GFE Stumpes: 2-day Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park II (9/4/2025)

Thursday, September 4, 2025

Up very early so that we could be driven to the
Kata Tjuṯa Dune Viewing Area before sunrise (KSS)

From here we could see the sun rise behind Uluṟu
in the distance...

... and see the sun shine on Kata Tjuṯa (temporarily
known as The Olgas), the third of the monoliths (KSS)

This was the crowd at the viewing area (KSS)

A little brighter at Kata Tjuṯa; note the grasses: Triodia pungens/

Soft Spinifex and Triodia basedowei/Hard Spinifex

Now the sun is peeking over the horizon

The sunrise near Uluṟu

Kata Tjuṯa are 36 bonhardts/domed rock formations
which are 25 km/16 miles from Uluṟu; the tallest is higher
than Uluṟu with Mount Olga being 546 m/1,791' tall

The tall grasses reflected the early morning sun

Sunlight through the grasses

Whenever possible, the emergency station
was pointed out to us, where there is a
satellite phone to be used if you lose the guide

We were taking the Walpa Gorge hike into Kata Tjuṯa
between the two tallest domes, a 2.6 km/1.6 mile round trip

Trachymene glaucifolia/Native Carrot or Blue Parsnip

The hike was on large stones...

...with occasional bridges

Looking back

Conglomerate stones (KSS)

Some greenery around the remnants of a stream (KSS)

Walpa Gorge stream

Kent made it to the end (KSS)

I started back early, but Kent caught up

Oh, no! ...drawing a map of Australia for a geology lesson'
which meant more standing on tired painful legs

Patches of land with no undergrowth indicates the
practice of mosaic controlled burns traditionally used by
the indigenous people who found that the burns not only
rejuvenated the land, but wildfires were stopped
when reaching a "break" of a pre-burned area