Think Uluru is the biggest rock in Australia? Think again.
Taller than the Empire State Building, as wide as 614 Harbour Bridges, and more than twice the size of Uluru, Mount Augustus is not just the biggest rock in Australia but in the entire world.
Many Australians are shocked to discover that Mount Augustus, referred to as Burringurrah by local Wadjari people, is said to be more than 1.6 billion years old – making it far larger and older than Uluru. However, the rock monocline’s somewhat remote location in Western Australia’s golden outback means it remains relatively unknown around the country.
Here’s everything you need to know about Australia’s largest rock.
Where is Mount Augustus?
Mount Augustus covers 4,795 hectares of the northwest Gascoyne region in Mount Augustus National Park, Western Australia. It is a two-day (1,000 kilometre) drive northeast of Perth, a 6.5-hour (465-kilometre) drive east of Carnarvon via Gascoyne Junction, or a six-hour drive (350 kilometres) northwest of Meekatharra.
How big is Mount Augustus?
Mount Augustus rises 717 metres above the rust-red plains, spans around eight kilometres in width, and has a base circumference of roughly 49 kilometres. From the air, you can see it from more than 160 kilometres away.
