Kata Tjuta

Kata Tjuta

Kata Tjuta or the Olgas is the name of the other rock formation in the national park in the southwest part of the Northern Territory of Australia.  It is about 16 miles to the west of Uluru and is actually higher than Uluru.  Whereas Uluru is essentially one big red rock, Kata Tjuta is a series of domes with valleys between the domes.

Together, all the domes make up an area bigger than the mass of Uluru, and some are taller than Uluru, but because there are valleys between the domes it can look smaller and Uluru's bright red sand makes it stand out a bit more than Kata Tjuta.

K and I were given a tour of Kata Tjuta the day we left the Ayers Rock area.  While the Anangu people also manage this rock formation (it is part of the same national park as Uluru), it is called a "men's site" meaning that it holds more of a sacred place in their culture and the stories about it are not shared with white people.  So while culturally significant, we are not to know why.  What we do know is that Kata Tjuta means "many heads" in the Anangu language.  We were told the Anangu only had words for one, two and three in their language.  After that, it was just "many".  Since there are 39 domes in Kata Tjuta, they just called it "many" and "heads" for the domes.

As I mentioned in my post yesterday, Kata Tjuta is made of conglomerate rock (versus the sandstone of Uluru).  That is quite evident as you step onto Kata Tjuta domes and quite different from Uluru.  Even what look to be big boulders that have come off the domes turn out to be big chunks of conglomerated rocks and stones.

 

We hiked one of the valleys between the two biggest domes - Walpa Gorge.  The views were stunning and there was a bit more wildlife (we saw a wallaby and we are told a lot of the wandering wild camels come into the valleys) because there is more vegetation in the valleys.  Because there was a pretty stiff breeze down the gorge canyon that morning, the flies were kept away.  So we could enjoy our hike net free.  Here are some of the pictures from the gorge in Kata Tjuta.

After hiking the gorge valley, we stopped at a lookout point that provided a panorama of all the Kata Tjuta domes.  The flies were back by then, so the nets were removed just briefly for this photo.

Here is a picture of Kata Tjuta at sunset that I took the night before.  As Kata Tjuta is to the west of Uluru, many get a chance to see Kata Tjuta through the sunset while watching the colors over Uluru.

 

Dingos and other wildlife

There isn't all that much wildlife in the Uluru/Kata Tjuta National Park.  A few smaller kangaroo (wallaby), birds, many lizards and snakes (which thankfully we did not see).  One animal we did see, which is frequently seen in the area (and we had not seen yet in Australia), is the dingo.  Scientists believe the dingo was brought by the Aboriginal peoples when they came to Australia tens of thousands of years ago (probably by land bridge from what is now Indonesia).  Dingos have had a hard time in Australia since they didn't get along well with the sheep and cattle herds brought in by the English.  Now they are protected and in certain spots doing better.  Our tour guides were quick to tell us not to pet or feed the dingos - they may look like normal house pets but these are very much wild animals.

 Gecko hanging around our hotel.  Good camouflage!

Birds in the Kata Tjuta Gorge

The resort we were at actually had a couple of dingo pups hanging around it.  When we had our dinner under the stars (see below), they showed up to see if they could get some scraps.

Longitude 131

During our time in the Uluru and Kata Tjuta National Park area, we stayed at a resort called Longitude 131.  This is a hotel that K had learned about many years ago on the Oprah show.  To say that it is an upscale resort is to say that the Waldorf Astoria is a nice hotel - a vast understatement.

There aren't too many options when it comes to accommodations near Uluru and most things are a bit pricey, but Longitude 131 is the crème de la crème of resorts in the area.  The price tag is $2000 a night.  Choke, swallow hard.  That is what I have to do every time I say or hear that fact.  It is an all inclusive place - airport shuttle, food, drinks, tours to Uluru and Kata Tjuta are all taken care of.

The price tag is high, but having said that, this resort is something like I have never experienced.  I joke about a place or restaurant being "K approved".  Well this one defines "K approved."  What may surprise you is that it is a resort made of tents.  But like no tent I ever stayed in while I was in the service (I might have stayed longer if we had tents like this).

This was our "tent".

 And here is the view from the window of our tent.

The chef at the resort was phenomenal.  And if you were hungry or thirsty, you were provided for immediately.  In fact, the room came with a fully stocked fridge.  Just what every man needs after a long day out in the desert.

The resort also provided the guides and transportation into the rock formations.  These folks were just outstanding.

And the highlight of our stay was a dinner under the stars right next to Uluru.  I will remember the evening for the rest of my life.  First off, there is absolutely no light pollution out in this part of the world.  I have never seen the sky lit up with so many stars.  You can easily see the milky way and shooting stars are going off like fireworks.  The people at the resort are happy to point out any constellation to you - and given the clarity of the sky, it isn't hard to see them.

The dinner was a four course gourmet feast with three different types of wine served - white wine with the appetizer, red with dinner, and a aperitif with desert.  And there was entertainment.  We had Aboriginal dancers give us a show and a didgeridoo player give us some music (if that is what you call the sound that comes from a didgeridoo). 

 

K and I are the ones in the middle of the picture - if you couldn't tell.  I recorded a bit of the sound of the didgeridoo player and native dancers - even though the pictures are black (they played in the dark or firelight), you can hear the sound with the videos.

 

So that was our trip to Uluru and surrounds.  It is just another part of our amazing journey that I will never forget.  I can't tell you just how lucky K and I feel to be able to be here and to be able to share the experience together.  All our love to those back home.