Who knew that Australia’s biggest rock is not in fact Uluru? Instead, it is Western Australia that lays claim to having the largest rock in the world.
Mount Augustus or Burringurrah as it’s known to the local Wajarri people rises 700m out from the surrounding plains and covers almost 5,000 hectares. The rock is 8km long, 5km wide and it takes a whopping 54 km to drive around.
While Uluru is a monolith which is a single type of rock, Mount Augustus, is a monocline meaning that it has folds in the rock strata.
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Mount Augustus National Park
Mount Augustus National Park encompasses the area around the rock. All major points of attractions and lookouts and can be explored along the 49km loop drive trail. The scenic circuit trail provides excellent views and takes in all the main attractions.
The park is rich in biodiversity and is best viewed during springtime when desert wildflowers bloom. Mount Augustus National Park also provides habitat for plenty of wildlife and you can expect to see wedge-tailed eagles, red kangaroos, monitor lizards and emus.
There are two permanent waterholes that run along the Lyons River. This includes the historic Cattle Pool which used to hold cattle in the early 1900’s for the drovers who made the arduous trek to Meekatharra on foot. The pool also hosts plenty of water birds while the river gums provide homes to kookaburras, correlas, kingfishers, as well as fist-sized funnelweb spiders and a plethora of insects.
Cattle Pool also has a walking trail and makes for a tranquil picnic spot and supposedly a swimming hole – provided you can make it past the giant spider webs that hug the branches of gum trees along the water’s edge.
Aboriginal History and rock art
Burringurrah’s spirit features prominently in Aboriginal history and the Dreamtime stories. For the Wajarri people, Burringurrah takes the form of a boy who was speared for breaking Aboriginal law and is lying down to die.
Many of these ancient stories can be viewed in the rock engravings at Mundee, Ooramboo and Beedoboondu. All of these are accessible on the loop trail.
Mount Augustus Walk Trails
Visitors are not discouraged from walking on Burringurrah and there are a number of very scenic walk trails around the national park.
The longest trail is the Summit Trail, a rewarding but challenging 12km walk to the summit. If that sounds too long, there are plenty of shorter walks that lead to spectacular gorges, lookouts, water pools and the aboriginal rock art.
The Mount Augustus walk trails are well marked but if anyone else has my sense of direction, it’s not hard getting off the trail. If you do intend to hike in the area, I strongly recommend a detailed map of the national park. This can be purchased here from the Map and Chart shop for a small cost before you go.
Take all necessary precautions before you set off on a hike. The conditions are extremely rugged and can prove ardurous.
Mount Augustus Tourist Park
Among the alluvial plains and arid shrubland, the Mount Augustus Outback Tourist Park provides a little oasis with palm trees and green grass.
The tourist park offers friendly accommodation, including basic units, powered and unpowered sites for caravans and tents. There’s a covered camp kitchen, old but clean ablution blocks as well a shop with basic necessities and most importantly fuel.
The caravan park is dog-friendly but remember that no pets are allowed inside the national park.
Mount Augustus tourist park also host to Australia’s biggest barbeque which takes place in September.
How to get to Mount Augustus
By road
The two main ways of getting to Mount Augustus Australia are from Carnarvon via Gascoyne Junction (430km) or from Meekatharra (360km).
Currently, all roads to Mount Augustus are gravel. The Mount Augustus road conditions are well maintained but do expect potholes, dips and riverbeds. The visitor brochure says that Mount Augustus is accessible with a 2WD – this really depends on the vehicle and what you want to put it through.
We took the road from Mullewa along the Landor Mt Augustus Road on the way there and along the Towera Lyons Road on the way out to Exmouth with a stop at Emu Creek Station. We passed ten cars in our four days of driving and that was during the (busy) school holiday period.
Road conditions to Mt Augustus will vary depending on the weather and season. Check with the Gascoyne Junction Shire for up to date information about the roads. This is especially the case during times of rainfall in the northwest and take care when driving. There are many riverbeds to cross and it doesn’t take much for these to overflow onto the roads.
Don’t rely on Google Maps for estimating driving times as they are inaccurate. Our average speed was around 60km per hour and that was in a 4WD without towing anything.
By air
Scenic flights to Mount Augustus are available with Shark Bay Aviation. See more here. Other options including helicopter flights with Coral Bay Helicopter Services.
Hints and tips for a trip to Mount Augustus
If travelling by road come well prepared with ample fuel, water and first aid essentials.
Mobile coverage with Telstra is very sparse, to say the least, and non-existent for all other providers. There is WIFI at the Tourist Park.
Fuel is available at the Mount Augustus Outback Tourist Park and from the Burringurrah aboriginal community. This is located about 50km south of the Tourist Park and operates on limited opening hours. After that, the next petrol station is at least 300km away.
Despite its remoteness, Mount Augustus in Western Australia is an incredible place to visit and well worth the drive and effort in getting there.
The best time to visit is from June to September.
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10 Comments
Some great info here Nina. It sounds like a bit of a mission for us 2WDers, but worth it! I didn’t know there was a walk to the summit and timed with Australia’s biggest barbie, that would be an ace trip.
Could you see much of Burringurrah?
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