Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park is situated in the Northern Territory of Australia. The park extents in an area of 1398 km2 and includes two characteristic rocky formations which are Uluru/Ayers Rock and, 40 kilometres to its west, Kata Tjuta/Mount Olga.
The Park is listed both as an UNESCO World Heritage natural property and cultural landscape. This rare dual World Heritage-listing is given as its features Uluru and Kata Tjuta have great cultural significance for the Anangu native people by whom these places are declared as sacred sites.
The aboriginals believe that the spirit that turned into Ayers rock was a turtlespirit as their culture has always existed in the Central Australian landscape and was created at the beginning of time by ancestral beings. Uluru and Kata Tjuta provide physical evidence of feats performed during the creation period.
The park receives an average rainfall of 307.7 millimeters per year. Temperature extremes in the park have been recorded at 45°C during the summer and -5°C during winter nights. While the Central Australian environment may at first seem stark - a barren landscape supporting spectacular rock formations - closer inspection reveals it as a complex ecosystem, full of life. Local Aboriginal people recognise five seasons:
1.Piriyakutu (August/September) - Animals breed and food plants flower
2.Mai Wiyaringkupai (November/December) - The hot season when food becomes scarce
3.Itjanu (January/February/March) - Sporadic storms can roll in suddenly
4.Wanitjunkupai (April/May) - Cooler weather
5.Wari (June/July) - Cold season bringing morning frosts
Historically, 46 species of native mammals are known to have been living in the Park region; but according to recent surveys there are currently 21. Aṉangu acknowledge that a decrease in the number has implications for the condition and health of the landscape. Moves are supported for the reintroduction of locally extinct animals
Mulgara, the only mammal listed as vulnerable, is mostly restricted to the transitional sand plain area, a narrow band of country that stretches from the vicinity of Uluru to the Northern boundary of the park and into Ayers Rock Resort. This area also contains the marsupial mole, and Woma Python
Four species of frog are abundant at the base of Uluru and Kata Tjuta following summer rains. The Great Desert Skink is listed as vulnerable
The bat population of the park comprises at least seven species that depend on day roosting sites within caves and crevices of Uluru and Kata Tjuta. Most of the bats forage for aerial prey within 100m or so from the rock face. The park has a very rich reptile fauna of high conservation significance with 73 species having been reliably recorded.
Aṉangu continue to hunt and gather animal species in remote areas of the park. Hunting is largely confined to the Red Kangaroo, Bush Turkey, Emu and lizards such as the Sand Goanna and Perentie.
Of the 27 mammal species found in the park, six are introduced: the House Mouse, camel, fox, cat, dog and rabbit. These species are distributed throughout the park but their densities are greatest in the rich water run-off areas of Uluru and Kata Tjuta.
This is a blogspot about natural parks and places all over the world which are still pure and unspoiled. Each expedition combines video and pictorial material combined with general information about the place.