Central Australia Attractions

The 36 rock domes of the Olgas (Kata Tjuta, 'many heads') cover a much larger area and the highest of them is considerably higher than Ayers Rock (546m above the surrounding plain and 1069m above sea level). The Olgas are thought to have been originally a single huge rock, larger than Ayers Rock, which as a result of its coarser grain was split up by erosion. The first white man to see them was again Ernest Giles, who named them Mount Olga after a Russian princess.Walking trailsThere are three parking places, each the start of a walking trail. From the western parking lot the trail runs east into the narrowest part of Mount Olga Gorge, returning by the same route (about 1 hour); from the one on the south side the trail leads to the Kata Tjuta Lookout (1 1/2 hours there and back); and from the one on the north the trail leads to the Valley of the Winds (2 hours for the circuit). It is also possible to walk between the Olgas, but at some points it is a stiff climb and the paths are not marked.

2483haThe most striking features in this valley in the James Range are the rugged free-standing sandstone cliffs and rock formations which glow in the colors of the rainbow in the slanting sun of early morning or late afternoon. To the northwest are expanses of sandy country covered with spinifex grass and occasional clay pans and desert oaks (casuarinas). To the south are sandstone hills and crags dissected by erosion, with Aboriginal rock engravings and ochre paintings. The dark red sandstones containing iron oxides are much harder and more resistant to erosion than the soft light-colored sandstone, which is very fragile and easily destroyed.There are organized tours from Alice Springs and camel trips from the nearby Virginia Camel Farm.

Mount Connor, known to the Aborigines as Atila, was discovered in 1873 and named after the South Australian politician M.L. Connor.This tabular hill comes in sight some 130km after the Lasseter Highway branches off the Stuart Highway and is often confused with Ayers Rock. It rises to a height of 350m above the plain, with a steeply scarped north side and a summit plateau. The south side has a very different aspect, sloping down more gently in a series of depressions.From the Mount Connor Lookout rest area on the Lasseter Highway there are views of a number of salt lakes.

1771ha.The park, in an area of great scenic beauty, contains two gorges very different from one another. Trephina Gorge, flanked by sandstone walls, is relatively open, with a broad sandy riverbed, tall river gums and perennial waterholes. John Hayes Rock Hole is narrow and shady; with its many wedge-tailed eagles the area under Mount Hayes is known as the Valley of the Eagles. At the entrance to the gorge there are colonies of bats. The park was formerly part of a large cattle station, which has left a legacy in the form of horses, donkeys and cattle which have gone wild.

5506ha.Gold was found here in 1887 and was worked systematically until 1916. Little is left of this isolated mining settlement - mine shafts, rusty machinery, ruins of stone-built houses (the police station and prison have been restored). There is a visitor center with documentation and an interesting old cemetery. Walkers should be wary of disused mine shafts and wells. Visitors can look for gold in Paddy's Creek, on the south side of the access road. In Arltunga itself digging and the use of metal detectors are prohibited.

A cattle station and stud farm was established in Glen Helen in the 1870s. Near the original homestead is Glen Helen Lodge (restaurant, filling station).Glen Helen is a good base for trips to Mount Sonder and the western MacDonnells. Within easy reach are Redbank Nature Park, Ormiston Gorge and Pound National Park and Glen Helen Gorge Nature Park.

The tiny settlement of Ross River grew up at the end of the 19th C round the homestead of the Loves Creek Station. Since 1959 it has been developed as a tourist center for excursions into the Macdonnell Ranges. Ross River is named after John Ross, who along with Harvey and Giles surveyed the route of the Overland Telegraph in 1871, following in the footsteps of John McDouall Stuart.

18ha.The park takes its name from a narrow winding gorge with waterholes at each end. The first waterhole usually dries up; if it does not, the gorge can be entered only by swimming (the water is cold, and an airbed helps). In the park there are many palm ferns (cycads), relics of an earlier vegetation pattern.

Wallara Ranch is an outback inn, which until the completion of the new Kings Canyon Frontier Lodge was an important tourist stopover. From here it is 95km to Kings Canyon/Watarrka National Park. The inn was once on the huge Angus Downs cattle station.

Wauchope is a convenient stopover on the Stuart Highway. It began life as a supply center for workers in the wolfram mines discovered in 1914, who included many Chinese. In 1923 the post office was converted into an inn.10km north, on the Stuart Highway, are the Devil's Marbles.

On Barrow Creek is an old roadhouse hotel dating from the time when the Stuart Highway was still a mere track.The area was explored by Stuart, who named it after a South Australian politician, John Henry Barrow.