Kata Tjuta

Kata Tjuta is Pitjantjatjara meaning "many heads". It is an Anangu (Aboriginal tribe) men's site and is sacred under traditional law. It is made from sedimentary rock called conglomerate - a mix of gravel, pebbles and boulders cemented together by sand and mud. We spent some time here this morning and I took the Walpa Gorge hike. Beautiful plants were in the gorge as this is where the scarce rainfall is collected. You can see various sizes of stones and pebbles that make up the formation in some of the boulders that have fallen out the cliff walls.

After our visit we spent some time in the culture center then gabbed a light lunch and headed to the airport for our flight to Cairns (pronounced Cans, as the I and r are silent). 

Walpa Gorge trail

Notice the holes in the cliff walls where the boulders have fallen out.

There were some beautiful plants along the trail.

there was this beautiful waterhole back in the gorge.

This is the end of the trail into the gorge.

Look at the detail of this boulder and you can see the composition is made up of smaller rocks and pebbles cemented togehter.

Within the park area is access to the Gunbarrel Highway. This is a desert track of wash always, heavy corregations, stones, sand and flood plains that is 1400 km (840) miles) long and goes across central Australia. It was built as part of Australia's role in weapons research including atomic bomb testing sites. You can still travel it today but there are some strict regulations that must be followed due to the isolation and dangers.

Tomorrow we begin our adventures around Cairns.