The Olgas or Kata Tjuṯa?

For many years, the domes of Kata Tjuṯa were referred to as ‘Mount Olga’ or simply ‘the Olgas’.

Kata Tjuṯa is the landmark’s original name, and means ‘many heads’ in Pitjantjatjara/Yankunytjatjara.

The first non-Aboriginal person to see Kata Tjuṯa was the explorer Ernest Giles, who spotted the domes in 1872. He named the highest peak Mount Olga, after Queen Olga of Württemberg (a kingdom in Germany at the time). The nickname of ‘the Olgas’ most likely developed when the area was opened up to tourists in the 1950s.

Mount Olga was the official name until 1993, when the feature was given dual names: Mount Olga / Kata Tjuṯa. In 2002 the order was officially reversed to put the original name first: Kata Tjuṯa / Mount Olga.

So while Kata Tjuṯa and Mount Olga are both acceptable names for this geological marvel, in the park we always use its original name: Kata Tjuṯa.