| Uluru, Red Center |
 Trail Name:Base Walk Summary: |
| Trail Description |
| The giant sandstone monolith of Uluru (Ayers Rock) draws people from all over the world. No doubt the best-known hike here is the climb to the top. However, this follows the route taken by the men of the ancestral Mala (hare-wallaby people) and is of great significance to the Anangu, the Aboriginal people of this area. They call the people that climb ‘Minga’ – ants – because of the way they swarm over the spiritual route just to get to the top. They ask people to respect Uluru by not making the climb.
This should cause no hardship, because a much better way of appreciating Uluru is to walk the trail that loops around the base. This is the only way to truly appreciate the caves, gorges, waterholes, sacred sites and rock art. Indeed, each feature of Uluru has a meaning in Tjukurpa, the traditional Anangu law that explains how the world was created and guides every-day life. From the main car park, the first 0.6 mile/1 km follows the Mala Walk, an interpretive trail passing caves and rock art sites to a gorge and waterhole. You soon come to a short sidetrack to an ancient painting site, followed by the first cave. The trail then passes below a triangular cave, Mala Puta (the pouch of the female hare-wallaby), an important spiritual site that, like all others, must not be entered or photographed. The next cave, with a huge slab of rock outside, has marks on the ceiling said to have been made by the paws of the Mala children. The Mala Walk ends at Kantju Gorge and waterhole, a beautiful, tree-lined oasis. Continuing on the Base Walk, leave the gorge and bear right. After passing the sacred site of Warayuki, the trail curves right. Now heading east, you soon reach the next sacred site, Tjukatjapi. A 2 mile/3.2 km section of trail along the scarred north face of Uluru ends at the sacred site of Kuniya Piti, roughly the halfway point of the circuit. The trail curves right again to follow the south-east face. In around 1.5 miles/2.4 km you approach the short interpretive Mutitjulu Walk, which passes an important Aboriginal shelter and ends at the most reliable waterhole in Uluru. This area is closely associated with two ancestral spirits: Kuniya, a python, and Liru, a poisonous snake. Just before you join the Walk, a very short side-track to the right leads to a good viewpoint of the rock-face, the marks and fissures on the coarse-grained sandstone showing the defeat of Liru by Kuniya in their great battle. Turn right onto Mutitjulu Walk. It passes on the left a large cave, a place where the Anangu have lived for thousands of years, before arriving at the waterhole. This is the home of another ancestral spirit: Wanampi, the water snake. The Anangu show it respect, for it is said to be able to stop the supply of water if it is angered. Retrace your steps and, just past an ancient rock art site, bear right to continue on the Base Walk. According to the Tjukurpa, large boulders to either side of the track are associated with Lungkata, the blue-tongued lizard. The trail curves to the right, past the sacred site of Pulari, and heads north-west for a further 1 mile/1.6 km to complete the circuit. |
| FACT FILE |
| Location: Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, Northern Territory, south-west of Alice Springs. Entrance fee charged, valid for 5 days.
Directions: From Alice Springs, take the Stuart Hwy (Route 87) south for 228 km to Erldunda. Turn right onto the Lasseter Hwy (Route 4) and head west for 244 km to Yulara (Ayers Rock resort). Continue south for 18 km to Uluru (Ayers Rock). Trailhead: Mala Walk or Mutitjula Walk car parks at the base of Uluru. We describe the route clockwise from Mala, the main car park. Length: 6 miles / 9.6 km Trail Type: Loop Elevation Change: Negligible Duration: 2.5 hours Trail Condition: Wide, well maintained path, easy to follow. Sacred sites at the base of the rock clearly signed. Features: Rock monolith, caves, gorges, rock art, sacred sites, desert. Climate: Sunny year-round. Extremely hot in summer – daytime temperatures average 36 C in January. Much better hiking conditions in winter – July daytime temperatures average 19 C – but very cold at night and in the early morning. Accommodation: Hotels, hostel, tent and RV sites at Yulara. Hotel reservations essential year-round. Trail Notes: Sacred sites must not be entered or photographed. An interpretive booklet on the Mala and Mutitjulu Walks, two short sections of the Base Walk, is available from the Cultural Center at Uluru. |
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