This entry was posted on 6/21/2007 7:29 PM and is filed under Australia.
Kata Tjuta (formerly known as "The Olgas"), is located about 50K (40 miles) west of Uluru. Kata Tjuta is a Pitjantjatjara word meaning "many heads". The 36 steep-sided domes are made from a sedimentary rock called
conglomerates, which is a mix of gravel, pebbles and boulders cemented
together by sand and mud. However, the Aboriginals of this area
have many other mystical stories explaining the appearance of these
massive domes.
The best way to get a feel of this magnificent area is to view this
short movie - a still photo just doesn't do it justice - and look
around with us (and enjoy some didgeridoo in the background too)...
The Anangu, the Indigenous people of this area, still visit this area and perform many of their sacred rituals here. They have passed their stories down through the generations by Tjukurpa - which explains their existence and guides their daily life. Tjukurpa
sets the rules for behavior and for living together. It is the law for
caring for one another and for the land that supports their existence. It
is their teacher and refers to the past, present and future at the same
time.
Ngananala tjilpi unu pama tjuta-nguru Tjukurpa nyangatja nintiringanyi ka nganana kulira munu pulkara witira kanyini.
"We learn this Tjukurpa from old men and women. We listen to them and hold onto our law really strongly."
This is the beginning of the Walpa Gorge Walk...
It was here that we saw a
feral camel. Brought to this area by Afghan herders many years ago and
guided by "cameleers", many of the animals were released in the wild
after their services were no longer needed.
Here's our first kangaroo that was sighted in the wild and not in a wild life preserve...
Watch
this little movie of these two guys moving about... The accompanying music is the didgeridoo, which
actually was not played by the Aborigines of this area, but rather
those from further north - It is such a great Aussie sound...
There
were also interesting birds here, called crested pigeons. These
were mainly on the ground eating grubs and scratching around the
earth. Their habitat is all of Australia except the northern
tropical areas, but this was the only place we saw them...
These parrots (photo below) made delightful sounds and were comfortable with us standing quite close to them...
Listen to this short movie of their song...
Here's a close up of the vibrant rock walls...
Wondering
about these very flattering head covers? During some times of the
year, especially summer, the black flies are relentless in their
pursuit of terrorism of the tourist. We were lucky that they were
quite dormant while we were there. However, these nets were all
the rage and we wanted to fit in...
Another shot of these beautiful domes.
This
was the canyon that we explored on the "Valley of the Winds"
Walk. Parts of it were very steep, rocky and difficult to
traverse, but the views were well worth the effort...
Ahhhh...sunset at Kata Tjuta! Quite magnificent, don't you think???...
