Kata Tjuta Mountains / Olgas - impressions and interesting facts

*~ UNESCO World Heritage ~*
	*Kata Tjuta - Olgas*


Some 50 km west of the Uluru the second, intriguing natural feature of the National Park can be found, the Olgas or Kata Tjuta, a group of 36 island mountains, which are separated by magnificent gorges. The domed mountains cover an area of 21.68 km² and are composed of a coarse grained conglomerate of granite, gneiss and other volcanic rock. Kata Tjuta in the language of the Aborigines means "many heads". The highest point is Mount Olga, which rises approximately 546 m above the surrounding plain, 203 m higher than Uluru! Many Aboriginal Dreamtime legends are associated with this place, and the great snake Wanambi is said to live on the summit of Mount Olga and only comes down during the dry season. On your way to these mountains you should stop at the Dunes Viewing Area, which offers a spactacular view of the Kata Tjuta. There are two major walks leading into the mountains: one to the Valley of Winds, which takes about 4 to 5 hours for the journey there and back and is a bit strenuous, and another to the Olga Gorge, which takes just an hour. Both offer a geat variety of amazing views and reveal a surprising variety of vegetation.