Northern Territory | Postcards From Here and There

Katu Tjuta

Katu Tjuta is a sandstone rock formation that is 25Km to the east of Uluru. It consists of 36 domes. They are also known as The Olgas after the tallest dome which is called Mount Olga.

Like its near neighbour Uluru it has been estimated to be around 600 million years old and is a sacred place to a the local indigenous communities.

The Walpa Gorge walk is a short 2.6Km walk between two of the largest domes of Katu Tjuta. The path is well defined and it is a relatively easy walk, taking about an hour in total for the round trip. Entering the gorge you are immediately struck by the enormity of the domes on either side of you. The walls are pitted and sheer in places and create dark shadows. It is only when you get close up to these natural structures that you realised just how big they actually are.

Many plants grow in the gorge some of which are very rare. The gorge ends with a small pool which at certain times of year feeds a small creek running out of the gorge. It is this water, together with shade form the hot desert sun, that makes the gorge such an important refuge.

A worthy walk, especially early in the morning before it becomes too hot, in a very quiet and peaceful place. There may well be other tourists around but there won’t be many, certainly nothing like the numbers at nearby Uluru.

Kings Canyon

Kings Canyon is in the Watarrka National Park and is 280 miles from Alice Springs and 180 miles from Uluru. It forms part of the western end of the George Gill Ranges. There are three short walks in the canyon and by far the most popular is the 6Km rim walk.

The rim walk is closed to walkers from 9am on any day that the temperature is forecast to be 36 degrees or above so it pays to start the walk early. Our guide advised that we start the walk at 6.45am which was just at sunrise. It can be completed in 3 hours or so which means that you have finished before it gets too hot. It is also recommended that you carry between 2 and 3 litres of water.

The most difficult part of the walk is the first section which involves climbing 500 steps to get to the top of the canyon.

The ascent is steep and there are no hand rails but it is not too difficult if you take your time and once you have reached the top the hardest part is over and the walk is fairly strait-forward for the rest of the way.

The canyon is made of two types of sandstone, a top layer of Mereenie sandstone with much softer Carmichael sandstone underneath. Over time cracks in the Mereenie layer were widened by the action of rain and wind and eventually these cracks reached the softer layer underneath. This layer eroded much quicker and undercut the top layer causing it to collapse in and form the canyon. A process which probably took millions of years to complete.

The Garden of Eden at the head of the canyon can be reached by a short series of steps. It is a permanent waterhole surrounded by trees and palms and it is a wonderfully tranquil spot and a good place to take a break as you’ve completed almost half of the walk

The canyon is still subject to rock falls and where this occurs it can leave sheer cliff faces with expose the most remarkable patterns on the sandstone surface.

There is evidence in places that this whole area was once sand covered by water. Ripples have been left on the surface which have been incredibly well preserved. They almost look as if they were laid yesterday.

The whole walk is well worth the initial effort in getting to the top of the rim. An amazing experience in a most beautiful of locations

Sunset at Uluru

As the sun sets in the western sky the atmosphere acts like a giant prism and splits the light from the sum into its spectrum of colours. It is light from the red end of the spectrum that hits Uluru and is reflected off it. Hence it will appear redder as the sun goes down. Usually in the last fifteen minutes or so. The changes are subtle and not as bright as you see in some photographs. The following sequence was taken at sunset on March 22nd.