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Art & Craft
Anangu painting and craft demonstrations operate daily at the Cultural Centre, allowing visitors to join the artists and design their own painting. The Mulgara Gallery at Ayers Rock Resort in Yulara supports local indigenous artists and offers visitors an opportunity to meet the artists in residence.
Uluru-Kata Tjuta Cultural Centre
The Uluru-Kata Tjuta Cultural Centre, in the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, encourages travellers to visit before touring the area to introduce them to Anangu culture. Maruku Arts and Crafts, located in the Centre, is an Aboriginal-owned and controlled arts cooperative that represents hundreds of artists in Central Australia.
Mount Ebenezer Roadhouse
Located 250 kms south-west of Alice Springs, the Mount Ebenezer Roadhouse is one of the few Aboriginal-owned roadhouses in the Northern Territory. Within the historic stone buildings, visitors can enjoy homemade foods and view locally produced Aboriginal art in the impressive gallery with its unique red sand floor and hessian walls.
Rock art
There are approximately 90 rock art sites scattered around the base of Uluru, with the two main sites located on the west side along the Mala Walk, and also on the south side at Mutitjulu Waterhole. Some paintings are up to 8000 years old and represent the history and ancestry of the Anangu people.
Guided tours
Tours with a local Anangu guides offer excellent learning experiences through the telling of Dreamtime stories and the interactive participation in demonstrations like spear throwing and bush tucker collection. You'll visit the many painted caves at the base of Uluru and learn how the Aboriginal people prepared for ceremonies.
The Uluru-Kata Tjuta region is rich in indigenous culture and many options exist for travellers who want to experience aboriginal culture - whether by visiting Uluru-Kata Tjuta Cultural Centre, buying local aboriginal art or joining a tour with a local Aboriginal guide.
The Anangu people are the custodians of Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. They have a complex system of beliefs known as 'Tjukurpa' (pronounced 'chu-ka-pa') and for which there is no direct English translation that encompasses religion, law and the relationship between people, plants, animals and the landscape.
Anangu guides lead walking tours around the base of Uluru/Ayers Rock sharing stories, bush food and discussing the symbolism of various aboriginal rock art.
An indigenous guide is accompanied by an interpreter and these walks provide a rare insight into how the Anangu have lived, and continue to live, in this arid environment.
Make sure you begin any exploration of Uluru and Kata Tjuta at the Park's Cultural Centre, located about a kilometre from the Rock itself, where an informative introduction to Tjukurpa and other points of interest are covered in educational displays.
The Cultural Centre also hosts aboriginal art and craft demonstrations, bush tucker sessions, walks and cultural presentations.
Aboriginal art produced in the region is distinctive, though styles and mediums vary. Carved woodwork and dot paintings are popular souvenirs, but there is an opportunity to invest in some original and truly unique pieces at galleries in the Cultural Centre and Ayers Rock Resort.
