Making the Most of Erldunda in the Summer

Posted on December 19, 2015February 19, 2016 by SAuserER

Ready for some sunny fun in Erldunda? Summer in Central Australia occurs from December to February, with temperatures ranging from 20C to 35C (6F to 95F). For experienced Outback adventurers, this is one of the best seasons to visit Erldunda, where you can enjoy a breathtaking view of the terrains that would otherwise be difficult to visit during darker days. With so many things to do and places to visit, you may find planning for the experience to be a bit overwhelming. Fear not – we’ve compiled the top tourist activities you can follow for a fulfilling holiday.

Appreciating the Wildlife

Are you eager to meet the different animals of Erldunda? There are more than 178 species of bird in Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park alone, so there’s definitely plenty to see!

Of all these creatures, the Emu is arguably the most iconic – these big birds are one of the tallest in Australia, with double shafted feathers that give them a shaggy look. One of the best and safest ways to check the Emus out is at our Emu Enclosure.

Learning in the Cultural Centre

The Cultural Centre is the ideal place to start learning about the rich culture and historical significance of the Australian aborigines. There are free culture and nature presentations starting at 10:00 A.M. on weekdays, and they also offer free ranger-guided walks starting at 8:00 A.M. during October to April and at 10:00 A.M. during May to September. You can also pick up your visitor guide in the centre to personally guide you through your Erldunda experience.

Walking in Uluru and Kata Tjuta

Experience the Outback at its finest by visiting Uluru and Kata Tjuata, NT’s treasured wonders. It’s easy to drop by these top tourist attractions, since the distance is around 55km on a sealed road (and you can take a rest in the Erldunda Roadhouse during trips in-between for a quick lunch or gas fill-up).

You can’t say you’ve been to Erldunda until you’ve visited the world-famous Uluru (Ayer’s Rock), where you’ll notice how nature preserves beauty over time. While it’s illegal to climb Uluru, you can still enjoy visiting this 600-million-year-old Australian icon through walking. You can start taking the entire Uluru Base Walk from the Mala carpark, then head through the acacia woodlands and grassed clay pans, where you’ll see the different plants and animals inhabiting the park. Just make sure to hydrate yourself and watch your steps all the time.

The sacred Kata Tjuta (The Olgas) is another attraction that highlights nature’s gifts in Erldunda. Just like Uluru, everyone is free to visit this area. To get a panoramic view of these sandstone domes, stop by the Kata Tjuta dune viewing area, where you can take a short walk that offers a picture-perfect view of Kata Tjuta. You can also have a closer look at the flora and fauna of Kata Tjuta by taking the Walpa Gorge walk, where the rarest plants of the region bloom throughout the year.

Capture the Perfect Sunset

End your Erldunda summer with a spectacular view of the Sun from the centre of the centre! Watch the sun set (and rise) from our sturdy and wide Sunset Viewing Platform, located near the Caravan Park. You can also take photos here with your friends as a testament to a lasting memory of the beautiful sunset in the Northern Territory.

Get prepared for an adventure and escape the scorching heat as you visit Erldunda this summer by contacting Erldunda Roadhouse today!

References:

Sutherland-Smith, Anne. “More Than Uluru: The Best Kept Secrets Of Central Australia.” Pretraveller.com, 19 Jan. 2014. Web. 28 Aug. 2015.
“Cultural Centre.”
“Walks – Things to Do at Uluru.” Parks Australia, n.d. Web. 28 Aug. 2015.

Dreamtime in Kata Tjuta

Posted on August 12, 2015August 26, 2015 by SAuserER

Kata Tjuta is one of the most iconic representations of Australia. Its majestic beauty and rich Aboriginal history continues to make it one of the most prized tourist stops in Northern Australia year after year.

If you’re looking to add an educational aspect to your Northern adventure, let us tell you about the beautiful stories that the Kata Tjuta carries within it.

Kata Tjuta

“Kata Tjuta” is a Pitjantjara word meaning “many heads”, a pretty accurate description of the terrain: 36 conglomerate domes covering an area of 21.68 sq. km. The sandstone domes are composed predominantly of basalt, granite, and volcanic rock fragments (quartz and microcline) formed over the course of 500 million years. The Kata Tjuta is sacred to the Anangu people, who have inhabited the area for 22,000 years.

The Kata Tjuta is also known as “The Olgas” — named after Queen Olga of Württemberg in 1872 by the Australian explorer Ernest Giles. In 1993, a dual naming policy was adopted that allowed official names consisting of both the Pitjantjara name and the English name, Mount Olga / Kata Tjuta. However a petition from the regional tourism association successfully lobbied for the naming order to be reversed. Resulting in the traditional Indigenous name ‘Kata Tjuta’ being predominant.

The Dreamtime

Aboriginal Australian mythology is composed of different stories and characters that recur in different groups across Australia. The web that connects all of these elements together is the Dreamtime: a place beyond time, where all of Aboriginal ancestral figures — heroes, supernatural creatures — reside. The Dreaming is the domain of all beginnings; the place where, as Aboriginals believe, creation began.

So what are the stories that the Anangu tell about the Kata Tjuta?

One legend depicts the Kata Tjuta as the home of the giant snake called Wanambi — the Dreamtime figure responsible for the formation of gullies, rivers and billabongs. According to legends, Wanambi stays curled up in a waterhole in the highest peak during the rainy season, and crawls down to the gorge during the dry season. The dark lines on the side of the rocks are believed to be his beard, and the wind that blows through the gorge, his breath — gentle breezes on some days, huge hurricanes when he’s angry.

The domes on the Eastern side are identified as the mice women; the two large rocks near the end of the peak are said to be the food they’re about to eat. A pillar on the Eastern side is known as the kangaroo-man Malu, dying in the arms of his sister Mulumara.

Some of the domes are believed to be Pungalunga men — giants that fed on aborigines. Once, it was said that a Pungalunga ate the wives of two hunters, who then decided to kill it. One man acted as a decoy, while the other speared it in the back. The Pungalunga died in Kuniula Cave, near Mulara Springs.

Every part of the Kata Tjuta is filled with significant stories such as this — stories that demonstrate Australia’s rich aboriginal culture, as well as humanity’s inherent penchant for creating and telling stories. The more extensive versions of these mythologies are not particularly disclosed to outsiders.

Visiting Kata Tjuta

However, if you’re planning on visiting Kata Tjuta, you’re still in for a rich cultural treat. Choose between the 2.6-kilometre Walpa Gorge walk or the 4-hour, 7-kilometre Valley of the Winds walk. The former is the easier choice, ideal for beginners — a quick tour around the place. The latter is more challenging, but the walk will take you in between the domes, through creek beds and to the Karu and Karingana lookouts.

The perfect time for these walks is during the morning, when the weather is more mellow, the crowd is smaller, and the wildlife is more active. Remember, though: during December – February, temperatures can reach up to 45 degrees Celcius. Walks are closed during these hot summer days.

To make the most out of your cultural foray to Kata Tjuta, visit the Uluru – Kata Tjuta Cultural Centre! The perfect ending to your Kata Tjuta visit? Standing on the viewing deck, watching the domes change colours as the sun set: from shades of brown to deep shades of red, and remembering, with the shifting of the shadows, the stories of snake-kings and mice women living within its midst.

The Erldunda Roadhouse is a mere 200km away from the majestic Kata Tjuta — the perfect place to stay in and relax before the Kata Tjuta walks!

The Majestic Uluru: Why People Keep Coming Back

Posted on June 16, 2016October 31, 2016 by SAuserER

When one says “Australia”, one of the first images that come to mind for many is that of Uluru — a huge, humbling rock, almost like a mountain or a wall. It is a place of great wonder — a sight so wonderfully humbling.

Uluru, also known as Ayers Rock is the world’s largest sandstone formation, 348 m high. It is a monadrock — an isolated rock hill rising abruptly from a level surrounding plain. Made up of reflective minerals such as quartz, feldspar and arkosic sandstone, it appears to change colour as the day, and the year progresses: a calendar in different shades of brown, orange and red.

But aside from a distinguishable natural beauty, what else is in store for those seeking to visit Uluru?

What’s in a name?

According to archaeological findings, evidence of human settlements in Uluru and the neighboring Kuta Tjuta has been around since 10,000 years ago. The area was first mapped in 1872 by Europeans Ernest Giles and William Goose. The nomadic inhabitants of the area speak different languages, but generally call themselves “Anangu” — meaning ‘human being’. Uluru-area Anangu include two different language groups: the Yankunytjatjara and Pitjantjatjara.

“Uluru” is the local Pitjantjatjara name for the landmark; it was Giles who christened the landmark “Ayers Rock” in honor of the then-Chief Secretary of South Australia, Sir Henry Ayers. The initial expeditions sparked a chain of events: the late 1800s marked an influx of European pastoralists attempting to establish themselves in the area, which resulted in an altercation with the original inhabitants that became more frequent and violent as time passed.

Due to the effects of overgrazing and drought, the area’s bush food stores became depleted, which sparked a greater conflict in terms of competition for resources. Between 1918 and 1921, large adjoining areas of South Australia, Western Australia, and Northern Territory were declared as Aboriginal reserves, including the area where Uluru – Kata Tjuta National park now lies.

With this move came a change: in 1993, a dual naming policy that allowed for the usage of both the traditional Aboriginal name and the English name was adopted, and the Ayers Rock became known as the Ayers Rock/Uluru — the first official dual-name feature in the northern territory. The order of the names was officially reversed in November 2002, following a request from the Regional Tourism Association in Alice Springs.

Uluru in Aboriginal Australian Myths

Creation, according to Aboriginal Australian myths, is a by-product of ancestral beings traveling across a formless land, creating all living species and the features of the land. The Anangu believes that the rock itself tells the story of creation: the main path up to the summit of the rock is the traditional route taken by the ancestral beings upon their arrival at Uluru.

Sacred destination talks about an Aboriginal myth about Uluru:

“According to one Aboriginal myth, two tribes of ancestral spirits were invited to a feast in the area, but became distracted by beautiful Sleepy Lizard Women and dallied at a waterhole. Angry at being stood up, the waiting hosts sang evil into a mud sculpture that came to life as the dingo, a wild dog that has been known to carry off babies. There was a terrible slaughter followed by a great battle, which ended in the deaths of the leaders of both tribes. The earth itself rose up in grief at the bloodshed—and this is Uluru.”

Uluru remains a sacred place to the Aboriginals residing in the area. It bears markings and paintings from a long time ago up to the present, since the rock is still used by some tribes for rituals. The art found on the rock includes figures like boomerangs, human beings, waterholes as well as other abstract symbols.

Visiting Uluru

Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park also has a Cultural Center that you should visit to learn more about Aboriginal culture and rich history of the area. You might even get the chance to have some of the rock paintings and drawings explained to you!

Whether or not a visitor should climb Uluru is a dispute however.

Since Uluru is in a national park, it is not really illegal to climb it — there is even a marked path with a chain and handhold to make the climb safer. However, The Anangu do not climb Uluru as they consider it sacred, and are imploring visitors to refrain from doing so.

Uluru also considers picking up rocks in the area as bad luck — do so at your own risk!

Uluru, aside from being memorably scenic, is a place rich in culture. Visit Uluru and the neighboring Kuta Tjuta, and get more than pictures: learn about new and interesting cultures!

If you are planning to visit Uluru and are looking for the perfect place to stay, contact the Erldunda Roadhouse! We’ll help you arrange for the perfect Uluru visit. Visit us; we’ll be happy to show you around!