Google Sightseeing takes you on tour of the world as seen from satellite, using the free Google Earth program, or Google Maps in your web browser. Each weekday your guides James and Alex present new weird and wonderful sights as suggested by readers.
Uluru, which used to be known as Ayers Rock. A sacred site to the native Australians and an awesome sight to tourists.
Thanks: Deef, Parker, Tim, nandhp, Winchester, Simon, Tom McDermott, Safog, Vaclav Papousek, Peter, Patxi, Charles, Mark, Mike, Michael Werneburg
This form will auto-link URLs or you can use simple HTML, <a href="http://googlesightseeing.com">Like this</a>.
Link to specific places either as a Google Maps page or a decimal latitude and longitude written like this: lat/lng:55.949400,-3.200000.
If you've found an unrelated sight that you think should be posted in its own entry then use the suggestion form!
Anyone know why it seems to glow green around the edges? It makes it look kinda photoshopped in.
it’s glowing green because that’s where the UFOs are when they aren’t tailing planes in FL and CA
Why did they change the name to Uluru?
It has always been called Uluru by the Aborigines but the European settlers called it “Ayers Rock”. In the 1980s the government agreed to use Uluru as its official name.
The green around the edges is actually vegetation; there are all kinds of nooks and crannies around the edges containing waterfalls, pools, streams, etc., which feed a lot of foliage around the base.
I visited there four years ago, on a tour with about 15 friends, and we walked the entire circumference beginning around 6:00am. Took us about three hours to do the whole walk, and it was well over 90F by the time we finished. (This was in November 2001.)
james, as far as i know, the name has be uluru for thousands of years, and the government of australis does not hold claim to the naming rights. the park is now a joint venture between the state government and a consortium of aboriginal tribes from the area.
phil, i was there in jan. 2002 and it was even hotter! and we met david byrne from the talking heads, going on a jog! kinda surreal.
Placemark: Google Maps / Google Earth
Enchanted Rock is smaller, but still impressive, I think. A giant granite basolith - is that what Uluru is too?
Uluru is made of sandstone. See for example: http://www.ayersrockresort.com.au/geology/
I have been to uluru 4 times, its a amazing place, now for this “compatition” of how hot we all walked around it, i walked around it when it was 45 Celsius (113 - Farenheit) … with a 10kg back pack… 3 people passed out on that walk…