What is Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park?

Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park is a national park in the southern Northern Territory that protects two of Australia's most iconic landforms: Uluru, the large sandstone monolith formerly known as Ayers Rock, and Kata Tjuta, a group of 36 large rounded rock domes formerly known as the Olgas. The park covers about 1,326 square kilometres.

The park is jointly managed by the Anangu Traditional Owners and Parks Australia under a 99-year lease arrangement that began in 1985, when title to the land was handed back to the Anangu under the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976. It was first listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1987 for natural values, and re-listed in 1994 for cultural values, becoming one of the few mixed-criteria World Heritage properties in the world.

Uluru rises 348 metres above the surrounding plain, with most of its bulk underground. The rock changes colour through the day, glowing red at sunset, and is criss-crossed by Tjukurpa stories that explain its features through the actions of ancestral beings. Climbing Uluru was permanently banned in October 2019 at Anangu request. Kata Tjuta, 25 kilometres west of Uluru, rises to 546 metres above the plain at Mount Olga, higher than Uluru itself, and is also a major Tjukurpa site.

About 250,000 visitors come to the park each year, staying at Yulara just outside the park boundary. Walks include the Uluru Base Walk (10.6 kilometres), the Valley of the Winds at Kata Tjuta, and the dawn and dusk viewing platforms. The Field of Light installation by British artist Bruce Munro has run at Uluru since 2016 and become a major draw. The Cultural Centre near the rock explains Anangu history and Tjukurpa to visitors.