Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park

* This name is listed on the World Heritage List. ª The region is classified by UNESCO.

The Uluru - Kata Tjuta National Park - (English: Uluru - Kata Tjuta National Park, formerly Ayers Rock National Park ) is a national park in the Northern Territory, which is listed by UNESCO as a World Natural Heritage and Cultural Heritage. It is located 1431 km south of Darwin and 440 km south-west of Alice Springs along the Stuart and Lasseter Highways. The park covers 1326 square kilometers. Part of the park is the famous rock Uluru (Ayers Rock) and Kata Tjuta 40 km west of the (Mount Olga ). The main tourist settlement is Yulara.

Introduction

Uluru is the most famous natural landmark in Australia. This island mountain rises 348 meters above the landscape. The word Kata Tjuta means " many heads " and refers to a group of 36 rocks, which are probably more than 500 million years old. Uluru and Kata Tjuta are the traditional inhabitants, the Anangu Aboriginal, culturally significant. This traditional inhabitants organize today guided walking tours, where you can learn dreamtime stories more about the flora, fauna and traditional bush food of the area as well as the well-known Aboriginal people.

The Anangu Aboriginal people are the traditional owners of Uluru - Kata Tjuta National Park -. They believe that their culture has always existed in Central Australia and was created at the beginning of the time of their ancestors.

In 1976, under the Aboriginal Land Rights ( Northern Territory ) Act recognized the rights of Aboriginal and 9 years later in 1985 they received a Freehold title to the territory of the park. They leased the land back to the Australian government for 99 years. Since then, the Anangu and Parks Australia cooperate in the framework of the "joint management". The aim is to preserve the Anangu culture to obtain an ecological balance and to give visitors an insight into the culture and history of the park.

Establishment

In 1987, the Uluru National Park was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 1993 one changed the name officially to Uluru - Kata Tjuta National Park and the following year he was also listed as a World Heritage Site. This internationally recognized list was a major victory for the Anangu. Uluru - Kata 1995 - Tjuta National Park won the Picasso Gold Medal, the highest UNESCO award for the conservation of nature and the preservation of Anangu culture. The National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act of 1975 was replaced in July 2000 by the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act of 1999. The park area originally comprised a total of 132 550 hectares of an area and also included a depth up to 1,000 meters a. On October 21, 1985 an additional 16 acres were added.

History

Europeans traveled the western desert areas in Australia for the first time around 1870. Uluru and Kata Tjuta were mapped by Europeans during the construction of the Overland Telegraph Line in 1872. William Ernest Powell Giles and William Christie Gosse were the first Europeans in the area. During an expedition in 1872 saw Kata Tjuta from Ernest Giles from Kings Canyon and called it Mount Olga, while Gosse discovered Uluru and Ayers Rock after Sir Henry Ayers, the then Prime Minister of South Australia, named. Other expeditions with the aim to colonize the area, followed. Between 1918 and 1921 large parts vonSouth Australia, Western Australia and the Northern Territory have been recognized as Aboriginal reserves, as a refuge for the indigenous people of Australia. 1920 a part of today's Uluru - Kata Tjuta National Park, by the Australian Government under the common name of South - Western or Petermann Reserve was declared an Aboriginal reserve.

In the late years of the 19th century, some settlers in the territories of the Petermann tried to settle Reserve, and there were some violent clashes with the Anangu.

Above all, in times of drought, the lack of food to clashes between Aborigines and farmers; Police forces were used to protect the farmer.

The first tourists visited the Uluru - area around 1936. Starting from 1940, the main reasons for Europeans to settle in the area, the well-being of Aboriginal people and the development of tourism to Uluru.

In 1948, the first paved road was laid out according to Uluru to promote tourism in this area. In the early 1960s, first company with bus tours established. To further promote this type of tourism, the Northern Territory Reserves Board took over the management of the park, the then Ayers Rock - Mt Olga National Park said. The first ranger was Bill Harney, a reputation in Australia. In 1959, Eddie Connellan received permission to open a motel and operate an airplane runway north of Uluru.

Climate & Seasons

The average rainfall in the park is 307.7 millimeters a year. The temperature is up to 45 ° C ( 113 ° F) in the summer and about -5 ° C ( 23 ° F) in the winter time.

The UV radiation may be due to hot summer days 11-15.

At first glance the landscape of Central Australia look like deserted, but on closer inspection you can discover life in the desert. Animals and plants have adapted to the extreme climate and form a unique habitat. Many of these plant and animal species have been used by the traditional owners, the Aborigines, as a medicine or as a food source.

The Aborigines differ in Central Australia six seasons:

• Piryakatu ( August / September) - Animals multiply, flowers bloom
• Wiyaringkupai ( October / November) - Hot time, food becomes scarce
• Itanju ( January / February) Partly sudden storms
• Wanitjunkupai (March) - Colder Weather
• Tjuntalpa (April / May) - clouds coming from the south
• Wari (June / July) - Cold time, the morning brings Frost

Geology

Also considered from a geological point of view, the Uluru - Kata Tjuta - and Watarrka National Park has an impressive history. Before about 500 million years ago the whole area was covered by an inland sea. Over many centuries, sand and gravel were deposited on the sea floor and there was sandstone. The Uluru is according to the latest no monolith, but part of a mountain range that lies underground and only Kata Tjuta such projects as part of the mountains from the ground; they are linked from the underground.

The "Dome " of Kata Tjuta is a sedimentary rock, a conglomerate rock, which consist of rounded cemented rock debris in fist size and larger. They were on the seabed and are a strong erosion by wind with sand and exposed to strong temperature changes. The same applies to Uluru, which is a subset of the sandstones with sand grains smaller than 2 millimeters and Feldspatanteilen, an arkose. The red or brown color of these rocks produces an iron oxide hematite. The different depending on the light, bright or dark red color at sunrise and sunset is caused by different light refraction or reflection of the colored by hematite quartz crystals at the different times of day light conditions.

Flora

The flora of the Uluru - Kata Tjuta National Park, represents a large number of all types found in Central Australia. Some of these species are rare and only found in the area of the park and thus endemic to the Uluru - Kata Tjuta - region. Other species that can be found in other areas of Central Australia, however, are rare in the park and are considered threatened.

Overall, the vegetation is well adapted to the extreme climate. The propagation of the plants is directly related with the rare rains. Some plant species survive bush fires and these fires need to procreate. The flora is an important part of the culture of the Dreamtime, called Tjukurpa, represent and there are different ceremonies for the main food crops. In addition, they are associated with ancestor. The collection of edible plants is of cultural significance and can be seen as a traditional association of the country with the Tjukurpa.

The flora of the park can be divided into the following subgroups:

• Punu - Trees
• Puti - shrubs
• Tjulpun - tjulpunpa - Flowers
• Ukiri - grasses

Trees such as the Mulgabusch and Bloodwood, a eucalyptus genus were used to make spear heads, boomerangs and vessels. The red sap of the bloodwood tree was used as a disinfectant and as an inhalant for colds.

Other trees such as the Red River Gum, also a eucalyptus and Duboisia species such as the silver-oak and the Hakeas are a food source itself. The white crust of the leaves of River Red Gum tree can be rolled into balls and eaten like a lollipop. The nectar of the silver-oak can be converted to a sweet juice. The Witchetty Busch sees the Mulgabusch similar and parts of the roots are edible.

Daisies and other flowers blooming near-earth after the rain and in winter. Other types of flowers such as some species of acacia blossom in the spring. The Anangu collect the seeds of acacia trees, grind them and mix them with water. The result is an edible pulp that can be eaten raw. To Damper, an Australian strudel to produce the seeds are placed in the hot sand, so that the shell of the seed triggers.

Spinifex, a genus of spiny grasses, have a strong root system that the desert sand on the kite and stops. The Anangu use a type of this Spinifex to produce rubber. The bush is so long beaten to the ground until it disintegrates into small parts which are then heated to form a tar-like liquid. This rubber is used for hunting and for tools. Another important source of food is an indigenous Hirsenart. Flour for damper is made ​​of her.

In the park there are some rare and endangered plant species such as a type of adder's tongue plants. These are limited to the slightly more humid area at the edge of Uluru.

Some plant species such as buffalo grass were first introduced by the Europeans in order to prevent erosion. Today, it is a weed that has spread especially near water holes and hinders the spread of other grasses. Other plant species were introduced by cars.

Rules in the park

The rules in the park are very restrictive and its violation is punishable by heavy fines. The amount of penalties taken from the catalog of the National Park Service (2004 ). The selection given here for bans corresponds to what is rather unusual by European standards ( prices in Australian dollars ):

Other prohibited activities include, inter alia entering and photographing the holy sites of the Anangu, or visit the Mutitjulu community (residential area of the Anangu ). This reduces the radius of tourists to the area of a path around the Uluru, some selected caves and climbing the summit. Much of the road at the sunset side is one of the stopping zones, so that a more accurate observation of only the marked parking lot is possible.

Furthermore, the usual prohibitions to protect animal and plant life, pollution, fire, wild camping or hunting are concern.

Number of

The records of the Park administration appear to be incomplete, the following data were taken from a diagram:

Swell