Mt Augustus; the worlds biggest rock – is it worth a visit?
We were somewhere around the 60 kilometres out mark when our first view of Mt Augustus popped through the windscreen, and it was pretty amazing. Sarah has been to Uluru, but asides from Mt Bruce, I had no idea what it would look like, and was significantly awed. The closer we got the more and more apparent this rock is absolutely massive, and has a lot of different sides to see.
We stayed at the Mt Augustus Tourist Park for 2 nights, and spent a full day driving the loop road and soaking up some of the attractions.
Is Mt Augustus the biggest rock in the world?
It’s hard to explain how big this rock is. It covers nearly 5000 hectares, and its more than twice the size of Uluru. It is indeed, the worlds biggest monocline, and its known as Burringurrah by the local Aboriginals.
Where is Mt Augustus?
You’ll find this place literally in the middle of no where. As the photo shows below, you are at least 300km away from the nearest town, and I don’t believe there is any bitumen going to Mt Augustus.
What is there to do?
The main attraction at Mt Augustus is the rock itself, with a number of hikes and attractions to see. There’s aboriginal rock art, stunning scenery, the challenge of hiking to the summit and a couple of pools or other attractions to see.
Hiking safety
We did the Edney’s lookout hike, which is 6km return and a good option for those not wanting to go to the summit. Even in June, we could feel the heat, and hiking even without the warmth can be hugely dangerous without the right amount of water, and understanding of your body.
People have died at Mt Augustus, and its often in the warmer parts of the year, when they are climbing up or down the summit. Please don’t underestimate the level of fitness or water you need to take, and having a PLB or satellite phone with you is a worthy investment.
I think you’re probably mad scaling the rock once the day time temperatures hit anything higher than 30 degrees, but a lot of people still do it. Please be safe; no one wants to hear of more people passing away exploring this great country of ours!
What’s Mt Augustus Tourist Park like?
I loved the idea of visiting Mt Augustus, and was less fond of the idea of having to stay in a caravan park. With two young, noisy boys and a full off grid setup, we much prefer to be out on our own in a low cost or free camp, away from the hordes of people.
I was well and truly forced to eat my expectations though, as the Mt Augustus Tourist Park was a real surprise to me, and I’d go back in a heartbeat. The staff were amazing, the caravan park is clean, tidy and easy to use, and what impressed me most was the fact that it was extremely reasonably priced.
We paid $30 a night for an unpowered site next to a huge chunk of green grass, and the fuel price was virtually the same as Paraburdoo.
Mt Augustus has an opportunity (and many similar places do this) to rip you off completely, as you need fuel when calling through, and you need somewhere to stay.
If you want a bit of privacy, you still have bush camping options away from the bulk of the activity, and whilst the amenities overall are nothing to write home about we’ve stayed in worse, and paid a lot more about it. In fact, heading to the Kennedy Ranges to stay in a site with just a toilet and communal fire pit was $29 a night!
Would we go back to Mt Augustus again?
Interesting question. We love the coast, and we usually don’t camp where there’s no water, so heading inland to places like this is unusual for us, but we thoroughly enjoyed it. We’d go back if we were calling through the area, but I wouldn’t go back just to see the rock again, and to stay at the Tourist Park.
I’m glad we visited, and would recommend it to others, but not as a sole destination. Add the Kennedy Ranges in, some of the stunning Pilbara and perhaps a bit of the Coral Coast and you’ve got a ripper trip lined up.
