YULARA Yulara is the Uluru township some 14k from ‘the rock’. Yulara does not qualify for a synopsis, but included for interest. 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 area. 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. 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 are four hotels, a caravan park and shopping centre. To the credit of the developers Yulara and the many buildings are not visible. Everything blends into the natural bush.