Visit the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park Cultural Centre
Discovering the Cultural Centre
The Kata Tjuta Cultural Centre is set in the ancient landscape of the Australian Outback. This outstanding place offers visitors an insight into the unique history and culture of the region. It’s like travelling in time, immersing yourself in the historical culture of the land’s indigenous Anangu people. A local guide will show you around the city centre and tell you about the Anangu culture. Then, you will discover the art galleries where local Aboriginal artists are displayed. If you’re hungry, stop by a local cafe, where everyone can enjoy tasty cakes and refreshing drinks. The centre helps to support the Anangu people financially and gives non-Aboriginal people the opportunity to learn about their way of life.
Cultural Centre building
This centre is a free-form building constructed of locally produced clay bricks.
It was opened in 1995 to mark the tenth anniversary of the return of Uluru-Kata Tjutu to traditional Aboriginal owners.
Often included as a cultural highlight on an Uluru tour, the centre features an award-winning design created through collaboration between the Anangu people, park staff, and architects.
The buildings represent the two ancestral snakes that clashed at the Mutitjulu waterhole and contributed to the creation of Uluru: Kuniya, a female python, and Lira, a male venomous brown snake.
Artists from the Mutitjulu community created paintings, ceramics, glass, wood and audiovisual presentations.
Galleries
Two Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park galleries showcase Anangu arts and crafts: Maruku Art and Valkatjara Art.
These two galleries are located in the Cultural Centre. They are owned and operated by Aboriginal people, and their profits are invested in the local community.
Tjukurpa Tunnel
The Tjukurpa Tunnel at the Anangu Cultural Centre is your first experience of Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park.
Here, you will learn about the Tjukurpa (the foundation of Anangu culture) and many other interesting stories behind the creation of Uluru.
Approaching the entrance to the Tjukurpa Tunnel, you will be embraced by the sound of the winds created by the Uluru and voices singing inma (ceremonial songs).
Entering the tunnel, you will return to the beginning of time. The art of Anangu is presented here, and Anangu’s laws, traditions and innate behaviour are explained.
This place takes you back to the ancient times. It presents the art of Anangu, its historical documentaries, and the description of Anangu’s laws, traditions, and appropriate behaviour.
For cultural reasons, photography is prohibited in the Tjukurpa Tunnel.
This tunnel is an independent journey. Keep silent and go at your own pace to comprehend the depth and broadness of the lessons taught here.
Maruku Arts
Discover Uluru’s traditional art and woodwork and the surrounding countryside. Visit a fussy shop selling paintings, wood carvings (puṉu), reliefs (walka boards), tools, weapons and beautiful accessories. Watch demonstrations by local Anangu artists and learn about the process and meaning of their art.
Visiting the Maruku Gallery, you can learn about fantastic art from the heart of Australia and appreciate Anangu culture.
The Maruku Gallery is a regional arts centre representing more than 20 remote Indigenous communities in the Central and Western Desert, including the local Uluru community of Mutitjulu.
The Maruku Gallery of Art at the cultural centre also has an online shop selling various products, including large and small paintings, traditional men’s and women’s tools, T-shirts and handmade jewellery.
Walkatjara Art
Walkatjara Art is an art centre for the Mutitjulu community, owned and run by Anangu. At Walkatjara, Mutitjulu artists create colourful paintings depicting local Tjukurpa stories.
The park guests are invited to visit Walkatjara Art at the cultural centre to see the artists at work, learn about Anangu culture and explore the stories behind the paintings.
Walkatjara is a non-profit community enterprise. The artists receive 50% of the painting’s sale price; the rest is reinvested in the running costs of the art centre and community projects in Mutitjulu.
Walkatjara is a positive and vibrant environment where local artists can come to relax and express themselves creatively, sometimes accompanied by family members. The artists are proud of their work and the art centre and actively support local culture.
Visiting Walkatjara Art and learning about Anangu culture is the highlight moment of the travellers’ trip to Uluru, as the art centre often receives positive feedback from them.
Ininti Café and Souvenirs
The Ininti Café is the only place in the park where you can buy food and drinks.
You can also buy some souvenirs to remember your adventures in the park.
Like all the outlets in the cultural centre, Ininti is 100% Aboriginal-owned. All the money spent here helps to support the local Anangu community.
