Uluru and Alice Springs
Uluru and Alice Springs
Uluru - Ayers Rock, The Olgas, Kings Canyon
This is the Central Australian hat-trick - three ancient geological formations on a scale so huge that only the vast plains of Central Australia could contain them. Who could come to Central Australia and miss these icons? The 1,325 hectare World Heritage listed Uluru - Kata Tjuta National Park contains two of the Big Three - Ayers Rock/Uluru and Mt Olga/Kata Tjuta. The entrance to the Park, at Yulara, 18km from Ayers Rock/Uluru, is where you will find camping facilities, resort accommodation, dance and music shows staged by Aboriginal people, tour bookings, souvenirs and all the information you might want about the Park itself and its many walks. Kings Canyon, being the third, is just 300km away over sealed road.
Geologically, both Ayers Rock/Uluru and Mt Olga/Kata Tjuta began their existence in the same way, as sediments laid down in a shallow sea known as the Amadeus Basin. Over the millenia, the sediments were forced upwards, buckling and thrusting above sea level. You can see that the layers in the rock are virtually vertical, while those in the Olgas are at an angle. Life was to be found here too. Scientists have discovered invertebrate life forms between 435 and 600 million years old which lived in the sheltering sea.
Ayers Rock/Uluru rises 348 metres from the desert and has a girth of 9.4km. These statistics alone ensure its star role as the world's most famous monolith, yet it is estimated that at least two thirds of the Rock lies beneath the surface. Not surprisingly, it has a significant place in the Anangu's creation stories and laws, or Tjukurpa, and many of these stories relate to how the ancestral beings formed the Rock. Aboriginal guides can take you on fascinating tours around the base of the Rock and share these stories with you and there are many walks for you to enjoy on your own in the area. The Rock has its moods, changing colour depending on the time of day, dust, cloud cover and even where you're standing, but at sunset you can see the whole gamut when Ayers Rock/Uluru puts on a light show that changes its colours from red to orange to lilac in a matter of minutes!
50km to the west of Ayers Rock Resort is Mt Olga/Kata Tjuta, a collection of weathered red domes, the tallest of which stands 200 metres taller than Ayers Rock/Uluru. The forces which thrust it out of the inland sea 300 million years ago created cracks and fissures that have been eroded to form the smooth domes you see today. In the Anangu language, Kata Tjuta means many heads. Many people who come here are surprised by the beauty of the lesser known Olgas, many believing they hold even greater charm than the Rock. You will see why when you get there.
At sunset, the Olgas hold their own light show to rival the Rock's - both inspiring but individually unique. For experienced walkers, the Olgas offer a four to five hour walk through the poetically named Valley of the Winds, winding around several of the domes. For an easier walk with great views taking only an hour or so, go to Olga Gorge.
The spectacular scenery, an eerie collection of weathered rock formations known as the Lost City and an oasis with a permanent waterhole veiled by palms and ferns known as the Garden of Eden, combine to make Kings Canyon a most unexpected surprise.There are several ways you can explore it. It's well worth taking the 6km return walk to the rim of the Canyon - the view from the 300 metre drop to the valley floor is breathtaking. The walk takes you through the Garden of Eden, just one hours walk from the car park.
The area of the Watarrka National Park has been the home of the Luritja people for the last 20,000 years. Their word, Watarrka, refers to the umbrella bush that proliferates here. In fact, this area has over 600 plant species. There are many accommodation options from camp sites to luxury hotel units and there is also a restaurant, cafe, bar, souvenir shop and fuel pumps.
