Yulara, Northern Territory
Encyclopedia
Yulara is an isolated town in the Southern Region of the Northern Territory
, Australia
. It lies as an unincorporated
enclave within MacDonnell Shire
. At the 2006 census
, Yulara had a population of 1,606. on an area of 103.33 km². More than three quarters of the residents of Yulara are from either overseas or another Australian state . The name is derived from local Aboriginal words for howling and dingo
s.
It is 18 km by road from world heritage site Uluru
(Ayers Rock) and 55 km from Kata Tjuta
(the Olgas). It is located in the Northern Territory electorate of MacDonnell
and the federal electorate of Lingiari
.
, Commonwealth government agreed in 1973 to relocate accommodation facilities to a new site. In 1976, the Governor General proclaimed the new town of Yulara, some 14 kilometres from the Rock.
After the Northern Territory was granted Self Government in 1978, development of the new town became a major priority of the Northern Territory Government. Between 1978 and 1981, basic infrastructure (roads, water supply etc) was built via the government's capital works program. In early the government set up the Yulara Development Company Ltd to develop tourist accommodation, staff housing and a shopping centre. The first stage of the resort was built between 1982 and 1984 for the Northern Territory Government by Yulara Development Company Ltd., at a cost of A$ 130 million. The resort was designed by Philip Cox & Associates and won the Royal Australian Institute of Architects (RAIA) Sir Zelman Cowen Award in 1984.
When the new facilities became fully operational in late 1984, the Commonwealth Government terminated all leases for the old motels near the Rock, and the area was rehabilitated by the national parks service (now called Parks Australia). Around the same time, the national park was renamed as Uluru Kata Tjuta and its ownership transferred to the local Indigenous people, who leased it back to the Parks Australia for 99 years.
There were originally three competing hotels, however this added significantly to the problem of lack of viability, and the company (and indirectly the government) incurred massive operating losses.
In 1990 to 1992, the competing hotel operators were replaced by a single operator, the government owned Investnorth Management Pty Ltd. In 1992, the government sold through open tender a 40% interest in the Yulara Development Company (and therefore, the resort) to a venture capital consortium.
In 1997, the entire resort was sold by open tender to General Property Trust
, which appointed Voyages Hotels & Resorts
as operator. Voyages operates all aspects of the resort, with the exception of the post office (Australia Post) and the bank (ANZ). Almost all residents of the town rent their housing from Voyages, but government leases some housing for its employees. Most residents are workers in the resort or tour operators. In 2011, the resort was sold again to the Indigenous Land Corporation.
, Sydney
, Melbourne
or Cairns
, compared to five hours by car from Alice Springs
, the nearest major town, 428 kilometres northeast.
The resort is served by one major road, the Lasseter Highway
, which links it to surrounding roads and landmarks. The Lasseter Highway is currently being expanded in the area to help with the tourism traffic flow. The sealed Lasseter Highway extends east to meet the Stuart Highway
. The roads in other directions are not so well maintained or travelled. The Gunbarrel Highway
and Great Central Road
lead west and southwest into Western Australia
, but are generally only suitable for high clearance four-wheel drive
vehicles. Transit permits from Aboriginal Land Councils are required to travel west of Kata-Tjuta.
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. It lies as an unincorporated
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
enclave within MacDonnell Shire
MacDonnell Shire
The MacDonnell Shire is a Local Government Area of the Northern Territory, Australia. The shire covers an area of 268,784.20 km² and has a estimated population of 7,142 people.-Geography:...
. At the 2006 census
Census in Australia
The Australian census is administered once every five years by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The most recent census was conducted on 9 August 2011; the next will be conducted in 2016. Prior to the introduction of regular censuses in 1961, they had also been run in 1901, 1911, 1921, 1933,...
, Yulara had a population of 1,606. on an area of 103.33 km². More than three quarters of the residents of Yulara are from either overseas or another Australian state . The name is derived from local Aboriginal words for howling and dingo
Dingo
The Australian Dingo or Warrigal is a free-roaming wild dog unique to the continent of Australia, mainly found in the outback. Its original ancestors are thought to have arrived with humans from southeast Asia thousands of years ago, when dogs were still relatively undomesticated and closer to...
s.
It is 18 km by road from world heritage site Uluru
Uluru
Uluru , also known as Ayers Rock, is a large sandstone rock formation in the southern part of the Northern Territory, central Australia. It lies south west of the nearest large town, Alice Springs; by road. Kata Tjuta and Uluru are the two major features of the Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park....
(Ayers Rock) and 55 km from Kata Tjuta
Kata Tjuta
Kata Tjuta, sometimes written Tjuṯa , and also known as Mount Olga , are a group of large domed rock formations or bornhardts located about southwest of Alice Springs, in the southern part of the Northern Territory, central Australia...
(the Olgas). It is located in the Northern Territory electorate of MacDonnell
Electoral division of MacDonnell
MacDonnell is an electoral division of the Legislative Assembly in Australia's Northern Territory. It was first created in 1974, and derives its name from the nearby MacDonnell Ranges. MacDonnell is an almost entirely rural electorate, covering 333398.61 km², and taking in the resort town of...
and the federal electorate of Lingiari
Division of Lingiari
The Division of Lingiari is an Australian Electoral Division in the Northern Territory. It was created in 2000, out of the former Division of Northern Territory. It covers almost the entire Territory , an area of , making it the second largest electorate in terms of area in Australia...
.
History
In early 1970, the pressure of unstructured and unmonitored tourism including motels near the base of Uluru (Ayers Rock) was having detrimental effects on the environment surrounding Uluru and Kata Tjuta. Following the recommendations of a (Commonwealth) Senate Select Committee to remove all developments near the base of the rock and build a new resort outside of the boundaries of the national park to support tourism to the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National ParkUluru-Kata Tjuta National Park
Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park is UNESCO World Heritage-listed in the Northern Territory of Australia. It is located 1431 kilometres south of Darwin by road and 440 kilometres south-west of Alice Springs along the Stuart and Lasseter Highways...
, Commonwealth government agreed in 1973 to relocate accommodation facilities to a new site. In 1976, the Governor General proclaimed the new town of Yulara, some 14 kilometres from the Rock.
After the Northern Territory was granted Self Government in 1978, development of the new town became a major priority of the Northern Territory Government. Between 1978 and 1981, basic infrastructure (roads, water supply etc) was built via the government's capital works program. In early the government set up the Yulara Development Company Ltd to develop tourist accommodation, staff housing and a shopping centre. The first stage of the resort was built between 1982 and 1984 for the Northern Territory Government by Yulara Development Company Ltd., at a cost of A$ 130 million. The resort was designed by Philip Cox & Associates and won the Royal Australian Institute of Architects (RAIA) Sir Zelman Cowen Award in 1984.
When the new facilities became fully operational in late 1984, the Commonwealth Government terminated all leases for the old motels near the Rock, and the area was rehabilitated by the national parks service (now called Parks Australia). Around the same time, the national park was renamed as Uluru Kata Tjuta and its ownership transferred to the local Indigenous people, who leased it back to the Parks Australia for 99 years.
There were originally three competing hotels, however this added significantly to the problem of lack of viability, and the company (and indirectly the government) incurred massive operating losses.
In 1990 to 1992, the competing hotel operators were replaced by a single operator, the government owned Investnorth Management Pty Ltd. In 1992, the government sold through open tender a 40% interest in the Yulara Development Company (and therefore, the resort) to a venture capital consortium.
In 1997, the entire resort was sold by open tender to General Property Trust
General Property Trust
General Property Trust Limited , trading as GPT Group, is an Australian company that is a property investor and manager in Australia, Europe and the United States...
, which appointed Voyages Hotels & Resorts
Voyages
Voyages is a company which operates resorts and tours in Australia.- History :The Ayers Rock Resort Company Limited was formed in 1992 and after a period of growth, acquired resorts at Alice Springs and Kings Canyon. In September 1997, General Property Trust purchased the company...
as operator. Voyages operates all aspects of the resort, with the exception of the post office (Australia Post) and the bank (ANZ). Almost all residents of the town rent their housing from Voyages, but government leases some housing for its employees. Most residents are workers in the resort or tour operators. In 2011, the resort was sold again to the Indigenous Land Corporation.
Transportation
The nearby Connellan Airport makes it possible to reach the area in a few hours from PerthPerth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
, Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
or Cairns
Cairns, Queensland
Cairns is a regional city in Far North Queensland, Australia, founded 1876. The city was named after William Wellington Cairns, then-current Governor of Queensland. It was formed to serve miners heading for the Hodgkinson River goldfield, but experienced a decline when an easier route was...
, compared to five hours by car from Alice Springs
Alice Springs, Northern Territory
Alice Springs is the second largest town in the Northern Territory of Australia. Popularly known as "the Alice" or simply "Alice", Alice Springs is situated in the geographic centre of Australia near the southern border of the Northern Territory...
, the nearest major town, 428 kilometres northeast.
The resort is served by one major road, the Lasseter Highway
Lasseter Highway
Lasseter Highway is a fully sealed 244 kilometre highway in the Northern Territory of Australia. It connects Yulara, Kata Tjuta and Uluru east to the Stuart Highway...
, which links it to surrounding roads and landmarks. The Lasseter Highway is currently being expanded in the area to help with the tourism traffic flow. The sealed Lasseter Highway extends east to meet the Stuart Highway
Stuart Highway
The Stuart Highway is one of Australia's major highways. It is a segment of Australia's Highway 1 extending from Darwin, Northern Territory, in the north, via Tennant Creek and Alice Springs, to Port Augusta, South Australia, in the south—a distance of...
. The roads in other directions are not so well maintained or travelled. The Gunbarrel Highway
Gunbarrel Highway
The Gunbarrel Highway is an isolated desert track in the Northern Territory, South Australia and Western Australia. It consists of about of washaways, heavy corrugations, stone, sand and flood plains...
and Great Central Road
Great Central Road
The Great Central Road is a mostly unsealed Australian outback highway that runs 1126 km from Laverton, Western Australia to Yulara, Northern Territory ....
lead west and southwest into Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
, but are generally only suitable for high clearance four-wheel drive
Four-wheel drive
Four-wheel drive, 4WD, or 4×4 is a four-wheeled vehicle with a drivetrain that allows all four wheels to receive torque from the engine simultaneously...
vehicles. Transit permits from Aboriginal Land Councils are required to travel west of Kata-Tjuta.
Climate
Yulara has a dry and arid climate, with little rain and a high mean average temperature.External links
- Satellite image from Google Maps
- Nyangatjatjara College, Yulara http://www.nyangatjatjaracollege.org.au