We posted quite a few pics of our short time spent at Uluru and Kata Tjuta on social media so we won’t rehash it all, but here are a few things that you may not have known about this iconic Aussie tourism destination and that we discovered as we explored the region.

1. It’s not a smooth rock but full of crevasses, caves and gorges.

2. The actual colour of the rock is black/grey. The red comes from the oxidisation or rusting when the minerals are exposed to the air (note the black lines where the rain creates waterfalls).

3. It’s not as long and skinny as the postcards would have you believe. Believe it or not, the rock is actually more round in shape than long and skinny. There are two main ‘faces’ that are depicted on postcards. At first glance it’s actually hard to tell the difference, but when you see the difference you can tell.

4. The indigenous history and significance is understated and it was quite a profound experience to learn more about the indigenous history. It was hard to (try to) imagine a time before European settlement and the commercialisation of the area but when we did it was quote mind-blowing. There’s something magical about the atmosphere here.

5. Kata-Tjuta is so much bigger than the pictures show and is just as significant to the indigenous community as Uluru.  We didn’t get the opportunity to explore ‘The Olgas’ as up close as we would have liked as the girls were knackered after all the walking around Uluru. We got as far as the car park and decided not to push them so we headed back to the look out for a look from afar.  The stories of this place are not as commonly known and for many cultural reasons aren’t shared however the history and meaning of this area just as significant, especially as a meeting and ceremonial place.

6. As we established earlier, Mt Conner is not Uluru!  It is however refered to as ‘Fool-uru’ (Thanks Lou for tagging me in the link about this!). However, we feel better having had a few messages that confirm we’re not the only ones who have been fooled before! My friend Peter gave me this little tip to tell the difference:

Mt Conner has horizontal lines/layersUluru has diagonal lines/layersKata-Tjuta has vertical lines/layers

We had a fabulous time exploring this iconic Aussie landmark, but we’re also glad we took the time to take in the sunset and sunrise.  There is already a magical atmosphere when you’re walking around and taking in the sheer magnitude of these rocks – the geology alone is mind-blowing, but when you couple that with the history of our indigenous fore bearers, it’s quite a surreal experience and it seemed that the rising and setting of the sun just amplified this.

Although our time was so short, we certainly left a lot more aware of the geology and history of this place and a lot less ignorant than when we arrived.

Have you experienced the magic of Uluru and Kata-Tjuta? Were you fooled by Mt Conner?