Kata Tjuta / Mount Olga, meaning 'many heads' in his aboriginal name, is a sacred place relating to knowledge that is considered very powerful and dangerous, only suitable for initiated men.

Uluru / Ayers Rock and Kata Tjuta / Mount Olga provide physical evidence of feats performed during the creation period.

They often lead walking tours to inform visitors about the local flora and fauna, bush foods and the Aboriginal Dreamtime stories of the area.

Uluru and Kata Tjuta were first mapped by Europeans during the expeditionary period made possible by the construction of the Overland Telegraph Line in 1872.

In the late 19th century, pastoralists attempted to re-establish themselves in areas adjoining the South-Western/Petermann Reserve and interaction between Anangu and white people became more frequent and more violent.

From the 1940s the two main reasons for permanent and substantial European settlement in the area were Aboriginal welfare policy and the promotion of tourism at Uluru.

[7]The Ayers Rock National Park was recognised in 1950, and in the same year an Alice Springs resident Len Tuit accompanied a group of schoolboys on a trip to Uluru.

He recognised the enormous tourism potential of the rock and began offering regular tours in 1955, with guests camping in tents and drinking water carted in from Curtin Springs.

The first ranger was the legendary central Australian figure, Bill Harney[7] The site came to attention on 17 August 1980 when two-month-old Azaria Chamberlain was found dead as a result of being taken by a dingo.

From a geological point of view, analysis of Uluru-Kata Tjuta and Watarrka National Parks reveals an awe-inspiring history.

Kata Tjuta's domes are the eroded remains of sedimentary rock from the seabed, while Uluru is a relict of the coarse grained, mineral-rich sandstone called arkose.

[10] While the Central Australian environment may at first seem stark – a barren landscape supporting spectacular rock formations – closer inspection reveals it as a complex ecosystem, full of life.

Plant and animal life have adapted to the area's extreme conditions and it subsequently supports some of the most unusual flora and fauna on the planet.

Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park flora represents a large portion of plants found in Central Australia.

Flora in Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park can be broken into the following categories: Trees such as the mulga and centralian bloodwood are used to make tools such as spearheads, boomerangs and bowls.

The white flaky crust from river red gum leaves can be rolled into balls and eaten like a lolly and the nectar from the flowers of the corkwood trees can produce a sweet drink.

Moves are supported for the reintroduction of locally extinct animals such as mallee fowl, brushtail possum, rufous hare wallaby or mala, bilby, burrowing bettong and the black-footed rock wallaby The mulgara, the only mammal listed as vulnerable, is mostly restricted to the transitional sandplain area, a narrow band of country that stretches from the vicinity of Uluru, to the northern boundary of the park, and into Ayers Rock Resort.

The bat population of the park comprises at least seven species that depend on day roosting sites within caves and crevices of Uluru and Kata Tjuta.

The pressures exerted by introduced predators and herbivores on the original mammalian fauna of Central Australia were a major factor in the extinction of about 40% of the native species.

Of the 27 mammal species found in the park, six are introduced: the house mouse; camel; fox; cat; dog; and rabbit.

These species are distributed throughout the park but their densities are greatest in the rich water run-off areas of Uluru and Kata Tjuta.

Iconic birds of Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park include the pied butcherbird, black breasted buzzard, black-faced woodswallow and crimson chat.

Fires have been a part of central desert land management for thousands of years and have shaped the landscape, habitats, survival of animals and patterns of vegetation.

Destructive bushfires burnt much of Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park and luxury accommodation at the Ayers Rock Resort was destroyed in 2002–03.

The 1950 fire, fed by the fuel grown during the previous 20 years, wiped out about one third of Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park's vegetation.

Traditional fire and land management skills enable Anangu to burn in a way that will give the desired result.

There are displays featuring photo collages, oral history sound panels, Pitjantjatjara language learning interactives, soundscapes, videos and artefacts.

[12] There are a number of sightseeing and cultural tours to Uluru that offer walks that visitors can take around the major attractions of the park.

Maruku Arts is a large and successful Aboriginal Australian-owned and -operated enterprise, run by Anangu (people of the Western and Central Deserts of Australia).

It has a warehouse based in Mutitjulu community (at the eastern end of the rock), a retail gallery at Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park Cultural Centre, as well as a market stall in Yulara town square.