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Ayers Rock
Ayers Rock is the largest rock in the world. It is a giant outcrop in the Northern Territory of Australia.
Ayers Rock was named after the Premier of South Australia, Sir Henry Ayers. Ayers Rock is also known by its Aboriginal name \'Uluru\'.
It is 335 meters high but that's not all a big piece of it is digged in the ground. It is located 280 miles southwest of Alice Springs. The rock is more than 4,5 km long and 2,5 km wide. It is composed of grey sand, but because it has much metal in it, it rusts. Also there's much red sand on it and that's why it is red.
It is called as once of the great wonders of the world. In the past, 6oo million years ago, it was a part of the ocean floor at the center of Australia. It belonged to mountains, than it broke and became a rock, that lies alone. Because of the ozone hole the ocean is dried up (ausgetrocknet). Ayers Rock change its colors in the daylight, in one day from blue to glowing red! So, many people photograph it.
Ayers Rock is located in the Kata Tjuta National Park, which is owned and run by Aboriginals. The Australian government (Regierung) handed the land back to the Aboriginals some years ago. The Aboriginals believe that there it is hollow (hohl) below ground, and that there is an energy source (Quelle) that they call \'Tjukurpa\' the \'dream time\'.
A dream-time story - the Wiyai Kutjara story - two boys
When the world was created, two boys played in the sludge (Matsch). After playing, they went toward south, to Wiputa, that's on the north side of the Musgrave-Mountains, where they hunted a kangaroo and cooked it. Then they went again toward north, the Atila, that's a mountain. A few miles in the southwest of the mountain, one of the boys threw his boomerang against a Wallaby, that's a little kangaroo. But the boomerang hit the ground and created a spring. This boy didn't want to give the other boy, who was very thirsty, water. During they fought another, they came to the Mount Conner plateau, where their bodies stand today, as little rocks benear Ayers Rock.
Ayers Rock is holy (heilig) for the Aboriginals. Because of this, tourists aren't allowed to climb on it, (except for (außer) especially ceremonies) but many do it anyway (trotzdem). So, the Aboriginals call the tourists \"ants\".
Along the Ayers Rock are many holy places (heilige Orte). Often there are some mural paintings (Wandmalereien). And every place has its own story.
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