An Evening at Kata Tjuta

( Subtitle: It’s a marvellous night for a moondance. )

Kata Tjuta – Northern Territory June 2016 (12 photos)

On my recent trip to the Northern Territory, one of our photoshoots was at Kata Tjuta. Arriving about an hour before sunset allows plenty of time to reconnoitre a viewing spot. With only sand dunes and trees behind, the rock face catches the sunset full on.

Kata Tjuta, formerly known as The Olgas, is a group of large ancient rock formations approximately 30 kilometres away from Uluru in Australia’s Red Centre. The 36 domes that make up Kata Tjuta are spread over an area of more than 20 kilometres. Kata Tjuta is sacred to the Anangu people, who have inhabited the area for more than 22,000 years. The sandstone domes of Kata Tjuta are believed to be around 500 million years old.

The shadows lengthen as sunset comes and goes. The glow of Kata Tjuta is both intense and beautiful at once.

Kata Tjuta is a Pitjantjatjara Aboriginal tribe word meaning ‘many heads’. There are many Pitjantjatjara legends associated with Kata Tjuta. Kata Tjuta is a sacred site for men in the Anangu Aboriginal culture and many of the legends surrounding the site are kept secret.

The highest dome is approximately 546 m (1,791 ft) above the surrounding plain (198 m (650 ft) higher than Uluru).

Being a dedicated landscape photography tour, you may have surmised we didn’t come on any old evening …

Here she comes. The cherry on the top!

This visit was one night before the full moon and coincided closely with the sunset. A spectacular sight to see.

No prizes for guessing where we spent the night of the full moon. 😉

The moon dances as she rises above the peaks of Kata Tjuta.

Well, it’s a marvelous night for a moondance With the stars up above in your eyes A fantabulous night to make romance ‘Neath the cover of October skies

…Moondance. Van Morrison.

We stay until after the first stars begin to shine behind the intensity of the moon. Quite the show, don’t you think?

These are the 3 domes that characteristically form the most commonly known view of Kata Tjuta.

However, I did mention there are 36 domes…

In a future post, “You will BELIEVE a dragon can fly.”

This is the second of my posts about my Uluru 2016 trip. The previous post was about the Field of Light. I guess that means this is a series. Not sure if it will be consecutive posts or not. But definitely more to come from the Northern Territory.

…

And related to the Northern Territory:

My yearly review of Vivid is now completed. 137 photos in 8 posts. All of my photography from this year and previous years of VIVID Sydney going back to 2012 can be found here: VIVID Sydney page