Moana Kuewa

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		2010.01.13 - 2010.01.12 AUSTRALIA Outback Ayers Rock & Uluru Rockhole Location: AUSTRALIA Ayers Rock & Uluru Waterhole Ayers Rock is 2.25 miles (3.6 km) long and 1.5 miles (2.4 km) wide, stands 1,142 feet (348 m) above the plains. It is made from a single piece of sandstone which extends 3 miles (5 km) beneath the desert surface. Besides its immense Aboriginal cultural significance, Ayers Rock is an outstanding natural phenomenon, best observed by watching its changing colors at dusk and dawn. The most recognizable of all Australian Outback symbols is the huge, red monolith of Ayers Rock that contains Uluru Waterhole (Aboriginal name). Ayers Rock rises high above the flat desert landscape, Uluru is one of the world’s natural wonders. Ayer’s Rock is 288 miles (463 km) southwest of Alice Springs, was established as a National Park in 1958, and was named as a World Heritage site in 1987. The whole area is sacred to Aboriginal people and, in 1985, the park was handed back to its indigenous owners and its sights reassumed their traditional names. As Aboriginal land, it is leased back to the Australian government and jointly managed with the local Anangu people. Archaeological evidence suggests that Aboriginal people have lived at Uluru for at least 22,000 years and have long been places of enormous ceremonial and cultural significance to a number of Aboriginal tribes. The traditional owners of Ayers Rock and Uluru are Anangu people. They believe that both sites were formed during the creation period by ancestral spirits who also gave them the laws and rules of society that they live by today. The Anangu believe they are direct descendants of these ancestral beings and that, as such, they are responsible for protection and management of these lands. Jeff and Chris did all the walking trails: one around the base, the Mala (hare wallaby) walk that took them into several caves (some with rock art), the Liru (snake) walk, the Kuniya (python) walk including the Mutijulu people’s waterhole named Uluru on the southern side of Ayers Rock. Traveling Individuals Names: Jeffrey Cheske & Christine Bauman C]* Many of the descriptions are taken from the DK Eyewitness Travel Guide – Australia