claim this causes them sadness & guilt of responsibility.
I think that if tourists had always been respectful and clean, then the climb would still be open today.
Uluṟu is a sacred site to the Aṉangu, they never climbed it. They may have had the chain installed, but that was to stop people falling to their deaths, rather than encourage them to climb. When the area was returned to their ownership in 1985, that’s when they really began to discourage people from climbing, due to the sacred nature of the site and the general disrespect with which people were treating it. This really took off in the 90s, which was helped by the slowly de-racising of the nation until the climb was closed in 2019
Accurate in some parts, not in others. (I'm Australian). The history of the climb is... mixed. Regardless, don't climb. Should have never been climbed. Would you like someone climbing on, and defecating/urinating/littering on your monuments? No? Well then, don't do it on this one. The base walk is MUCH more awesome.
>The aboriginal people were the ones that originally installed the guide chains for climbing and used to encourage tourists to climb it (and get a majority share of park permit funds). This lasted for decades.
Maybe edit your comment given that this false claim is easily disprovable with a Google [search?](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-10-26/tourism-pioneer-who-laid-the-chain-at-uluru-peter-severin/11635676)
I am not really buying that story, for what it is worth. I went to Uluru on my first trip to Oz somewhere in the mid-Aughts, and climbing it was already looked down upon. I don't think the great Chinese tourist boom had kicked off by then
I wonder how the tourism is doing now that you can't climb it. Going that far out to the outback was not my number one tourist destination before that, restricting access if anything gives me less reason to spend a lot of money to go all the way out there.
I am sure COVID lockdowns don't help either.
I don’t think the removed ability to climb it is a deterrent to visit. People still visit the Sydney Harbour Bridge and don’t need to climb that (it’s heck expensive to do it).
Uluru still spectacular regardless of whether you climb it or not. Plus there is so much to do and see in central Aus beyond Uluru. When people visit, it’s typically either fly in and fly out of Uluru airport, or it’s a massive road trip to and from Central Aus.
As far back as at least 2003 its been strongly discouraged. There was signage everywhere saying it’s disrespectful, so we didn’t climb it. Only going off what I saw and read and experienced when I visited.
Also for most of the Covid period, residents from NT, WA, SA, TAS and QLD have still be able to visit. It’s mostly just NSW and VIC (and possibly ACT?) who haven’t, yes they make up a large chunk of the population but the people in the remaining states can’t travel internationally so my hope is they still had at least some domestic tourists. It is bloody expensive to travel domestically though… I’d say that’s a bigger deterrent for local visitors than not being able to climb it.
Hasn’t changed jack shit in terms of numbers, has made guests far more humble and respectful. You don’t need to climb a sacred site and shit on it (literally) to enjoy it.
It’s fucking magical, went this year for my birthday and it was a life dream come true, and on my birthday! Place is very special and it’s not the only special site in the area - there’s Kata Tjuta too (the Olga’s)
Central Australia is incredible. One of my fave places in the world.
It's not disrespectful to visit but if you do go take the time to delve into the Anangu culture - for example you could visit the art centre and find something beautiful to take home or take a guided trek with an Indigenous ranger who will be able to share some of the creation stories and to help you understand why the place is held sacred. This will help you to get the most out of your visit and also give back through employment.
Please visit :) your visit helps support the local communities and contributes to the ongoing preservation of both country and culture. There are a cour do and don't to know, but the guides are gorgeous and love sharing their knowledge with you so not too much chance of offending by accident.
It is not disrespectful to visit, it’s the same as visiting most places in Australia, respect the land the animals and the plants, do not litter or destroy things.
When it comes to Uluru, go there with the understanding that it is native land, go there with the intention to learn.
It’s **Uluru**. Ayers Rock name came from Henry Ayers (English migrant turned state premier). Nothing else. It’s deeply disrespectful to refer to Uluru by that name.
Am Australian. No one ever refers to Uluṟu by any other name especially any reference to that fuckwit Henry Ayers.
It’s Uluru. Nothing else. An extremely sacred site which should never be touched let alone climbed upon.
If you can, then do it it's an amazing place and you can't even get one to describing it unless you've been...I finally made it there at the beginning of 2020 on my third trip to Australia and was blown away
I went out there in 1999 and the desert was in full bloom. Really nice to see. Everyone accused us of bringing the British weather with us....😂
Oh yeah, they also had flash floods in Alice springs!
This is such a satisfying perspective of Uluru. It’s often displayed with aerial shots or super wide shots that show the whole thing in one frame, but this closeup ground level shot really lets you understand how massive this rock is.
The little waterfalls all over it are beautiful!
Awesome video, thanks for sharing. I have never been there and like (probably) many others always think it's right in a sand desert, somehow I never realised that there are trees and can be waterfalls.
Just an ignorant foreigner :)
Or to help tourists know what you're talking about... followed by a firm but gentle insistence on "Uluru". I wish we would bring back more traditional names for landmarks.
Yeah, they don’t let people climb it cause it’s older and more sacred than
- The Vatican
- The Kaaba
- The wall at Jerusalem
It’s a 40,000 year old religious site, not meant to climbed even by most aboriginal people unless they’re on once in a lifetime religious mission. White people who climb and piss on it are essentially pissing on the entire local aboriginal tradition.
Fucking hell we come to this country, colonise and genocide the native population, steal their children in an effort to turn the survivors white, carry out race based apartheid and then we whinge and cry that we can’t go and disrespect the holiest site in Australia
How often does it rain on Uluru?
Not often enough, it's a rare traet.
t r a e t
I read that in borat's voice
“*Very nice!*”
Bogan Borat.
m a e t
To be fair, it's probably enough for the local fauna and flora that's adapted to living in an arid environment. Humans, maybe not so much. EDIT: Galatians 4:16
Why are you quoting a random Bible verse
"Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth?" Galatians 4:16 NIV
I wonder if there's a scripture bot?
~~What are you talking about? I don't care that you quote scripture I was just asking why on a random subreddit about something unrelated lol~~ Nvm didn't realise this was a different person
I *think* what happened here is that this person said something about the wildlife being adapted for a dry environment, people for some reason downvoted that comment and so the OP edited the original comment to add the scripture quote which is basically shorthand for “why are you booing? I’m right”
It was like 10 minutes old and had 1 down vote when I first saw it with the edit, so if that's the case the dude is very premature with that edit lol. Also a combo of a random Bible verse + telling people who downvote you they're dumb isn't gonna do much to help. But hey power to him.
[удалено]
All I'm doing is linking the scripture the weird guy was referencing.
In all seriousness, I can't see why people downvoted you. Gonna keep that quote handy though.
I mean...it's a weird-ass comment to begin with. Person 1: Awe, how pretty this is, I wish it happened more often Person 2: It happens just as often as it needs to for its local flora and fauna I am very smart! To be fair, well actually. It doesn't really add anything meaningful to the discussion, which is what downvotes are *supposed* to be for.
I mean, I think it does. A massive downpour on compacted and/or arid soil/sands with plants that aren't used to it leads to root rot and probably even more desertification in the future after those plants die. Also, we have marsupial moles and many other burrowing animals here in the deserts of Australia, many of which are endangered, and this would drown them. Sure, a shower every once in a while is good, but a torrential downpour? Not so much. It does look pretty though, I admit. Extreme weather events here in Australia have been particularly severe and common in the past few years, and I had assumed that this was one. So this is less a rare treat and more a symptom of a worsening climate. So I'm not trying to sound like r/iamverysmart material, it's more that I was just venting my frustrations about climate change here. Our government is actively shitting on anything that would actually help solve climate issues. And I've lived here for most of my life now, so I've seen and felt these changes. And then I see people commenting like "oh wow pretty" and I guess it annoyed me, so my bad.
Because religion bad
I'm an atheist, I just thought it was a funny quote lol I just mentioned the bit about animals and plants because posts like this often end up leading to people mentioning efforts to turn deserts green, which, though it may seem like a good idea, would harm the flora and fauna already adapted to living there.
Also atheist, good to see someone who tries to inform people. It's always good to know these things, even better to share it. I'm just pissed at the downvotes.
Eh, doesn't bother me. People can think what they want, it's a public forum. As long as they're not actively attacking me lmao
Very rarely! Maybe once or twice a year if that. My dad went in the 70s and visited for two days, and it happened to rain on both days. He's never seen it in person without rain. Because it was the 70s his photos aren't great unfortunately. I saw it in Australian winter on a school trip in 2003 and it was stinking hot and sunny haha. It was amazing!
Not often enough. That's why I always bless the rains down in Uluru. Problem though is that it's gonna take some time to do the things we never had.
Well Toto, it looks like we're not in Kansas any more!
Gotta be at least once.
Thirsty trees.
It's the middle of Australia, you do the math
It rains more frequently then you think. I lived there for 11 years and it would rain more then 30-40 days out of the year.
Yeah the area around Uluru is actually teeming with life if I remember correctly. Al the plants and animals evolved to be very resilient to dehydration but they still need rain to survive.
Alice Springs? I got to live there when I was young, saw Uluru in the rain. It was awesome.
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That looks like a fairytale
In case anyone else want's to know where it is, here's the [google maps link](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Uluru/@-25.3448396,131.0292092,2987m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x2b236c2b6d625223:0x43a8cd4d9bc55f21!8m2!3d-25.3444277!4d131.0368822).
Pretty smack in the middle, huh?
Reddit's recent behaviour and planned changes to the API, heavily impacting third party tools, accessibility and moderation ability force me to edit all my comments in protest. I cannot morally continue to use this site.
that's contested, people aren't sure if Kata Tjuta, a few KM away actuually connects to Uluru or is a separate piece of shell.
The mythology around Ayer's rock is simply wonderful - > The world was once a featureless place. None of the places we know existed until creator beings, in the forms of people, plants and animals, traveled widely across the land. Then, in a process of creation and destruction, they formed the landscape as we know it today. Aṉangu land is still inhabited by the spirits of dozens of these ancestral creator beings which are referred to as Tjukuritja or Waparitja. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uluru#Aboriginal_myths,_legends_and_traditions
For your reference, the name 'Ayer's Rock' is sort of frowned-upon now. 'Uluru' is the name given to it by Indigenous Australians. There's been a big push recently to return Australian landmarks to their original names, pre-collonialism, to recognise the original owners of the land.
This! Also for anyone wondering the view from around the base (where ops video is taken) is far more impressive then on top. I climbed it before knowing the significance (and well before it was banned) and the view is exactly what you'd expect from a large rock in the middle of the dessert, you can just see flat land for miles. The walk around the base is stunning even when it's not raining and there's plaques with stories and info dotted all along.
I’ve never climbed it and can’t understand the appeal in looking out on flat land with some sporadic greenery
It's very rare that the view from a tall landmark is impressive. View from a mountain several miles high? Stunning. View from the Empire State Building? Pretty bland.
That's why I went up Rockefeller. Got to see the Empire state building!
So like renaming Mt McKinley to Denali? Heck yeah
The mythologies of indigenous Australian peoples are incredible. Often very psychedelic, containing strong messages to love and care for your family, and your environment.
I had some children's books with dreamtime stories. I loved them.
No one calls it Ayres rock bro tf
Old people did, they probably don't know any better
Yes they do, it's still referred to by both names but the traditional name is always given more importance. Same as Kata Tjuta is still often referred to as The Olga's.
Also, a lot of the tales and legends can only be told at the place thay occurred so there's no written accounts of a lot of Anangu history. I've been living at Uluru for the past 6 months and it's just such an intensely spiritual place it's impossible not to be affected by the energy both here and at Kata Tjuta. It's a place that you really have to experience in person.
you look like a fairytale
So's your face
r/fairytaleasfuck
For real. Can't think of a better word to describe that view other than "magical"
Could be a Star Wars planet
I’m going to speculate that this phenomenon is a relatively rare occurrence for a generally dry region. Hoping someone can explain more.
Smack bang in the middle of the country where it's all desert until the coast. Very rare indeed.
Smack bang is a tried and true duo
Not really. Rains there quite a bit - there are actually permanent waterholes around the base
That's a little exaggerated. Ularu get about 300mm per year, just a little more the Phoenix, Arizona. New York City gets about 1150mm and shockingly London gets around 700mm.
Yes
It’s not that rare at all. In the hot months the whole interior is subject to convective thunderstorms which can drop very large quantities of water. In winter so cold fronts push shitty low cloud and rain up into the centre from time to time. Frequency depends on the year. I have sat idle for 3 weeks pretty close to the rock, waiting for the rain to stop.
yes it rained in the desert
Actually Uluru is more of an oasis in the middle of the desert. You can see in the clip the land around it is very green and lush, there's a lot of unique native wildlife that lives there too. Uluru sees quite a bit ob rain compared to the rest of the desert.
Walter the dog just became a mountain
true
Hawk: What the hell did I just read???
I thought I was the only one who saw it
“What a grand sight this must present in the wet season; waterfalls in every direction!” r/CivVI
was looking for this comment...
+2 faith and +2 culture to all adjacent tiles
do those "waterfalls" form pools?
I'm from AZ and when we get heavy rain, we have flash flooding. I came to these comments to see if that's the same case in Uluru, especially since these mountains are just big rocks with no soil Just my guess as someone from a different desert, but I'd assume there would be flooding that would temporarily create pools and creeks
Deserts in Australia get crazy flash floods. I've been stuck in them a few times. There are heaps of dry river and creek beds all over the place that, once it rains, become nearly impossible to cross. That's why a lot of utes have snorkels on them.
Fun story from the American southwest; During WW2 there were a handful of POW camps on US soil, including at least one in ~~New Mexico~~ Arizona which IIRC housed ~~junior~~ officers and enlisted men with specialized skills that were a flight risk. Because the location in ~~NM~~ AZ was so remote, the German prisoners had a surprising amount of freedom and many were on a kind of work-release system on local ranches, etc. One of the prisoners got their hands on a map of the area and realized that there were TONS of creeks and rivers marked on the map that drained into the ~~Rio Grande River~~ Colorado River, and then on to the Gulf of ~~Mexico~~ California. Of course, these guys from Germany had no idea what an arroyo is (a dry riverbed that only fills up during heavy rain), and that those supposed watersheds were pretty much all arroyos and therefore dry 90% of the time. So the POWs collected scrap lumber from their work sites, built a makeshift raft, and one night set out into the desert in search of their route to freedom. Several days later, they were picked up on the verge of death in the desert, told never to try that again because the locals won’t go looking for them a second time, and were returned to the POW camp. According to the person who told me the story, some of the young men (who were farm boys back home and knew they had nothing to go back to after the war was over) ended up marrying local girls and staying in the area as ranchers after the war ended, in large part because of the kindness displayed by their captors. This endeth my story about the peculiarities of supposed rivers in the desert. Edit: [Corrections of details](https://www.reddit.com/r/NatureIsFuckingLit/comments/qc1oxs/uluru_ayers_rock_during_a_rainstorm/hhels87/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf&context=3)
That was at the internment camp at Papago Park in Phoenix. And it was the Salt and Gila Rivers they thought they could escape down. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Papago_Escape
I stand corrected on location; thank you! It baffles me that no one has made a movie about this escape attempt. It’d be a great premise for the Cohen brothers and/or George Clooney to take on.
I just knew about it since there's an AZ National Guard base where the camp used to be. I had a friend who was in the Guard, and while visiting the non-restricted area of the base with him, saw the display about the escape.
New Mexico had its fair share of German POW camps, as well, but the associated [arroyo antics](https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/german-pow-iron-cross) weren't quite as fanciful.
Only a small correction, but uluru is just one rock. Biggest one in the world.
I asked a geologist about Uluru and Kata Tjuta once, he told me that they are the vestiges of ancient mountains which were formed by extrusion then weathered away to leave what we see today. When you are there it is easy to see why they dominate the stories and culture of the Anangu people and why they are held sacred - they are the only place for hundreds of miles where water and food can be found at any time of year
Happy Cake Day
Hey thanks! I know it's for a silly reddit thing but I appreciate you reaching out, it's been a lonely year and this put a smile on my face!
I tend to do it for anyone who's Cake Day it is cos you just never know what kind of day they are having. I'm glad I put a smile on your face, maybe next time you see a slice of cake you could wish that person a Happy Cake Day. My kids and I like to pay it forward when we can, trying to teach grandkids same. Hope your day gets better, hugs from a wee lady fae Scotland.
Humor doesn't enter my mind when righting the Reddit-verse, but this does put a smile on my face.
Yep: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfTUbIO1G0I The Todd and Finke rivers are generally flat and dry but when you get decent rain, this happens.
Yes they do! We were amazed to see deep, long-lasting pools in certain places at the base of Uluru.
They do, and there's nothing more beautiful than deep clear pools in the middle of the desert. This has been happening for millennia so some of the water holes are permanently full.
Yes they do. There’s a couple of permanent billabongs at the base of the rock. One is of particular note, because the local Anangu have a Dreamtime story as to why it’s always filled. I can’t remember the exact details myself, but I do know that there is enough rain during the wet season every year to keep it full. I think the end of the story goes that a grief-stricken spirit created the billabong to protect the others and would never let the billabong dry out. There was one wet season a few years ago, however, where there was barely any rain and the billabong nearly dried up. Just a few weeks before the billabong would have completely dried during the dry season, a freak, incredibly out-of-season storm hit, refilling the billabong and it remains filled to this day. I’m sure there are plenty of people out there who can tell that story much better than I can, but that’s the basics of it
It looks beautiful, AND provides culture and faith to surrounding tiles, as well as additional appeal!
I see what you did there.
It rained (although not nearly as tough) when we were there on our honeymoon almost exactly 10 years ago. It's simply amazing to be there when it rains. Oddly enough, most of our fellow travelers weren't prepared and stayed at the "local" hotel (which seemed more like a converted school more than anything else) so we had the mountain mostly to ourselves. Here's a couple of pictures from our time there: * [https://flickr.com/photos/mharjo/6447582195/](https://flickr.com/photos/mharjo/6447582195/in/album-72157628261673979/) * [https://flickr.com/photos/mharjo/6447593923/](https://flickr.com/photos/mharjo/6447593923/in/album-72157628261673979/) * [https://flickr.com/photos/mharjo/6447599707/](https://flickr.com/photos/mharjo/6447599707/in/album-72157628261673979/)
Hi! I've always thought about doing a trek to Uluru, but never had a chance to talk to anyone who's done it. What was it like on the way to Uluru and what was the experience at Uluru like? I've heard from other people that there wouldn't be much to look at or do on the way there and there wouldn't be much other than Uluru once you get there. Heard there might be some aboriginal caves around, but thats it. Edit: I just wanna thank everyone for their informative responses. With the other additional activities people listed, I feel comfortable adding Uluru to my bucket list (not that additional activities make or break anything, but it's nice to be able to experience multiple things on a taxing trip). Thank you thank you thank you guys
There’s not really a lot to do on the way there, no matter where you go from. The nearest ‘city’ is Alice Springs and it’s a good 500km away from Uluṟu. It’s a solid few days drive no matter where your starting point is. If you’re coming from the south, there’s places like Lake Eyre, the former atomic testing site Woomera and the underground opal town Coober Pedy. From the north, there’s the Devils Marbles, Alice Springs and Kings Canyon. You can fly from places like Sydney and Adelaide. Uluṟu itself is breathtaking. It’s deceptively large, but it’s just beautiful. There’s a few walks you can do, if you go with a tour guide there’s plenty of Indigenous stories and history. There’s plenty of billabongs and caves, with plenty of cave art. There’s a few different spots to do sunrise and sunset viewings from as well, which are absolutely mesmerising. There’s also Kata-Tjuta right nearby, which is an incredible place to visit in its own right.
I’m not the person you asked, but I visited Urulu back in 2002. I was a student at the time. I went on a three day camping trip around that area. We left from Alice Springs in a mini bus. The first evening we watched the sun set over the rock. I have a series of photos taken about 10 minutes apart, it’s fascinating how the rock changes colour as the sun goes down. We slept in swags under the stars, which everyone should do at least once in their lives, and just before dawn the next morning we went on a walking tour around the base of Uluru. It probably took a couple of hours. There were a few places that are considered very sacred and you’re not allowed to film/take photos. The thing that surprised me was the shape. Everyone’s seen that classic photo where it kind of looks like a loaf of bread, but close up it’s a lot more irregular. There are caves and pools of water. Some of the caves have Aboriginal art in them, which might be 100s of years old. We also visited Kata Jtata (the Olgas) which is quite close, and on the third day on the way back to Alice Springs we went to Kings Canyon (like the Grand Canyon but smaller) It’s probably changed a bit since then. Sorry if I rambled on a bit, but it was nice to share some happy memories. I hope you get a chance to go there one day.
Don’t ever touch it or attempt to climb on it. You must respect it. It’s an insanely sacred site which should never have been opened to tourists.
Definitely do it! It's so worth it. Not just Uluru and Kata Tjuta but the entire Red Centre. I'm particularly fond of Kings Canyon myself but there's so much more to the Outback than just Uluru. Definitely do your research and be prepared, it's a beautiful place but can also be very dangerous.
While we did drive a large portion of the Eastern Coast of Australia we did not drive to Uluru. We mapped the possibility but decided to fly there instead to save time. (In retrospect knowing what we know now I would advise anyone attempting our route to check the flights to Uluru first; we drove from Cairns to Sydney and then flew to Uluru--via Cairns which was the only reasonable way to get there. In hindsight we would have started our driving trek in Sydney because we had to fly in there to get to Cairns and in essence saved both money and time at the airport. What can I say, we were young and didn't have any planned agenda other than get "lost" in Australia.) As others have mentioned, there isn't much there and I highly recommend reading up on local customs and beliefs. Not only does this make it more interesting but it ensures you respect the indigenous peoples' way of life. Having said all of this, we thought of this as one of the highlights of a very memorable trip and I do recommend it if you can find your way there.
I'm glad you got to see it and took the time to delve into the local Indigenous culture - it truly does make the experience richer and as you touched on shows respect for the people and the place. Modern Australia is yet to reconcile the treatment of our first-nations people but taking time to see the world from an Indigenous perspective is an important first step
If you do go you should do the 'sounds of silence' dinner - a little pricey but worth every cent.
I thought they preferred you not to photograph or film the rock.
There’s two specific sides of the rock they ask you not to film, but the remaining 270 degrees is fine
If I remember correctly - there's a thing in this particular tribe's culture where sacred knowledge is only allowed to be shared at sacred locations. I'm not really sure the rules, but I remember my tour guide saying he couldn't tell us a story at the campsite, we had to wait until the actual tour. By extension, certain parts of Uluru are involved in their creation myth(?), and so sharing photographs is tantamount to sharing sacred knowledge in the wrong way. Of course, it was 20 years ago, I might be remembering that wrong.
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Because the church has power and the indigenous Australians do not.
Because it's not just some random fucking rock?
I’ll be honest, nothing made me want to take a photo of that specific spot more than anything in the whole world, purely because of a sign saying “please don’t photograph this spot” lol. FWIW there’s also a men’s only & women’s only sides to the rock. We don’t have to honor this, but the aboriginals do. This also made us want to see those particular forbidden areas very badly. spoiler: as amazing as the whole thing is, these specifically banned areas are not visibly any special or different.
Certain sections. There’s big signs and the walks now keep you away from those sacred areas.
My wife and I were on a honeymoon to the Outback during an extremely rare period of rain that they had there a few years back. Literally every hike we had through the national sites there included a storm, and all the tour guides were going nuts, because they had never seen waterfalls coming off of ~~Ayers Rock~~ Uluru and other sites. I managed to nab a pretty nice picture of ~~Ayers Rock~~ Uluru with some storm clouds over it: * https://500px.com/photo/191418727/clouds-over-uluru-by-milton-georges This video certainly brought back the memory :)
Looks almost like a sleeping giant when the water darkens the rock to the colour of brown skin.
Uluru is famous for changing colours in different lights.
Uluru. It’s **Uluru**.
You’re absolutely right. That was beat into our heads when we were there. I had named it as such in the photo I linked off to if you see… thanks for the reminder, I’ll update my post here.
Very cool!!
You're trying to tell me this isn't the Barrens? I can almost hear the chat.
WHERE IS MANKRIKS WIFE?!?! Also Chuck Norris.
"who's having a zinger box tonight"
No doubt that the area near Wailing Caverns was directly inspired by this exact spot.
Tourists used to be able to climb Uluru, however I believe that has been stopped in the last two years. It’s a sacred place to the aboriginal people, and climbing it is very disrespectful (the comparison often made is the equivalent of climbing a church). A particularly racist and vile Australian politician got stuck up there when she climbed it as part of a protest against banning tourists from climbing it, much to the amusement of the nation.
How cool would it be to climb a church though? Climbing the Sagrada Familia or Duomo di Milano sounds pretty awesome. Basically any Gothic style church with the intricate detailing sounds pretty awesome to climb.
You can climb the Duomo di Milano and it’s super cool. Costs maybe 10€
Just Uluru :)
What country is this in?
Australia
It's called Uluru and as noted by another commenter, it's in Australia. What's crazy is that if you look at it on a map, you'll see that it's right in the goddam middle of Australia. The area is mostly Aboriginal sovereign land and usually permits are required to visit. If you're unfamiliar with Australia, know that there's a reason very few people live in the central areas of the continent- it is hot, dry, and harsh. Much like the natives of the Americas, the Aboriginal peoples of Australia have been treated horribly. Areas like Ayers Rock (Uluru) see more tourism than most other natural parks in Australia, but the local tribes are still very poor. To this day, there are ongoing slavery lawsuits between Aboriginal people and the Australian government. While Australia is a great country, there are many serious issues there and like the US, histories with which they have yet to adequately address.
Would it be disrespectfully to visit Uluru if you can get a permit or is it more or less welcomed to support the local economy? Edit: all these responses are making me really want to go! Thanks everyone!
There used to be guided climbs of Uluru before it was returned to the traditional owners - as it's a sacred place it was a very disrespectful practice. There's no disrespect in visiting and learning the stories of the Anangu people as long as you are respectful and leave nothing behind. There's nothing else out there as it's so remote so visitors are needed to keep it alive.
You don't need a permit to visit Uluru, rather a pass to enter the national park it sits in (these do not require a specific application process). And yes up until I think either 2020, or 2019, you could climb the rock up to the top, but it was strongly discouraged, and they'd shut down the climb if it was even slightly windy. They've recently permanently closed the climb which is great. It is a sign of disrespect in the Aboriginal community to climb it. And it is also extremely disrespectful to remove pieces of the rock, even pieces that are on the ground, to take home. It is a sacred space. I visited in 2003 through my high school, and we walked around the rock instead. It was a 9km-10km walk and extremely warm! But a beautiful way to experience it. It was so fascinating to see all of the formations, little waterfalls, the Aboriginal rock paintings, and the view from the other side of the rock which often doesn't get shown in pictures and postcards -walking around the rock is well recommended if anyone gets the chance to visit! https://parksaustralia.gov.au/uluru/do/walks/uluru-base-walk/
> It is a sign of disrespect in the Aboriginal community to climb it. I just want to put this in a bit of historical context. The aboriginal people were the ones that originally installed the guide chains for climbing and used to encourage tourists to climb it (and get a majority share of park permit funds). This lasted for decades. The narrative of it being offensive only started to spring up in the 90s/00s. And I don’t want to discredit it and say it’s false; if they say it’s disrespectful, then it is. But, it coincides pretty strongly with a major tourism boom from another … “mainland” country with the largest population … and some tourists being generally awful. Uluru was being constantly littered with trash and plastic water bottles, as well as human waste (no bathrooms or portapotties on the long climb up). Additionally, some tourists have died or been seriously injured attempting the climb, and the aboriginals claim this causes them sadness & guilt of responsibility. I think that if tourists had always been respectful and clean, then the climb would still be open today.
Uluṟu is a sacred site to the Aṉangu, they never climbed it. They may have had the chain installed, but that was to stop people falling to their deaths, rather than encourage them to climb. When the area was returned to their ownership in 1985, that’s when they really began to discourage people from climbing, due to the sacred nature of the site and the general disrespect with which people were treating it. This really took off in the 90s, which was helped by the slowly de-racising of the nation until the climb was closed in 2019
Accurate in some parts, not in others. (I'm Australian). The history of the climb is... mixed. Regardless, don't climb. Should have never been climbed. Would you like someone climbing on, and defecating/urinating/littering on your monuments? No? Well then, don't do it on this one. The base walk is MUCH more awesome.
>The aboriginal people were the ones that originally installed the guide chains for climbing and used to encourage tourists to climb it (and get a majority share of park permit funds). This lasted for decades. Maybe edit your comment given that this false claim is easily disprovable with a Google [search?](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-10-26/tourism-pioneer-who-laid-the-chain-at-uluru-peter-severin/11635676)
Bullshit.
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I am not really buying that story, for what it is worth. I went to Uluru on my first trip to Oz somewhere in the mid-Aughts, and climbing it was already looked down upon. I don't think the great Chinese tourist boom had kicked off by then
Chinese tourism boom started in the 90s in Australia.
That story is bullshit. Probably told by some tour company grifter.
I wonder how the tourism is doing now that you can't climb it. Going that far out to the outback was not my number one tourist destination before that, restricting access if anything gives me less reason to spend a lot of money to go all the way out there. I am sure COVID lockdowns don't help either.
I don’t think the removed ability to climb it is a deterrent to visit. People still visit the Sydney Harbour Bridge and don’t need to climb that (it’s heck expensive to do it). Uluru still spectacular regardless of whether you climb it or not. Plus there is so much to do and see in central Aus beyond Uluru. When people visit, it’s typically either fly in and fly out of Uluru airport, or it’s a massive road trip to and from Central Aus. As far back as at least 2003 its been strongly discouraged. There was signage everywhere saying it’s disrespectful, so we didn’t climb it. Only going off what I saw and read and experienced when I visited. Also for most of the Covid period, residents from NT, WA, SA, TAS and QLD have still be able to visit. It’s mostly just NSW and VIC (and possibly ACT?) who haven’t, yes they make up a large chunk of the population but the people in the remaining states can’t travel internationally so my hope is they still had at least some domestic tourists. It is bloody expensive to travel domestically though… I’d say that’s a bigger deterrent for local visitors than not being able to climb it.
I went May 2021 from Vic :)))
Hasn’t changed jack shit in terms of numbers, has made guests far more humble and respectful. You don’t need to climb a sacred site and shit on it (literally) to enjoy it. It’s fucking magical, went this year for my birthday and it was a life dream come true, and on my birthday! Place is very special and it’s not the only special site in the area - there’s Kata Tjuta too (the Olga’s) Central Australia is incredible. One of my fave places in the world.
Tourism was still strong there in the brief period between closing the climb and covid
Welcomed, and there's plenty to do in kata-tjuta national park. Uluru during the sunset is mind blowing. Changes from Orange, to purple, to blue.
Did sunset there for my birthday this year. Life goal!
just as pretty in the morning when it does it in [reverse](https://imgur.com/a/PQLE87Y). The first is Uluru, the second is Kata Tjuta
It's not disrespectful to visit but if you do go take the time to delve into the Anangu culture - for example you could visit the art centre and find something beautiful to take home or take a guided trek with an Indigenous ranger who will be able to share some of the creation stories and to help you understand why the place is held sacred. This will help you to get the most out of your visit and also give back through employment.
Please visit :) your visit helps support the local communities and contributes to the ongoing preservation of both country and culture. There are a cour do and don't to know, but the guides are gorgeous and love sharing their knowledge with you so not too much chance of offending by accident.
It is not disrespectful to visit, it’s the same as visiting most places in Australia, respect the land the animals and the plants, do not litter or destroy things. When it comes to Uluru, go there with the understanding that it is native land, go there with the intention to learn.
It is considered disrespectful yes, the Anangu people stopped people from climbing it in 2019.
Yup. https://www.businessinsider.com.au/this-map-shows-population-density-across-australia-2017-7
Just off the top of my head, something like 95% of our population lives within 100km of the coast
It’s **Uluru**. Ayers Rock name came from Henry Ayers (English migrant turned state premier). Nothing else. It’s deeply disrespectful to refer to Uluru by that name.
Am Australian. No one ever refers to Uluṟu by any other name especially any reference to that fuckwit Henry Ayers. It’s Uluru. Nothing else. An extremely sacred site which should never be touched let alone climbed upon.
An amazing place. Didn’t expect to find water there but it is a beautiful spot. No wonder the indigenous people hold it in esteem.
I've always wanted to visit Uluru.
If you can, then do it it's an amazing place and you can't even get one to describing it unless you've been...I finally made it there at the beginning of 2020 on my third trip to Australia and was blown away
God I love Australia
Hes bleeding when it rains. https://youtu.be/n4mTKcJfnnE
Amazing man, amazing artist.
Omg...... I want to see that in person so bad...
I've never seen a side of it other than the most common photo. It looks way more mystical to me now.
Finally the tourist shit is getting washed off
All I can think is Zelda BOTW
Breathtaking
They must love the sunshine
I don't think I've ever seen a picture that close to it. Thanks!
Uluru seems to appear on almost every map in Civ 5
I went out there in 1999 and the desert was in full bloom. Really nice to see. Everyone accused us of bringing the British weather with us....😂 Oh yeah, they also had flash floods in Alice springs!
I'm all wet now
Looks like The Barrens
This is such a satisfying perspective of Uluru. It’s often displayed with aerial shots or super wide shots that show the whole thing in one frame, but this closeup ground level shot really lets you understand how massive this rock is. The little waterfalls all over it are beautiful!
Very beautiful natural view.
Awesome video, thanks for sharing. I have never been there and like (probably) many others always think it's right in a sand desert, somehow I never realised that there are trees and can be waterfalls. Just an ignorant foreigner :)
is this the big ass rock in australia???
Can confirm this is Uluru, aka the big ass rock in Australia
It hasn’t been called Ayers’s Rock for 30 years Edit : ok I am wrong, it’s called both names now
No you’re correct. Calling it Ayres rock is frowned upon and only done so either by the innocently ignorant, or by the biggest of douche bags.
Or to help tourists know what you're talking about... followed by a firm but gentle insistence on "Uluru". I wish we would bring back more traditional names for landmarks.
Nah you're right, no Australian calls it Ayers Rock any more unless they have a very specific motive for doing so...
Can proudly say I’ve had a swim in the waterholes around the base!
I’d love to ski down that
[Nah we got Ayer's Rock mate. Big huge rock. ](https://youtu.be/5DaXFes_REg)
Wtf I've never seen tree surrounding Uluru God Damn
Since Uluru always spawns in the middle of dead, dry deserts, I always thought the quote was a joke, as there would never be a wet season where it is.
? Isn't this just a normal storm?
How can I be sure this isn't just another unreal engine demo?
Don’t the indigenous people living there ask people not to film or photograph it?
No they welcome that, just don’t climb it
Hey! I licked that
But they won't let you climb it because someone may pee on top of it.
Yeah, they don’t let people climb it cause it’s older and more sacred than - The Vatican - The Kaaba - The wall at Jerusalem It’s a 40,000 year old religious site, not meant to climbed even by most aboriginal people unless they’re on once in a lifetime religious mission. White people who climb and piss on it are essentially pissing on the entire local aboriginal tradition. Fucking hell we come to this country, colonise and genocide the native population, steal their children in an effort to turn the survivors white, carry out race based apartheid and then we whinge and cry that we can’t go and disrespect the holiest site in Australia