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Uluru Facts & Worksheets

Uluru is a large sandstone rock formation found in the lower part of the Northern Territory in Central Australia. Uluru is also known as Ayers Rock.

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Uluru is a large sandstone rock formation found in the lower part of the Northern Territory in Central Australia. Uluru is also known as Ayers Rock.

See the fact file below for more information on the Uluru or alternatively, you can download our 21-page Uluru worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

ETYMOLOGY AND DUAL-NAMING

  • The local people in Central Australia, the Anangu people, call the sandstone rock formation “Uluru” thus classifying it as its native name.
  • However, Uluru is a proper noun without any specific meaning in the Pitjantjatjara dialect.
  • Its other name, Ayers Rock, was given by the surveyor William Gosse as he sighted the landmark and named it.
  • It was named “Ayers Rock” to honor Sir Henry Ayers, the late Chief Secretary of South Australia.
  • Since then, the two names have been in use.
  • Uluru having two names did not spark a conflict between the two cultures residing in Australia, because of the dual-naming policy.
  • The policy was adopted on December 15, 1933, and gave two official names to the landmark: the traditional Aboriginal name and the English-given name.
  • Ayers Rock/Uluru became the first dual-named feature in the Northern Territory.
  • On November 6, 2002, the order of the dual-names was reversed to Uluru/Ayers Rock as the Regional Tourism Association of Alice Springs requested for it.

DIMENSIONS, TOURS, AND MYTHS

  • Uluru, also known as Ayers Rock, is one of the most popular and distinct landmarks in Australia.
  • It is a sandstone formation that is 358 meters or 1,142 feet tall; rising 863 meters or 2,831 feet above sea level.
  • Most of its bulk is beneath the ground.
  • In terms of roundness, it has a 9.4 kilometer or 5.8 mile circumference.
  • Uluru, as well as the nearby Kata Tjuta formation, serves a great cultural significance for the native inhabitants of the area, the Anangu people.
  • The Anangu people serve as local tourist guides – they lead walking tours and teach about the flora and fauna found around Uluru/Ayers Rock.
  • Bushfood or Bush tucker, for example, is used by the Aboriginal Australians for sustenance and medicinal purposes.
  • Examples of native animal meat are those from kangaroos, crocodiles, and emus.
  • Aside from these, the Anangu near Uluru/Ayers Rock also talk about Aboriginal Dreamtime, the Aboriginal concept of “Time out of time” or “everywhen”.
  • There have been different mythical accounts regarding the origin of Uluru.
  • One account is from Robert Layton’s (1989) Uluru, where he said:
    “Uluru was built up during the creation period by two boys who played in the mud after rain. When they had finished their game they travelled south to Wiputa … Fighting together, the two boys made their way to the table topped Mount Conner, on top of which their bodies are preserved as boulders.” (Page 5)
  • Another person who gave accounts about the mythical origins of Uluru was Norbert Brockman, in his (1997) Encyclopedia of Sacred Places:
    One account is about serpent beings who waged several wars around Uluru, scarring the rock.
    Another account was about two tribes of ancestral spirits. They were invited to a feast, but were distracted by the beautiful Sleepy Lizard Women so they did not show up. In response, the host got angry and waged a battle. The leaders of the two tribes died, and the earth rose up in grief, becoming the Uluru.
  • There was an urban legend, and it was sometimes reported that if a person takes rocks from the formation, he or she will be cursed and suffer misfortune.
  • There have been many instances where a person mails back the rocks taken from the formation to remove such a curse.
  • Uluru is popular for it seems to change it colors at the different times of the day and year, and it is most known for its beauty when it glows red at dawn or sunset.
  • Its color change is because of color constancy, or its interaction with light from the sun, causing it to appear in different shades, due to varying levels of illumination.

GEOGRAPHY

  • Uluru, an “island mountain,” is geographically classified as an Inselberg.
  • An Inselberg, like Uluru, is a largely prominent residual knob or hill that rises abruptly, surrounded by extensive and relative flat erosion lowlands in a hot, dry region.
  • As much as Uluru is often referred to as a monolith, geologists avoid this term for its ambiguity.
  • Uluru’s remarkable physical feature, aside from its color, is its homogeneity and lack of jointing (having fractures or breaks on the surface, called joints) and parting at bedding surfaces, causing the lack of developed scree slopes and soil.
  • The distinct geological characteristics of Uluru helped in its survival as other nearby rocks or formations eroded.

Uluru Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about Uluru across 21 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Uluru worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about the Uluru which is a large sandstone rock formation found in the lower part of the Northern Territory in Central Australia. Uluru is also known as Ayers Rock.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Uluru Facts
  • Uluru Crossword
  • Inselberg Info
  • The Drive To Uluru
  • Anangu Tribes
  • Mythical Accounts
  • Remarkable Features
  • Spot Ayers Rock
  • Neighbor Rock Formations
  • Legendary Song
  • Letter to the Anangu People

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Link will appear as Uluru Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, June 14, 2019

Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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