These giant domes of rock

rise from the desert plain;

a rusting of iron oxide

gives them a reddish stain.

Six hundred million years ago 

they were thrust up to the sky.

With many heads a-dreaming,

their legends will not die.

Teacher’s note: Kata Tjuta, which means “many heads” in the local Aboriginal language, is located 25 km from Uluru. Like Uluru, it is considered sacred to the Aboriginal people of Australia, and the mythology of the site is not disclosed to outsiders.  The highest peak (at left) was named Mount Olga by explorer Ernest Giles in 1872.