After starting my Australia trip in the two major metropolitan ares of Sydney and Melbourne it was about time to explore the "real" Australia, far from all the civilization and big city life. Ayers Rock, now called Uluru again (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uluru) for more details) and the Olgas or Kata Tjuta (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olgas for more details) were my next destinations in Australia. They are located in the "heart"of Australia, the so called "Red Center". I got up early in the morning to catch my flight to Uluru. After about 2 1/2 hours we landed on the tiny airport of Uluru and I took a shuttle bus to the Outback Pioneer Hotel and Lodge". Quite a fancy name for such an establishment.
So what are they?
Uluru, also known as Ayers Rock, is a large sandstone rock formation located in the Northern Territory of central Australia. It is found in the Uluru - Kata Tjuda National Park, 335 km (208 mi) southwest of Alice Springs, 450 km (280 mi) by road. Uluru is sacred to the Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara, the Aboriginal people of the area. It has many springs, waterholes, rock caves and ancient paintings. Uluru is listed as a World Heritage Site for its natural and man-made attributes.
The local Pitjantjatjara people call the landmark Uluru . This word has no other meaning in Pitjantjatjara, but it is a local family name. In October 1872 the explorer Ernest Giles was the first non-indigenous person to sight the rock formation. He saw it from a considerable distance, and was prevented by Lake Amadeus from approaching closer. He described it as "the remarkable pebble". On 19 July 1873, the surveyor William Gosse visited the rock and named it Ayers Rock in honour of the then-Chief Secretary of South Australia, Sir Henry Ayers. The Aboriginal name was first recorded by the Wills expedition in 1903. Since then, both names have been used, although Ayers Rock was the most common name used by outsiders until recently.
Uluru is Australia's most recognisable natural icon. The world-renowned sandstone formation stands 348 m (1,142 ft) high [863 m (2,831 ft) above sea level] with most of its bulk below the ground, and measures 9.4 km (5.8 mi) in circumference. Both Uluru and Kata Tjuda have great cultural significance for the Anangu Traditional landowners, who lead walking tours to inform visitors about the local flora and fauna, bush foods and the Aboriginal dreamtime stories of the area.
Uluru is notable for appearing to change colour as the different light strikes it at different times of the day and year, with sunset a particularly remarkable sight when it briefly glows red. Although rainfall is uncommon in this semiarid area, during wet periods the rock acquires a silvery-grey colour, with streaks of black algae forming on the areas that serve as channels for water flow.
Kata Tjuda, also called Mount Olga or The Olgas owing to its peculiar formation, is another rock formation about 25 km (16 mi) from Uluru. Special viewing areas with road access and parking have been constructed to give tourists the best views of both sites at dawn and dusk.
Kata Tjuta, also known as Mount Olga (or colloquially as The Olgas), are large rock formations located in Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, 465 km southwest of Alice Springs at 25°18′00″S, 130°44′00″E. These domes cover 21.68 km² of Kata Tjuta National Park and are a magnificent sight. These rock formations are a remarkable group of 36 domes, made from a mixture of mudstone and conglomerate containing granite and basalt fragments. They are about 25 km from Uluru in the Northern Territory of Australia. The tallest of the group, Mount Olga, stands 545.4 m in height (197.3 m higher than Uluru). It is located at the eastern end of the Docker River Road.
The Pitjantjajara name Kata Tjuta means 'many heads'. The site is as sacred to the Indigenous people as Uluru.
The alternative name, The Olgas, comes from the tallest peak, Mt Olga. At the behest of Baron Ferdinand von Mueller, Mt Olga was named in 1872 by Ernest Giles, in honour of Queen Olga of Württemberg. She and her husband King Karl had marked their 25th wedding anniversary the previous year by, amongst other things, naming Mueller a Freiherr (baron), making him Ferdinand von Mueller; this was his way of repaying the compliment.
Sunrise at Ayers Rock (Uluru) ....
People climbing to the top of Ayers Rock (Uluru). I did decide not to climb since the Aborigenes ask not to do it as a sign of respect for this sacred site.
Ayers Rock from afar .....
Ayers Rock in the early morning, viewed from the Olgas with the sun rising.
The Olgas .....
The Olgas with the sun rising .....
