DESKTOP 2854 - KATHERINE GORGE

Nitmiluk National Park is in the Northern Territory of Australia, 244 km southeast of Darwin, around a series of gorges on the Katherine River and Edith Falls. Previously named Katherine Gorge National Park, its northern edge borders Kakadu National Park. The gorges and the surrounding landscape have great ceremonial significance to the local Jawoyn people, who are custodians of Nitmiluk National Park. In Jawoyn, Nitmiluk means "place of the cicada dreaming".

Katherine Gorge, a deep gorge carved through ancient sandstone by the Katherine River, is the central attraction of the park. Katherine Gorge is made up of thirteen gorges, with rapids and falls, and follow the Katherine River, which begins in Kakadu. During the Dry Season, roughly from April to October, the Katherine Gorge waters are placid in most spots and ideal for swimming and canoeing. There may be freshwater crocodiles in most parts of the river, as they nest along the banks, but they are harmless to humans.

Saltwater crocodiles regularly enter the river during the wet season, when the water levels are very high, and are subsequently removed and returned to the lower levels at the onset of the dry season. Thus, swimming in the Wet Season is prohibited, as crocodiles don't respond to swimmers' questioning them if they are fresh or saltwater ones. Cruises of various lengths go as far as the fifth gorge.

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DESKTOP 2770 - THE OLGAS

Kata Tjuta, sometimes written Tjuṯa (Kata Joota), and also known as Mount Olga (or colloquially as The Olgas), are a group of large domed rock formations or bornhardts located about 365 km southwest of Alice Springs, in the southern part of the Northern Territory, central Australia. Uluru (Ayers' Rock), 25 km to the east, and Kata Tjuta / Mount Olga form the two major landmarks within the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park.

 

The 36 domes that make up Kata Tjuta / Mount Olga cover an area of 21.68 km2, are composed of conglomerate, a sedimentary rock consisting of cobbles and boulders of varying rock types including granite and basalt, cemented by a matrix of sandstone. The highest point, Mount Olga, is 1,066 m above sea level, or approximately 546 m  above the surrounding plain (198 m higher than Uluru).

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DESKTOP 2430 - OUTBACK BUSHFIRE

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DESKTOP 2287 - ROCK

Uluru, also known as Ayers Rock, is a large sandstone rock formation in the southern part of the Northern Territory, central Australia. It lies 335 km south west of the nearest large town, Alice Springs, 450 km by road. Kata Tjuta and Uluru are the two major features of the Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park.

The sandstone formation stands 348 m high, rising 863 m above sea level with most of its bulk lying underground, and has a total circumference of 9.4 km. Uluru has immense cultural significance and is sacred to the Anangu, the Aboriginal people of the area. The area around the formation is home to a plethora of springs, waterholes, rock caves and ancient paintings. Uluru is listed as a World Heritage Site.

Uluru is an inselberg, literally "island mountain". An inselberg is a prominent isolated residual knob or hill that rises abruptly from and is surrounded by extensive and relatively flat erosion lowlands in a hot, dry region. Uluru is also often referred to as a monolith, although this is a somewhat ambiguous term that is generally avoided by geologists. The remarkable feature of Uluru is its homogeneity and lack of jointing and parting at bedding surfaces, leading to the lack of development of scree slopes and soil. These characteristics led to its survival, while the surrounding rocks were eroded.

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DESKTOP 1903 - OUTBACK

The Outback is the vast, remote, arid area of Australia; the term colloquially can refer to any lands outside the main urban areas. The term "the outback" is generally used to refer to locations that are comparatively more remote than those areas named "the bush". Owing to the low and erratic rainfall over most of the outback, combined with soils which are usually not very fertile, inland Australia is relatively sparsely settled. It is here, however, that nature is at its most spectacular!

More than 90 percent of Australians live in urban areas on the coast. However the outback and the history of its exploration and settlement provides Australians with a culturally valued backdrop, and stories of swagmen, squatters, and bushrangers are central to the national ethos. The song "Waltzing Matilda", which is about a swagman and squatters, is probably Australia's best internationally known and most well-loved song. 

boriginal communities in outback regions have not been displaced as they have been in areas of intensive agriculture and large cities, in coastal areas. For this reason a significant proportion of Australia's indigenous population lives in the Outback, in areas such as the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara lands in northern South Australia. The total population of Outback Australia declined from 700,000 in 1996 to 690,000 in 2006.

This is a view of Mount Conner in Central Australia, well and truly in the Outback!

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DESKTOP 1819 - OUTBACK

The Outback is the vast, remote, arid area of Australia. The term "the outback" is generally used to refer to locations that are comparatively more remote than those areas named "the bush" which, colloquially, can refer to any lands outside the main urban areas. Because of the low and erratic rainfall over most of the outback, combined with soils which are usually not very fertile, inland Australia is relatively sparsely settled. More than 90 percent of Australians live in urban areas on the coast.

This post is part of the Our World Tuesday meme,

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DESKTOP 1763 - OUTBACK

The Outback is the vast, remote, arid area of Australia; the term colloquially can refer to any land outside the main urban areas. The term "the outback" is generally used to refer to locations that are comparatively more remote than those areas named "the bush". The skies tend to be blue and the soil red in these outback locations and the photo below shows a particularly lush part of "the bush" as relatively much vegetation can be seen.

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DEASKTOP 1761 - SUMMER BUSHFIRE

In the heat of Summer, when the temperatures in the outback hit the red, and when even during the night the warmth in the air will not abate, it's then the danger of bushfires is very high. Bushfires in Australia are a very common occurrence and especially so during the hot/dry months. Large tracts of bush will burn, often with dire consequences in terms of lost flora and fauna, and sometimes even loss of life and property for the bush dwellers.

One consolation is that the Australian flora has adapted and most plants and trees will regenerate after a bushfire. In fact, some native species of plants produce seeds that will only germinate after they have experienced the intense heat of a bushfire.

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DESKTOP 1721 - OUTBACK AUSTRALIA

A waterhole in Outback Australia, Northern Territory.

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DESKTOP 1657 - OUTBACK ROAD

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DESKTOP 1583 - ULURU

Uluru, also known as Ayers Rock and officially gazetted as Uluru / Ayers Rock, is a large sandstone rock formation in the southern part of the Northern Territory in central Australia. It lies 335 km south west of the nearest large town, Alice Springs, 450 km by road. Kata Tjuta and Uluru are the two major features of the Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park. Uluru is sacred to the Anangu, the Aboriginal people of the area. The area around the formation is home to an abundance of springs, waterholes, rock caves, and ancient paintings. Uluru is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

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OASIS IN OUTBACK AUSTRALIA

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