It is cold and overcast today , threatening to rain - there has been some rain though , as the road is wet between town and the entry station - we only got a few spots in town !!
Arriving at the sunrise viewing platform carpark , we jumped out and nearly jumped back in again - the wind was cold & lazy , it went straight through you , rather than go round !! We toughed it out , but as we reached the platform ( on top of the sand dune ) the wind picked up some more . Needless to say we didn't hang round for long , photo's done , it was back to the ute !!
Kata Tjuta is a series of 36 rocks & domes ( indigenous meaning is "many heads " ) , the highest of which is 546m high above the sand dunes surrounding it - higher than Uluru - it's only 348m high !!
On the way back to the ute I spotted some different wildflowers .
It seemed as we drove out today , that the wildflowers had either been blown away in yesterdays wind , or just weren't around here . With the colder conditions , the flowers have decided to not come out - there were plenty this afternoon as it warmed up a bit !!!
Views of Kata Tjuta improved as we got closer , the scale and size of them was more and more impressive .
On the roadside were many more flowers , some we have seen in WA last year - Mulla Mulla - and it's in many variations as well .
The Valley of the Winds was our next destination , there's 2 lookouts and up to 7.4klms of walks . We went to Karu Lookout and I walked down to the valley below it for a bit of a look . The next photo is one of the domes on the right hand side of the track .
It was pretty big , but was dwarfed completely by the huge one beside it .
The most noticeable thing here compared to Uluru , is the rock . Uluru consists of sandstone , whereas Kata Tjuta is conglomerate - rather large rocks at that !! The path leads you over the rock - it's a mixture of blue metal , some whitish rock and various others . They vary in size from marbles to bowling balls to boulders .
This photo is where the track goes over a domed section .
Kari Lookout looks over the valley below and some of the other domes .
Wandering down the rocky slope to the creekbed below , showed off more rocks and flowers - of which there are plenty of !!
As you go down hill , a valley appears to the right , this is where the other lookout walk and loop track goes . Stunning scenery !!
Back up to the lookout and after settling the heart rate , headed back to the ute . Spinifex grass will grow just about anywhere there's bit of moisture and 2 grains of sand .
On the way down the track , we were met by one of the locals - a 1.2m Perentie . These are the most colourful lizards - great camouflage as well . It just walked up the track toward us , and veered off about 2m away from us . Didn't seem to mind posing for a few photo's either !
We didn't meet any more wildlife , only tourists - some wilder than others hahaha !!
We drove a short distance to Walpa Gorge and had some lunch before going for a walk into the gorge.
The gorge is just the area between 2 of the domes , and is a 2.6klm return walk uphill .
There are slots in the rock that appear to be at one level - almost like ventilation holes !!
The rock is grooved from water & gravel being washed down the rock face after rain events .
The track again is over the rocky lower domed surface - you need to watch where you walk here - it just means you have to stop and take in the views .
Down in the gully to the left and also up to the right are some pretty big boulders - glad we weren't around when they fell from above somewhere - the noise would have been deafening , not to mention the stone flying everywhere !!! These ones were pretty large - the trees beside are about 8m tall .
After crossing a few bridges , we arrived at a small waterhole , only another few hundred metres to go to get to the viewing platform .
Everlasting daisies were still flowering happily , and we spotted a tiny blue flowering plant near the creekbed . It had lots of flowers , but very small , as was this yellow flower as well.
The remainder of the gorge was covered in dense scrub and a no go area , so we looked for a while before making our way back down . The Mulla Mulla was a feature on the way .
Back to the ute , we drove around to the sunset viewing area to get a different angle on the domes . The millions of dead wildflowers indicate it would have been a fantastic picture when they were out and flowering in pinks & purples a couple of weeks ago , it was still excellent today !!!!
And another different angle .
One more from the main road back to Yulara as we head for home !!!
Here's a map link :-https://drive.google.com/open?id=1pTc0W-AxCuqJP7lEBqprOBwUVtA&usp=sharing
No comments:
Post a Comment