The Cattle Pool.
Driving on the land.
Golden Getaway: Join Brendon in as he goes to the world's largest monocline, Mount Augustus.
Mount Augustus is the world's largest monocline. The huge land feature is about 1650 million years old. More than twice the size of Uluru, it rises 858m from a vast red sandplain of arid, stony shrubland dominated by wattle, cassia and eremopnila. It is in Western Australia's Gascoyne area, which comprises of thousands of kilometres of untouched natural environment, stretching from the Indian Ocean to the outback. Mount Augustus is so big it can be seen from the air 160km away.
A 49km drive around the sandstone and quartz monocline reveals rocky creek gorges, caves, Aboriginal engravings and wildlife on the rock, the plain and in the watercourses.
Water seeps from beneath the sands, feeding groves of beautiful white-barked river gums. Mulga, myall, gidgi and other wattles are sprinkled across the red sandplain, attracting honeyeaters, babblers and galahs. Around 100 species of bird live in the area — you will see emus foraging for fruits and bustards fossicking around for insects and small reptiles.
Goanna and red kangaroo are common on the plain, and euros and birds of prey are usually closer to the rock.
Mount Augustus is a haven for geologists, botanists, ornithologists, cavers, climbers, hikers and stargazers — basically everyone who loves nature. Breathtaking purples, bright pinks, oranges, golds, greens and lustrous reds rotate during the day through to sunset.
The rock is not owned by Aboriginals, but the Wadjari people are accepted as its custodians. It is on land protected by Conservation and Land Management. They call it Burringurrah. The Wadjaris were once nomadic, but always returned to Burringurrah, as it was a constant source of water.
Jack Edney takes visitors on tours of the area. A peaceful spot is the Cattle Pool. It's a permanent waterhole and has plenty of fish. Many people visit, but camping is not permitted.
There are 10 trails around the rock, one going right to the summit, and a few around the Cattle Pool.
The Outback Resort has 20 twin share units, two self-contained units and powered and unpowered camping sites. It has a dining room, shop and tavern licence.
TropicAir has been covering the entire Gascoyne area for more than 30 years and they can fly you to Mount Augustus in 90 minutes.
If you prefer to do your travelling on terra firma, Stockman Safaris are the people to help you. They are the experts in that part of the world, and will gladly help work out a tour to suit your personal needs.
