Ayers Rock

views updated May 23 2018

Ayers Rock a red rock mass in Northern Territory, Australia, south-west of Alice Springs, the largest monolith in the world.

In 1980 it was the site of a famous mystery, the disappearance of a nine-week-old girl said to have been carried off by a dingo; the child's body was never found, and although her mother was tried and convicted of her murder in 1982, the verdict was later quashed. In 1995 an inquest concluded that an open verdict was the only possible finding.

Ayers Rock is named after Sir Henry Ayers, Premier of South Australia in 1872–3. It is officially known by its Aboriginal name Uluru.

Ayers Rock

views updated Jun 11 2018

Ayers Rock (Uluru) Outcrop of rock, 448km (280mi) sw of Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia. Named after the prominent South Australian politician Sir Henry Ayers (1821–97), it remained undiscovered by Europeans until 1872. It stands 348m (1142ft) high, and is the second largest single rock in the world – the distance around its base is c.10km (6mi). The rock, caves of which are decorated with ancient paintings, is of great religious significance to Native Australians.

http://www.heritage.gov.au