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One of the world's
strangest mountain is a cluster of red rock
domes glowing in Australia's desert. Heat haze
shining on the vast, sandy plains of Australia's
Northern Territory can make the sight of the
Olgas seem like a mirage. The Olgas, first seen
by Ernest Giles, is made up of thirty six rock
domes rising from the ground and forming a
circular cluster whereby the tallest of the
group is known as Mount Olga. Giles then named the Olgas
after the Queen of Spain. Giles also named a
nearby lake Amadeus, after the King of Spain.
The Olgas is sometimes referred to as Kata Tjuta
by the local here.
 From far away, it is
hard to appreciate the enormous height of the
tallest dome, Mount Olga. Standing at a height
of 550 meters, it is the highest point in the
Uluru National Park. Narrow ravines and chasms
separate the domes, places where the sun barely
reaches and the wind can whistle and howl
alarmingly. The ravine at the heart of the Olgas,
called the Valley of the Winds, is a sheltered,
red-walled, green oasis. Acacias, mint bushes,
daisies and spiny yellow porcupine grass are
seen to grow here. One of the best place to view
the Olgas if from the Kata Tjuta Lookout.
Meaning 'many heads', Kata Tjuta is the
Aborigine name for the Olgas and it is part of
the Tjukurpa, the Aborigine code of living.
The domes found here
are formed from a mixture of pebbles and
boulders. The ravine floors are covered by dense
scrubs while the caves round the bases of the
domes are homes for bats and wallaroos with
aboriginal engravings decorating the walls of
the caves. Although rain here is scarce but
whenever it does rain, the water fills crevices
to form rock pools which is needed by the
plants, such as peach-like quandong, that grows
here. Red, green and orange lichens patterns the
rocks in some of the sheltered areas such as the
Liru Mountain (Lizard Mountain). Ravines with
names related to Aboriginal teachings include
the Valley of the Mice Women which is a narrow
cleft that has walls pockmarked with caves
chiseled from the soft rock by rain and wind and
the Dome of the Dying Kangaroo Man which tells
the story of a man attacked by dingoes. On the
western section are large domes which represent
the fearsome Pungalungas while a cave in Mount
Olga is believed to be the den of Wanampi, a
serpent that guards the tribal laws.
Located about fifty
kilometers away from Yulara airport, the best time to
visit the Olgas is during spring when the
ravines are covered with flowers. There are more
than one hundred thousand visitors who come to
visit the Olgas every year and the best place to
appreciate the beauty of the domes is to take a
walk through Olga Gorge, which narrows to a
cleft before opening out to the Valley of the
Winds. A magnificent view can be seen during
sunset when the long shadows of trees and sand
hills on the western plain darken the lower
flanks of the Olgas and slowly, the rocks change
from glowing red to deep dusky mauve as the sun
sinks and night covers them.
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