Uluru national park: what lives there, when it opens, and the rules

Uluru national park is the name most visitors search for, but the official title is Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, adopted in 1993.¹ The story starts earlier: Ayers Rock, now called Uluru, was first declared a national park in 1950.⁶ At a handback ceremony on 26 October 1985, Australia's Governor-General gave the deeds of the park back to Anangu, and Anangu leased the land to the national parks service for 99 years.^7,8

Ownership sits with Anangu, who lease the park to the Commonwealth, and day-to-day running is a partnership between them and Parks Australia.^2,9 A board of management makes the major decisions. It has 12 people, and eight of them are Aboriginal members nominated by Traditional Owners.¹⁰ Digs across Central Australia put Aboriginal presence here at more than 30,000 years.¹¹ That is the timescale behind every rule in the park.

The world has recognised the place twice. UNESCO first inscribed it in 1987 for geology, wildlife and scenery, then returned in 1994 to honour it as a cultural landscape.^12,13 Parks Australia notes it is one of only a few dozen places worldwide with a dual listing, and one of only four in Australia.¹⁴ For a camper, that history explains the rules: people still live by the law of this country, and the rock is far more than a view.

The desert here is far from empty. On Parks Australia's tally the park holds 178 bird species, 73 reptiles, 21 mammals and 4 frogs adapted to the desert.⁴ The largest residents are impressive: the red kangaroo is Australia's largest land mammal, with males growing to 2.4 metres tall and up to 85 kg.²⁶ The perentie, Australia's largest goanna, grows to over 2.5 metres and can weigh up to 20 kg.²⁷

Smaller animals are just as remarkable. The thorny devil eats only ants and can get through thousands in a single day.²⁸ The park's water-holding frogs bury themselves deep in the sand and come up to breed after heavy rain, and after big rains shield shrimps hatch in temporary waterholes and rock pools.^29,30 Southern marsupial moles, weighing between 40 and 70 grams, sometimes surface after rain.³¹

Birdwatchers have the best of it. With 178 species recorded, the park rewards anyone up early, and Parks Australia says early morning is the best time to see birds.^4,22 A camping tour's dawn starts suit this perfectly. Bring binoculars, walk quietly, and listen: you will usually hear a bird before you see it. Never touch or handle wildlife; Parks Australia asks every visitor to leave animals alone.³²

More than 400 plant species grow in the park, and unlike the greener parts of Australia, its most common trees are acacias rather than eucalypts.^65,66 Parks Australia divides the landscape into six habitat types, and pila, the spinifex plains between dunes, is the most common.^67,68 There are four spinifex species in the park, and many adult desert oaks are likely to be more than 1000 years old.^69,70

Fire shapes all of it. In 1950 a fire fed by 20 years of growth burnt about a third of the park's vegetation, and in 1976 two more fires burnt out more than 75% of the park.^71,72 Managers then worked with Traditional Owners on a system of patch burning, and today that burning takes place in winter, when temperatures are low and the winds are light.⁷³ The patchwork of burnt and unburnt ground you see from the road is deliberate.

Rangers also fight newcomers. The main feral animals in the park are camels, rabbits, foxes and cats, and with no fences around the park, control is shared with neighbours across the region.^74,75 Buffel grass is by far the most invasive weed.⁷⁶ The mala, now extinct in the wild, has been bred in the park since 2005 inside a 170-hectare feral-proof enclosure.^77,15,78 One of the main Tjukurpa stories is about the Mala people, which gives the program a cultural weight as well.

Some rules protect culture. Photographing culturally sensitive sites is prohibited, and they are marked by signs in the park.²⁴ Keep to marked tracks and do not walk through or over vegetation.⁵⁶ Swimming in the park's waterholes is not permitted.⁴¹ Most of the park is a declared alcohol-free area, with two designated exceptions at the Uluru car and bus sunset areas.^88,89 Take every cap and can home.

Others protect wildlife and the land. Dogs are not permitted in any Commonwealth national park, Uluru-Kata Tjuta included, although assistance dogs may come in on a short lead of three metres or less.^59,90 Take all rubbish with you, and never touch or handle wildlife.^91,32 None of these rules is hard to follow, and on a guided camping tour someone who knows the park is always close by to ask.

Anangu recognise five seasons in the park, and each changes what you see.⁹² Wanitjunkupai, around April and May, brings the first chill and sends reptiles into their winter rest.⁹³ In piriyakutu, usually August to October, reptiles return and grevilleas begin to bloom.²³ From late October to December comes kuli, the fiercest heat, with lightning storms that deliver very little water.⁹⁴ Each season rewards a different kind of visit.