Rising from the broad desert plain in the deep centre of Australia, Uluru (previously called Ayers Rock) is Australia's most recognisable natural icon.

The famous sandstone monolith stands 348 metres high and, like an iceberg, has most of its bulk below the surface. It is located 440 kilometres south-west of Alice Springs in the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. 40 kilometres to the west of Uluru/Ayers Rock is Kata Tjuta, also known as The Olgas. This massive pile of rock domes dates back 500 million years.

Both Uluru and Kata Tjuta have great cultural significance for the Anangu traditional landowners, who lead walking tours that inform about the local flora and fauna, bush foods and the Aboriginal Dreamtime stories of the area.

Watarrka National Park, encompassing Kings Canyon, lies 300 kilometres to the north-east of Uluru and 310 kilometres west of Alice Springs. Kings Canyon has 300-metre-high sandstone walls, walking trails, palm-filled crevices and views across the desert.

The Uluru and Kata Tjuta you see today are the remains of erosion that began around 500 million years ago. Like icebergs, both formations are but visible tips of enormous slabs of rock that extend as far as six kilometres into the ground.

Archaeological work suggests that Aboriginal people have lived in the area for at least 22,000 years. The Anangu people are Uluru's traditional custodians but until recently, the famous monolith was known as Ayers Rock, named after former premier Sir Henry Ayers by European explorer William Gosse, who first sighted the rock in 1873. Uluru was returned to the care and ownership of the Anangu in 1985 and they now jointly manage the national park with Parks Australia.

There is a $31 entry fee into Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park which allows multiple entry for three consecutive days. A range of accommodation from camp sites to five-star luxury is available at the Ayers Rock Resort in the township of Yulara, purpose built to service travellers to the Park. The Yulara Visitors Centre provides information on local history, geology, flora, fauna and culture and sells souvenirs and educational gifts.