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Kata Tjuta, also known as Mount Olga (or colloquially as The Olgas), are large conglomerate rock formations located in Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, 465 km southwest of Alice Springs at .. These rock formations are a remarkable group of 36 solid sandstone domes, and are about 25 km from Uluru in the Northern Territory of Australia. The tallest of the group, Mount Olga, stands 457 m in height. It is located at the eastern end of the Docker River Road.
Name
The Pitjantjajara name Kata Tjuta means 'many heads'. The site is as sacred to the Indigenous people as Uluru.
The alternative name, The Olgas, comes from the tallest peak, Mt Olga. At the behest of Baron Ferdinand von Mueller, Mt Olga was named in 1872 by Ernest Giles, in honour of Queen Olga of Württemberg. She and her husband King Karl had marked their 25th wedding anniversary the previous year by, amongst other things, naming Mueller a Freiherr (baron), making him Ferdinand von Mueller; this was his way of repaying the compliment. *
In 1993, a dual naming policy was adopted that allowed official names that consist of both the traditional Aboriginal name and the English name. As a result, Mount Olga was renamed "Kata Tjuta/Mount Olga".
Legends
There are many Pitjantjatjara Dreamtime legends associated with this place and indeed everything in the vicinity including of course Uluru. A number of legends surround the great snake Wanambi who is said to live on the summit of Mount Olga and only comes down during the dry season.
Spiritual importance
Many ceremonies were, and are still carried out here, particularly at night. One of these former ceremonies included a type of public punishment that in extreme cases included death. If a woman of the tribe who was molested or attacked and injured named the attacker and he was found guilty, she was obliged to spear him through the leg as punishment.
How To Get There
Kata Tjuta can be accessed via Ayers Rock Airport. It's then a 55km drive south, then south-east. You are required to pay a National Park * entry fee, which is currently $25 AUD per person. You can also drive along the Lasseter Hwy which joins the Stuart Hwy 200m south of Alice Springs at the township of Erldunda. The drive is 4½ hours from Alice Springs.
External links
Geography of the Northern Territory | Rock formations in Australia | World Heritage Sites in Australia
Kata Tjuta | Kata Tjuta | カタ・ジュタ | Kata Tjuta | Kata Tjuta
"Kata Tjuta"