Water cascades down Uluru after heavy rains hit northern Australia

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(CNN) – After heavy rains that ravaged northern Australia for nearly a week, stunning images of waterfalls have appeared in Uluru, the sacred sandstone monolith of the desert plains of the Northern Territory’s “Red Center”.

Videos and photos show gallons of water falling from the bright red rock, as rain that reaches up to five times the monthly average for March fell in just four days in the hardest hit areas.

The generally dry place was shrouded during the downpour, causing the picturesque canals to descend through the devotes carved into the stone.

“I’ve lived and worked in Uluru for 4 years and I’ve never seen waterfalls and rains like that,” Stacey MacGregor, who works for a local tourism company, told CNN.

“I was in the park at 11am and came back at 5pm when the rain got heavier to make those shots,” he added, referring to images posted on his Facebook page.
Several waterfalls fall on the surface of Uluru.

Several waterfalls fall on the surface of Uluru.

Stacey MacGregor / AP

Rainfall, which exceeded the monthly average for March by five times, fell in just four days in some areas.

Rainfall, which exceeded the monthly average for March by five times, fell in just four days in some areas.

Stacey MacGregor / AP

A lucky few were able to see the Uluru waterfalls, but tourists have been banned from crossing the sacred site since late 2019, after the Ananguan aborigines said visitors eroded its surface, leaving rubbish and contaminating water wells. nearby.

Before the ban went into effect, tens of thousands of tourists climbed the monolith.

Uluru, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is 280 miles west of Alice Springs. At 1,142 feet, it is taller than the Eiffel Tower and London’s Shard Skyscraper. It is hot, slippery and often windy and at least 35 people have died since climbing began in the 1950s.

CNN’s Alisha Ebrahimji contributed to this report.

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