William Gosse reaches Uluru and names it Ayers Rock

Background. William Christie Gosse was an Australian explorer remembered for his 1873 expedition to Central Australia, which aimed to explore the area south of Alice Springs and west of the Transcontinental Telegraph Line. Separately, Uluru and Kata Tjuta were first mapped by Europeans in 1872 during the broader expeditionary period made possible by the construction of the Australian Overland Telegraph Line; the supplied passages do not state that Gosse himself carried out that 1872 mapping, and his sighting and naming are dated 19 July 1873.

Naming. Gosse named the monolith Ayers Rock to honor Sir Henry Ayers, the Chief Secretary of South Australia. The site is also known as Uluru, a name sacred to the Pitjantjatjara people. The proposal omits later dual naming policies as they fall outside the 1873 event scope.