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

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

The first non-Aboriginal person to see Kata Tjuta 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 Tjuta. In 2002 the order was officially reversed to put the original name first: Kata Tjuta / Mount Olga.

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