Tag: attractions in Australia’s Golden Outback

Did you know that Mount Augustus is claimed to be the largest rock in the world? It is almost twice the size and considerably older than the more famous Uluru (Ayers Rock) in the Northern Territory of Australia. Mount Augustus in the Upper Gascoyne (roughly 1200km north east of Perth) rises 715m above the surrounding plain and covers the area of 4795 hectares. It has a central ridge, almost 8 km long, which is estimated to be more than 1600 million years long.

The road to the rock

The road to Mt Augustus (from Kennedy Ranges) is a good unsealed road, a bit dusty (especially when another vehicle passes by) and with lots of wandering stock. It took us 6 hours to reach Mt Augustus from Kennedy Ranges. We stopped a lot because we believe that travelling is not about reaching your destination but it is the process of travelling that is meaningful and enjoyable.

Camping around Mount Augustus

We stayed at Mount Augustus Tourist Park (pretty much the only place you can stay there). It is a large (actually huge) and nice caravan park with powered sites and cabins for those seeking a bit more comfort on one side and a huge bush campground on the other side. We stayed on the other (bush) side of the park. It is a drive in and choose your own spot place, with a number of bushes which provide some privacy.

Nights being cold in July, it was wonderful to have a camp fire to keep us warm. The kids were happy to roast marshmallows every night, receiving a considerably larger portions of them than they would have at home . Oh, well, camping means doing something different and unusual, after all .

Aboriginal history

Mount Augustus is rich in Aboriginal history and Dreamtime tales. It is considered to be traditional land of the Wajarri people. Wajarri name for Mount Augustus is Burringurrah. In Aboriginal Dreamtime story, Burringurrah was a boy who escaped the rigours of his tribal initiation, only to be found and speared to death. The Wajarri people say the shape of Mount Augustus is the boy lying as he died on his belly with his left leg bent up, beside his body.

Hikes around Mount Augustus

There is a 49km loop drive around Mount Augustus which provides views of the changing faces of the rock and access to feature sites. A number of trails lead to the different parts of the rock, from easy and short hikes to long and difficult trails leading to the summit (12km return trails). 

We only had one full day to explore the Mount Augustus, so opted to do a few short walks. 

Three of the featured sites have Aboriginal engravings on the rocks, the most impressive being Flinstone rock along Flinstone-Beedoboondu trail. To view Aboriginal engravings we crawled under Flinstone Rock which was great fun for kids. 

Petroglyph Trail is the shortest hiking trail (only 300m return) which leads to an engraved wall of Aboriginal art.

Ooramboo trail is another place to view Aboriginal engravings. It is an easy picturesque half an hour hiking trail, leading to a spring, which at that time was dry.

Saddle Trail is a longer trail (1km return) that leads to the views of the Pound (the place used for holding cattle before moving it to Meekatharra in the old days) and over the Lyons River valley. It was the longest trail for us, because there were so many wildflowers to admire.

Cattle Pool

Cattle Pool (known as Goolinee among the Wajarri people) is another attraction in Mount Augustus National Park. It is a permanent pool on the Lyons River, which in the old days was a place where cattle quenched their thirst. There is a short (1.2km return) hiking trail along the banks of this picturesque pool. Lined with white river gum trees, this tranquil and beautiful place attracts a lot of waterbirds.

It was nice to have a picnic and relax there and to learn more about this place. According to Wajarri Dreamtime story, the snake Gujida inhibits waters at the eastern end of Cattle Pool, so Aboriginal people avoid swimming there. They do, however, swim at the north east end of the pool, so long as they sprinkle sand into the waters first to show their respect to the Gujida. An important lesson we can learn from Aboriginal Dreamtime stories – treat nature with respect.

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