Mount Augustus (Western Australia) Explained

Mount Augustus is located roughly 1,000 km north of Perth, in the Mount Augustus National Park in Western Australia. The name is also given to the neighbouring pastoral lease, Mount Augustus Station. The local Wadjari people call it Burringurrah, after a Dreamtime figure, a young boy who was speared and turned into a rock.[1] It has been a sacred site for thousands of years.[2]

It is a prominent inselberg[3] that stands 1106m (3,629feet) above sea level, or approximately 860m (2,820feet) above the surrounding plain, and covers an area of 4795ha. It has a central ridge which is almost 80NaN0 long.

Monolith–Anticline distinction

Mount Augustus is widely claimed in tourist promotional and information literature as the "world's largest monolith",[4] but the claim does not originate from the geological literature, nor is it substantiated by any other scholarly research.[5]

Mt. Augustus is more than twice the size of Uluru.[6] Unlike Uluru, which is a monolith and, in general, devoid of plant growth, Mt. Augustus is an asymmetrical anticline.

1894 gold rush

There was a gold rush in the 1890s due to local geology.[7] [8] [9]

Flora and fauna

Wattles, cassias and eremophilas dominate the plant life and the animal life include emus, red kangaroos, goannas, euros and birds of prey.[10] There are over 100 species of birds on and around Mount Augustus.[11]

Walking tracks

The climb to the summit and back can take up to 5 hours, and there are two trails (one class 4 and the other a class 5) to get there. There are a number of walking tracks to explore.

There have been a number of deaths on the summit walking trail. An inquest into the deaths by government authorities suggests to close the summit trail between September and March for the sake of unwary hikers who do not appreciate the treacherous conditions.[12]

Aboriginal history and rock engravings

Evidence of early Aboriginal habitation is depicted in the rock engravings around Mount Augustus. Many of the Dreamtime stories of the local Aboriginal Wajarri people can be viewed in the rock engravings at Mundee, Ooramboo and Beedoboondu. All of these are accessible on the loop walking trail.[13]

See also

Notes

-24.325°N 116.8417°W

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Mount Augustus National Park . 2021-11-02 . Government of Western Australia Parks and Wildlife Service.
  2. News: Protecting Australia's lesser-known sacred rock. en-GB. BBC News. 2021-11-01.
  3. Mount Augustus Geology and Geomorphology . Robert P. . Bourman . Cliff D. . Ollier . Solomon . Buckman . Geographical Research . 2010 . 48 . 2. 111–122 . 10.1111/j.1745-5871.2009.00608.x.
  4. Web site: General Information.
  5. – notably in the abstract: Mount Augustus has often been compared with Ayers Rock, and unwarranted claims have been made that it is the biggest rock in the world and the world's biggest monolith. and Other rock types present on Mount Augustus include metamorphic and igneous rocks, which preclude it from being termed a monolith. see abstract – http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1745-5871.2009.00608.x/abstract;jsessionid=16E8EC24BE6383BF75C5D6793A04711B.f02t02
  6. Web site: Australian rocks and mountains | australia.gov.au . 6 November 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171224145659/http://www.australia.gov.au/about-australia/australian-story/austn-rocks-and-mountains . 24 December 2017 . dead .
  7. News: The Discovery at Mount Augustus . . Perth, WA . 3 February 1894 . 11 January 2014 . 20 . National Library of Australia.
  8. News: West Australian Goldfields . . NSW . 18 May 1894 . 11 January 2014 . 5 . National Library of Australia.
  9. News: The West Australian Fields . . Sydney, NSW . 6 January 1894 . 11 January 2014 . 20 . National Library of Australia.
  10. Web site: Mount Augustus | Explore Parks WA | Parks and Wildlife Service.
  11. Web site: Australian rocks and mountains | australia.gov.au . 6 November 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171224145659/http://www.australia.gov.au/about-australia/australian-story/austn-rocks-and-mountains . 24 December 2017 . dead .
  12. News: 2021-11-23. With the nearest town four hours away there are calls to shut this popular hiking trail in summer after four deaths. en-AU. ABC News. 2021-11-23.
  13. Web site: Mount Augustus – how to visit the biggest rock in the world. 2018-05-16. West Australian Explorer. en-US. 2020-03-06.

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