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Kata Tjuta 

The Olgas, Australia
The Olgas at sunset. Photo Creative Commons License Beau Wade.

Kata Tjuta/Olgas
Olgas in the sunlight. Photo Creative Commons License Beau Wade.

Tree at the Olgas rock formation, Uluru National Park
Kata Tjuta. Photo Creative Commons License Stefan Reiß.

Location map and aerial view of Kata Tjuta. For a larger interactive view, see our Australia Map.



About 25 km from the famous Uluru is another sacred rock formation known as Kata Tjuta (“many heads”), also known as the Olgas (named for Queen Olga of Württemberg in 1872).

Kata Tjuta is a circular grouping of some 36 rounded red rocks rising from the desert plains, which cover an area of 11 square miles (28 square km). The highest is Mt. Olga, which rises 1,500 feet (460 m) above the plain and 3,507 feet above sea level.

Like Uluru, the Olgas are sacred to the Anangu and provide visitors with a dazzling show of color as the sun crosses the sky throughout the day. Luxurious vegetation grows in deep clefts between the domes.

Kata Tjuta is far less frequented by tourists than Uluru, and thus provides a more serene place of meditation and ceremony for the Aborigines. They follow the paths through the domes, singing traditional songs and telling stories about Dreamtime.

Quick Facts

Site Information
Names: Kata Tjuta; The Olgas
Location:Northern Territory, Australia
Category: Sacred Rocks; World Heritage Sites
Faith:Indigenous
Denomination:Aboriginal
Status:active
Visitor Information
Coordinates: 25.298212° S, 130.73842° E   (view on Google Maps)
Address:Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, PO Box 119, Yulara NT 0872 Australia
Phone:Park administration: (+61) 8 - 8956 1100
Cultural Center: (+61) 8 - 8956 1128
Website:http://www.deh.gov.au/parks/uluru/
E-mail:uluru.info@deh.gov.au
Hours:Open during daylight hours, including sunrise and sunset.
Cost:Free
Photography:Permitted

Note: This information was accurate when published and we do our best to keep it updated, but details such as opening hours can change without notice. To avoid disappointment, please check with the site directly before making a special trip.

Article Sources

Article written by Holly Hayes with reference to the following sources:

  1. Norbert C. Brockman, "Uluru and Kata Tjuta, Australia," Encyclopedia of Sacred Places (Oxford University Press, 1998), 292-93.
  2. "Olgas." Encyclopædia Britannica (Encyclopædia Britannica Online, 2006).
  3. Uluru - Kata Tjuta National Park - Australian Government
  4. Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park - UNESCO World Heritage List




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