Monday 25 March 2013

THE OUTBACK AND ULURU

Uluru, also known as Ayers Rock, is a large sandstone rock formation in the southern part of the Northern Territory, central Australia. It lies 335 km southwest of the nearest large town, Alice Springs, 450 km by road. Kata Tjuta and Uluru are the two major features of the Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park. Uluru is sacred to the Anangu, the Aboriginal people of the area. The area around the formation is home to a plethora of springs, waterholes, rock caves and ancient paintings. Uluru is listed as a World Heritage Site.

The bright orange and red colour of the sand and rock are due to the high content of iron oxide (rust!) minerals. The Uluru climb is still an option, although it a strenuous and demanding climb which can be very treacherous (35 people have died here). Nowadays, the traditional owners of the land make it know that they would prefer you not to climb the rock, whereas when we visited about 15 years ago, it was something that one had to do.


This post is part of the Mandarin Orange Monday meme,
and also part of the Blue Monday meme.







9 comments:

  1. Very nice pictures! Great colors! ;-)

    Greetings from the Netherlands,
    DzjieDzjee

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  2. Wonderful photography of an incredible place ~ love the clay and essence captured in your photos ~
    Enjoy ^_^

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  3. Ahhh, Uluru, one of my favourite places on earth! I have been there 3 times, didn't climb though. Excellent shots capturing the brilliance of the red centre and the beauty of this monolith. I like your first shot of Mount Connor too.

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  4. I'm so glad that you survived the climb, Nick.

    The dirt looks much the same as it does in the state of Georgia where it's called, "red Georgia clay."

    Thanks for sharing.

    Happy Blue Monday!

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  5. I believe the Uluru is a glow-in-the-dark structure from the dreamtime....

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  6. Nik your images of the outback and Uluru are stunning examples of photography! Your MoM entry is actually my favourite, followed by the closeup of old branches on the ground. I just couldn't stop looking at them:)
    Thank you for sharing on Mandarin Orange Monday:)

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  7. This is one of the places i most wanted to visit, however not just yet. I wonder why people die in climbing when it is very well guided with rails! Do they sometimes venture to get out of the way.

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  8. Awesome captures. Hope you'd join us too at Orange You Glad It's Friday.

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I love to hear from you, so please comment. I appreciate constructive criticism as it improves my skills as an amateur photographer.