The Great Barrier Reef is among the most famous natural wonders of the world. However, it is not the only natural wonder of Australia. Another popular natural site is located in the desert, the heart of Australia. This natural wonder is a huge rock formation（岩层）called Uluru, or Ayers Rock.
The two names for this rock formation come from the two languages of Australia. Uluru is an Aboriginal（土著的）word with no real meaning. It is just the name of the rock. The English name, Ayers Rock, was given to this natural wonder in the 1800s by an Englishman named William Gosse. Gosse named it after the Chief Secretary of South Australia at that time, Sir Henry Ayers. Today, both names are used for the site.
Looking at Uluru from a distance, viewers are first astonished to see this huge, lonely rock in the flat ground. Visitors who happen to be there early in the morning or late at night can also witness（目击）the changing colors of Uluru. The rising and setting sun changes the color of the formation, red, blue, pink, brown and gray at different times. What people cannot see, however, is that two-thirds of the formation is under the ground. What visitors to Uluru see is only one-third of the whole rock.
In case you are wondering how big Uluru really is, the top of the formation is 348 meters above the desert. It usually takes about two hours to hike to the top. There is also a 10-kilometer trail that visitors can follow to walk all the way around Uluru.
