Mount Augustus is impressive. Rising alone out of the surrounding desert plains, it is visible long before you actually get to it, looming out of the plains like a misty, sleeping giant.
When you do get there, you realise just how big this magnificent rock is. At around eight kilometres long and 717 metres high, Mount Augustus is considered to be two and a half times larger than the better-known Uluru.
Unlike Uluru, Mount Augustus is covered by trees and shrubs. Whilst you can walk around Uluru, you really need to drive around Mount Augustus, because it is a respectable 49 kilometres!
The mountain is now a national park but is surrounded by pastoral leases. The only place to stay in the area is the Mount Augustus Station, which was established in 1887, covers around 1.4 million acres of the surrounding countryside. Located literally ‘across the road’ from the mountain itself, I set myself up in their bush camp that afforded me magnificent views of the mountain.
This is a working cattle station, so there are lots of cows wandering around, which means there are about a gazillion flies, too. And these flies all want to be your new best friend, which is just not nice.
Mount Augustus is sacred to the local Aboriginal peoples who know the mountain as Burringurrah. The traditions tell that Burringurrah was a local man killed for defying tribal law and his body forms the mountain.
The Aboriginal people also recorded their stories in petroglyphs carved onto the rocks and there are several walks that allow you to view these.
In the bright sunlight, the rocks seem to glow a bright orange and contrast dramatically with the intense blue of the sky.
Of course, there was plenty of time to enjoy a beer watching the sun set behind the mountain.
And on a couple of evenings, massive thunder storms threatened.
No rain fell where I was, but it was obvious heavy rain was falling on the surrounding countryside.
Because it was hot, I was waking pretty early, so I also managed to catch the sunrise on a couple of mornings. It was amazing to watch as the sun rose and the mountain glowed a beautiful red colour.
