Uluru is the name used by the Anangu people for the giant sandstane rock lying at the heart of Australia. In one of the great understatements of all time, Uluru translates to mean “great pebble”. It’s hard to explain how massive, imposing and impressive the “pebble” is. It is higher than the Eiffel Tower and almost 10 km around the base. It almost always has water and had a surprising visitor during our visit in a little cormorant who was gorging on the tadpoles of burrowing frogs. The nearby Ayers Rock Tesort wanted to change its name to Uluru but the Anangu refused. The rock, they said, is Uluru, and that place belongs to whitefellas so use a whitefella name. Nearby Mount Olga stands. It is also unexpectedly impressive with places like the Valley of the Winds just waiting to be explored. Now known as Kata Tjuta, which means “many heads”, it is much quieter than Uluru as most tourists don’t undertake the 40km drive across the desert to explore it.
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