About 550 million years ago these hardened sandstone layers were uplifted to form mountains, which then gradually eroded and washed away into number of large sediment rich alluvial fans, one of which formed the bases of Uluru/Ayers Rock.

To put this fact into perspective, the first mammals and the dinosaurs inhabited the Earth around 300-200 million years ago. So a fun fact for children is that Uluru/Ayers Rock is about twice as ancient as the dinosaurs!

The location of Uluru is in the southern part of the Northern Territory, Central Australia.  Uluru lies 335 km south west of the nearest large town, Alice Springs; or 450 km by road. Information off the internet.

It's a long drive but there is accommodation near by at Yalata a small village.

We have been to The Rock twice as it's so far away, these photos were taken from our last visit and are of the sunsetting over The Rock.  There is a viewing area, people take their champagne, wine, or their dinner and stand or sit, take photos, videos watching the sunset changing colours on the landscape. 
It's an amazing place. 

 Climbing Uluru.

People are discouraged by Uluru's traditional owners to climb the rock, but of course people freely climb it without any problems.  You have to be fit and not suffer from vertigo (dizziness) or any medical condition restricting exercise.
The climb is closed when it's windy at the top, which of course makes sense.
There have been about 35 deaths relating to recreational climbing since records have begun.

Photography of Uluru.

The Anangu (the traditional people the Aboriginals who are in the area) request that visitors do not photograph certain sections of Uluru, for reasons related to traditional Tjukurpa beliefs.
These areas are the sites of gender-linked rituals in question.  The photographic restriction is intended to prevent Anangu from inadvertently violating this taboo by encountering photographs of the forbidden sites in the outside world.      Wikipedia.

Last time I visited Uluru I was taking a photo of one of the sacred sites, now called sensitive sites and my camera broke!  Me being me, I just laughed.

 
Aboriginal myth, perhaps!  There are many.

It is sometimes reported that those who take rocks from the formation with be cursed and suffere misfortune.  There has been many instances where people who removed such rocks attempted to mail them back to various agencies in an attempt to remove the perceived curse.      Wikipedia.

 We are now home, it's easier to show the photos of our 3 months journey in more detail.

There is just something about Uluru (Ayers Rock) especially at sunset.  The colours change as the sun begins to set.  It's a long journey to see it, but worth it for me.
We see the changing colours of the rock plus the sky.

My post whilst travelling is [here]

I'm showing the photos from the end of sunset to the beginning.

The rock is a 863 meters (2,831 ft) high. 









The above photo was taken not that long before sunset began, it's where I stood till the sunset ended.

We are now currently in a lovely Caravan Park in Darwin, called The Top End, The Tropics of Australia. 
The winter temperature is 30 deg C most days, sometimes a little higher.
So far we have travelled 5,000 kms from home.

So way back down the highway I'm showing two photos of how barren the country is on the way to Uluru (Ayers Rock) and back to the main highway, the Stuart Highway.
More photos in the future.

There were a few cattle along the way but not much for them to feed on.  We saw about 5 dead bulls on the side of the road due to road kill along this stretch of Highway, the Lasseter.  Many of the properties (Stations) have no fences as the properties themselves are very large.  Read below.


The above is a large paddock belonging to Curtain Springs Station, a working property approximately 100 kms from Uluru - Ayres Rock.  In this paddock a lot of caravans park, tents are erected for a free campsite.  There is no water or power to this paddock. There are showers and toilets and washing machines.  The washing machines one has to pay to use, the remainder is free.

There is a Shop, a Hotel (Pub), a Restaurant plus fuel. Accommodation if available.
Curtain Springs Station has over 4,000 head of cattle and is over 1 million acres in size.
Some statistics of the property.
1,608 Square Miles
1,028,960 Acres
4,164 Square Kilometres
416,410 Hectares
or 100km long x 40km wide

No houses on the way or towns.  There is another Caravan Park back on the Highway at Erldunda 150kms away.  Of course there is a Caravan Park at Uluru but it's always full unless you book well in advance.

The closest town to Curtain Springs Station is Alice Springs, just 360 kms south.

Today we arrived at Alice Springs which is about the middle of Australia.  We have done about 3,500 klm at this point.

We haven't had a phone signal for several days, only at some towns, nor have we had water apart from what we carry ourselves.  Water at Coober Pedy was 20C for 30 litres, and you line up in a que to get water from the pumps just like you do for diesel/gas...feels odd having to do that.

Last two days we spent near Uluru here in the Northern Territory, and was fortunate enough to see the sunset on the 'Rock'.  We estimated there were about 500 people there doing the same thing.

Below is one of my photos of Uluru at sunset last night...