Day 36 The Olgas

We rose at 5.00am this morning to get to Kata Tjuta, or the Olgas, to see the sunrise. It was somewhat disappointing as a great cloud bank was on the east horizon and it took a long time for the sun to rise above the clouds.  The Olgas are composed of a completely different rock type from Uluru.  It is a conglomerate with very large pebbles in it and it has weathered differently as a result.  This probably explains the very different rock formations between the two. The uneven rock faces made it difficult to walk on, when we did the Walpa Gorge walk.  The walk into the Valley of the Winds had the same problematic walking conditions. The Olgas have a number of towering, and not so towering, domes and there was even some greenery at their base and in the chasms. The bush flies were a nuisance to say the least.

120514 A rock dome at the
western end of the Olgas before dawn

120514 The Olgas - just before dawn

120514 The eastern end of the Olgas with clouds

120514 The Olgas - just before the sun rose

120514 The Olgas - in the early morning sun

120514 An unusual wildflower at the Olgas

120514 The Olgas - domes at the western end

120514 The Olgas - the walk in to the Walpa Gorge

120514 The Olgas - a dome at the start of the Walpa Gorge walk

120514 The Olgas - the end of the Walpa Gorge

120514 The Olgas - walking out of the Walpa Gorge

120514 The Olgas - Domes at the western end

120514 Looking east from Karu Lookout

120514 The Olgas - a friendly local

120514 The Gnome at Kata Tjuta