Geologic cross-section, Ayers Rock & The Olgas

Kata Tjutas (aka Olgas)

Kata Tjuta, means 'many heads', and is a sacred place for the Anangu men.

We took a short one hour walk in Walpa Gorge in the late afternoon but temperatures must have been over 110F in the sun next to the rocks. A wet bandana provided some relief from the extremely hot temps but it was a brisk walk back to the air-conditioned van!

The Kata Tjutas make up of a group of 36 conglomerate rock domes dating back 500 million years.

Ayers Rock (aka Uluru)

The red hot centre of Australia is home to this world-renowned sandstone monolith, which stands about 1200 ft high with most of its bulk below the ground and connected to the nearby Kata Kjutas (Olgas) rock formations. Christmas eve was marked by temperatures in the 100s, and being summer, the black flies (which fortunately don't bite) were out in force. Head nets came in handy!

On Christmas morning after sunrise we walked around the base (about 7.5 miles).

There is much to see on the walk. Caves and unusual pockmarks on the rock, formed by erosion, illustrate the legends and stories passed down through multiple generations of the Anangu. Uluru is owned by the Anangu, the local aboriginal population, and is a sacred part of their culture and laws. The national park is jointly managed by the Anangu and the Australian government.

Sugar cane farmlands on way to Daintree Rain Forest

Welcome smoke, Mossman Gorge

Local aboriginal custom calls for smoke to welcome outsiders here in the rain forest north of Cairns.

Cape Tribulation

Where rainforest meets the reef. The official wet season here arrived on queue at midnight last night.