Travels and Birds: Kata-Tjuta

We were pleasantly surprised to learn that Uluru was not the only reason to visit this area. Kata Tjuta is another rock formation only about 50 kilometers away. We visited this formation after a sunrise viewing of Uluru. As our guide explained, the two rock formations are quite different. While both are there because the rocks are harder than the surrounding dirt and thus weathering away at a slower rate, they have very different origins. Uluru is a sandstone formation pushed up as what is today the Indian subcontinent smashed into Australia. The collision turned Uluru almost 90 degrees so it appears as leaves of a book or a stack of pancakes turned on its side.

These are rain lines, not evidence of a twisted mountain

Kata Tjuta, on the other hand,is made of lava and has only been turned a few degrees. The guide described it as Christmas pudding. We took a walk up Walpa Gorge between two of the dozen stacks making up the entire place. The walk slopes up gently eventually reaching a spot where the climb gets steeper and the trail ends. It really is an easy walk over the rocky trail with boardwalks in places where the going gets tougher.

The end of the trail

We had good views of the ongoing geologic process as pieces of the hillsides continue to fall away leaving holes behind. Those low enough may be inhabited by the local kangaroos. These kangaroos are unusual in that they are nocturnal and climb the rocky hillsides to hide in the holes during the day.

We also saw several areas where shrubs have been successful because the area manages to hold water long enough for them to survive and even thrive. I even found a honeyeater building a nest in one of these shrubs. I stopped to look at a bug and heard the bird working on the nest.

One interesting bit about Kata Tjuta is off limits to Anangu women. They are not even allowed to look at it so when they are in sight of it they keep their backs turned. The Anangu have some very strict rules about gender roles and have several places that are reserved exclusively for both men and women.