Mount Augustus National Park, Nature reserve in Upper Gascoyne, Western Australia.
Mount Augustus National Park protects a massive rock rise that climbs 715 meters above the flat surroundings and dominates the arid interior of Western Australia. The formation extends across roughly 9,168 hectares and displays exposed sandstone layers shaped by erosion into sharp ridges and broad valleys.
The geological structure formed more than 1.6 billion years ago, when minerals deposited in shallow ocean basins and were later lifted by movements of the Earth's crust. Recognition as a protected area came in 1989 to safeguard this extraordinary rock formation permanently.
Traditional owners of the land call the mountain Burringurrah and preserve their connection through rock paintings visible at several sites along the walking paths. Visitors encounter these depictions especially in the sheltered spaces of natural overhangs, where the art has been renewed across generations.
Access follows an unsealed road that requires a four-wheel-drive vehicle and takes several hours from the nearest major settlements. Visitors should be self-sufficient for all needs, as there are no shops, fuel stations, or fresh water supplies inside the park.
The rock formation is classified geologically as a monocline, a single continuous fold that extends over eight kilometers and is larger than Ayers Rock, often mentioned for comparison. Hikers can observe the unusual layer tilt especially well on the southern side, where the rock runs at a clear angle to the surface.
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