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Place Names Register Extract

Uluru / Ayers Rock

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Name Uluru / Ayers Rock
Type Designation Mountain
Place Id 10532
Place Type Feature
Status Registered
Date Registered 6 November 2002
Location (Datum GDA94)  
Latitude: -25° 20' S (Decimal degrees -25.3415)
Longitude: 131° 02' E (Decimal degrees 131.0354)
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Locality / Suburb  
  Petermann
Local Government Area  
  MacDonnell Shire Council
Alternate Names  
  Ayers Rock
  Ayers Rock / Uluru
  UluruMountain
History/Origin Ayers Rock was named by WC Gosse on 19 July 1873 after Sir Henry Ayers.

Also encountered on 3 July 1902 by R T Maurice's exploration.

On 15 December 1993 the feature was officially dual named Ayers Rock / Uluru (where both names are equally as important and can be used either together of individually)

Following a request from the regional Tourism Association, on the 6 November 2002 the order of the dual names was officially changed to Uluru / Ayers Rock.

The word Uluru is from the Pitjantjatjara language and according to Neville Jones (Director of the Office of Aboriginal Development in 1993) who speaks the language, is believed to have no English equivalent - not uncommon with Aboriginal place names.

It is also believed that the name Uluru itself is more directly associated with the water hole above Mutitjulu (Maggie Springs) than with the Rock as a whole.

According to Pitjantjatjara tradition, the monolith was created by two boys out of mud - Wiyai Kutjara Tjukurpa (Two Boys dreaming). Other features associated with it are the transmogrification of events associated with a fight between the Kuniya (carpet snakes) and Liru (poisonous snakes), the attack on the Mala (Hare Wallaby men) by Kurrpanngu (a spirit dog created by the Kikankura (Docker River) men) and other incidents associated with many other ancestor beings.

Register & Gazettal information

Date Gazettal Comment
15/12/1993 NTG50
06/11/2002 NTG44 Revocation of 15/12/1993 Gazettal and renaming
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