In central Australia, you’ll find a very, very large rock known as Uluru, or as the Aussies call it- Ayers Rock. The rock is made of sandstone. It changes color during the day, depending on how the sun shines on it. Sometimes it looks brown. At dawn and at dusk, it looks red.
Uluru stands 1,141 feet tall. That’s almost as tall as the Empire State Building. It stretches over 2 miles long and 1 mile wide. Amazingly, most of the rock sits underground, although no one is sure exactly how deep it goes.
Fun Facts about Uluru for Kids
- Uluru is the Aboriginal name for this rock. It is also called Ayers Rock, after Sir Henry Ayers. Explorer William Gosse gave it this name when he discovered it in 1873.
- The rock was created over 600 million years ago. The Aborigines have lived there for 10,000 years.
- The rock was originally at the bottom of a large ocean.
- Uluru is a monolith, which means one really big stone or mountain.
- Climbing Uluru would be hard work. Most of the sides go almost straight up. The top is flat. As from October 31st 2019 climbing Uluru will be prohibited by the Australian government. The rock will be handed back to Anangu people.
- Uluru is covered with crevices, caves and valleys.
Uluru Vocabulary
- Sandstone: a soft rock formed from sand
- Dawn: early morning
- Dusk: early evening
- Aborigines: ancient tribes
- Monolith: large rock or mountain
Learn More All About Uluru, Australia’s Rock of Ages
Check out this awesome video about the Uluru in Australia:
A travel video all about Uluru, Australia’s Rock of Ages
Uluru Q&A
Question: Can people climb Uluru?
Answer: The Aborigines consider Uluru a sacred place. People are not allowed to climb it.
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Question: Are there other things to do there?
Answer: Uluru is part of a national park which contains other monoliths, waterfalls and wildlife. You can hike and sightsee.
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