It is located 450km south west of Alice Springs. It rises 867metres above sea level. It is 2.4km long and 1.6km wide. Ayers Rock consists of sandstone containing a lot of minerals. The Aboriginal name for Ayers Rock is Uluru which means great pebble.
Aborigines decorate caves in the rock with paintings.
The rock was discovered in 1872 by explorer Ernest Giles. William Gosse visited the rock in 1878 and named it after Sir Henry Ayers. Ayers Rock is a very nationalistic part of Australia because when people think of Australia they think of Aborigines and Ayers Rock. It's always on postcards and souvenirs. Thousands of tourist visit or climb the rock each year.