The Hulk of the Continent: Ayers Rock

Posted by Jeremy Storer on July 19, 2011

Standing in the middle of the desert and viewing at the time of first encounter with the hulk of the continent, the only words pops out of the mouth are, “Oh. My God! Is this for real?” This is the kind of the thrill you feel while watching the incredible Ayers Rock which is a large sandstone rock formation in the heart of the Uluru-Katatjuta National Park in the Northern Territory region and is located 335 km south west of the nearest large town, Alice Springs; 450 km by road.

It is also called as monolith which in recent years is argued as an incorrect description as it is a part of larger rock formation extended far over 3 miles beneath the ground just like the iceberg. The surveyor William Gosse discovered the wonder on July 19th, 1873 and in the honor of the then-Chief Secretary of South Australia, Sir Henry Ayers named it Ayers Rock. Not only its majestic presence, but also due to its talent to change colors under different lighting and weather conditions Ayers Rock is famous throughout worldwide as its monumental size stands in the flat lands of the hinterland, so is it deeply implicit in the myths and legends of the Aborigines. Due to the massive structure of Ayers Rock, it is not easy to shake off the experience of the magical environment which is created by it.