Most visitors to Australia know of Uluru (formerly Ayers Rock), but most are not aware of the other attractions in the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. Extending over 1,325 hectares, this desert wilderness is also the site of the Kata Tjuta Kata Tjuta (formerly The Olgas), a huge sandstone formation taller than Uluru and equally spectacular. There are great walks, unique scenery, and an abundance of Aboriginal culture to learn about, not to mention superb photographic opportunities. Uluru is the world\'s largest monolith at 350 metres high and 9 kilometres around, and that's just the visible part! It's all that remains of a 300 million year old sandstone range which extends underground some 3 km. Listed as a World Heritage site for not only the importance of its natural phenomena, but also its cultural significance, Uluru is also known for its colour show changing from dark grey in the early morning through deep red, bright orange and occasionally even light purple. The first person to discover Uluru was a European, Ernest Giles, who only saw the rock from a distance in 1872. One year later, when he was finally able to visit the rock, he found that William Gosse had since named Ayers Rock after Sir Henry Ayers, who was the premier of South Australia. William Gosse said that Uluru was '..... certainly the most wonderful natural feature I have ever seen'. It's possible to climb Uluru, although the Aboriginal owners request that you don't. Despite this, 10% still do the climb, and having done so myself I can at least attest to the views of the desert from the top. The Olgas are situated to the west of Ayers Rock in the Northern Territory and are 36 sandstone domes.The tallest dome of the Olgas is 546 metres above the oasis-like Valley of Winds that runs through the rocks .Ernest Giles, who first saw Mount Olga, named it after the Queen of Spain. The Aborigine name for the Olgas is Kata Tjuta Kata Tjuta, meaning many heads.
