Mount Augustus

Mount Augustus, known as Burringurrah to the Wajarri people, rises 717 metres above the plain and runs about eight kilometres long, making it substantially larger than Uluru and often described as the world's largest rock. The comparison needs care: Uluru is a single inselberg of arkose, while Mount Augustus is a monocline, a folded and eroded sandstone ridge sitting on a granite base, and it carries vegetation on its slopes rather than standing bare. The summit is reached by a demanding twelve-kilometre return climb taking five to eight hours. Aboriginal rock engravings are found at several sites around the base, and a loop road circles the rock.

What you actually see

• The rock itself - an eight-kilometre ridge rising above the plain.
• The summit climb - a long, steep and exposed route to the top.
• The rock engravings - Wajarri petroglyphs at sites around the base.
• The loop road - the drive circling the rock with viewing points.

When to go

April to September; summer heat exceeds forty-five degrees and the climb is closed or unwise. Even in winter the summit walk should start at dawn. Roads are unsealed and close after rain.

Honest expectations

Getting there involves hundreds of kilometres of unsealed road from any direction, with fuel at the tourist park only. The rock is vegetated and less visually dramatic than Uluru, which disappoints those expecting a similar monolith. The climb is long, hot and unshaded.

Nearby

The Mount Augustus tourist park is at the base; Kennedy Range lies west.