Uluru National Park (Ayers Rock) Travel Guide

 AlbuqRay Says:  Kata Tjuta, meaning "many heads," is a group of 36 conglomerate rock domes that date back 500 million years. The Lasseter Highway turns to the southwest ~4 km south of the Park toll booth at the turn to Uluru. Relative to that intersection, Kata Tjuta is located 44 km almost... 

 AlbuqRay Says:  Talinguru Nyakunytjaku is the newest destination in Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. It was just opened in late 2009 at a cost of 21 million AUD. Talinguru Nyakunytjaku is a large viewing area located about 3 km southeast of Uluru. Although it is advertised as a sunrise... 

 AlbuqRay Says:  The Minymaku Platform is on a small sand hill about 0.5 km from the parking lot (actually the distance depends on where you start in the long parking area). It has ramps and is wheelchair accessible. There is also a covered shelter a little down the hill from the platform... 

 AlbuqRay Says:  The shelter and display are located where the Kuniya Walk and the Uluru Base Walk split next to Hunters' Cave. The display tells about the legend of a great battle between Kuniya and Liru in the Kapi Mutitjulu Canyon (see the details in a travelogue). 

 AlbuqRay Says:  The north side of Hunters' Cave is the largest. The viewing platform is actually inside the cave. Hunters' Cave was no doubt a home and gallery. It is only ~200 meters from the Kapi Mutitjulu waterhole. Parents would teach the abstract symbols in these paintings to their... 

 AlbuqRay Says:  There is also a viewing platform at the east entrance to Hunters' Cave. The rock paintings were made by Anangu who recorded events in their own lives. They often painted over older designs. Water-based colored pigments from ochre were used. It is difficult to date these kind... 

 AlbuqRay Says:  Hunters' Cave is on the west side of the mouth of Kapi Mutitjulu Canyon under a pile of large boulders below the cracked cliff that is Liru's Shield. It has three entrances: south, middle and north. There is a viewing platform at the south entrance. It is not easy to see... 

 AlbuqRay Says:  The trail heads north from the trailhead. It is ~200 meters to the south end of Hunters' Cave, which is below Liru's Shield. The Base Walk intersects the trail before it reaches the cave. The Base Walk then splits off at Hunters' Cave and goes east toward Ikari (Smile Cave).... 

 AlbuqRay Says:  The trailhead for the Kuniya Walk (1 km, 45 min return) is close to the south corner of Uluru. It has a shelter and a First Aid phone. The trail heads north toward Hunters' Cave, which is below Liru's Shield, and intersects the Base Walk before it reaches the cave. It then... 

 AlbuqRay Says:  The north side of Hunters' Cave is located on the west wall of the Kapi Mutitjulu canyon ~200 meters from the waterhole. The trail runs through a grove of trees and you can hear and see plenty of birds. On the west wall of the canyon, there is a strange shape in the rocks. I... 

 AlbuqRay Says:  The Uluru Base Walk trail to the east from Hunters' Cave cuts across the mouth of the Kapi Mutitjulu canyon and runs along the base of Uluru to Ikari (Smile Cave). The part along the base might be called Wila Apuru, but I am not sure. 

 AlbuqRay Says:  The Anangu respect Kapi Mutitjulu as the home of Wanampi, an ancestral water snake. Wanampi has the power to control the source of this precious water. It was also the site of a great battle between Kuniya and Liru (see a travelogue). Kapi Mutitjulu is the most reliable... 

 AlbuqRay Says:  Tjukurpa tells how tjintir-tjintirpa (the willy wagtail woman) hears faint sounds of singing coming from the northeast. Happily she realizes that the ceremonies of the Mala (rufous hare-wallaby) people have started. As an expression of her pleasure, she smiles and forms... 

 AlbuqRay Says:  After an amazing day in the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, we headed back to our campsite in the Ayers Rock Campground. It was time for another "survivor" meal. Rosie and Deb made a rissoto with spicy sausage and vegetables. Dessert was apple pie with custard. It was yet... 

 AlbuqRay Says:  About 4 km south of Yulara on the Lasseter Highway, you come to the Uluru - Kata Tjuta National Park toll booth. The Park 3-day use fee is 25 AUD per person. From the toll booth, it is 9 km to the sunset viewing area for cars, 13 km to the Cultural Center, 15 km to Uluru,...