Ngarutjaranya
{{short description|Highest mountain in South Australia}}
{{Infobox mountain
| name = Ngarutjaranya
| photo =
| photo_caption =
| elevation_m = 1,435
| elevation_ref = {{AHD}}
| prominence = South Australia's highest mountain
| location = Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara
South Australia, Australia
| range = Musgrave Ranges
| coordinates = {{Coord|26.320329|S|131.743936|E|format=dms|type:mountain_region:AU-SA|display=inline,title}}
| type =
| age =
| first_ascent =
| easiest_route = Hike
| map = South Australia
| map_image =
| map_alt =
| map_caption =
| map_relief =
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}}
Ngarutjaranya, also known as Mount Woodroffe (officially Ngarutjaranya/Mount Woodroffe), is a mountain in the Australian state of South Australia, located in the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara lands in the state's northwest. It is South Australia's highest peak, at {{convert|1,435|metre|ft}}.
Cultural significance
The name of the mountain comes from the Pitjantjatjara language.{{Gazetteer of Australia | name = Mount Woodroffe | id = 201845}}
In Pitjantjatjara mythology, the mountain embodies the mythological creature Ngintaka.
Geography
Ngarutjaranya is located in the far northwest of South Australia, in the Musgrave Ranges. The mountain range rises some 700–800 metres from the surrounding plains and comprises massifs of granite and gneiss.
History
William Ernest Giles was the first European man to pass through the area and camped to the south of Woodroffe on September 7, 1873. William Christie Gosse had previously named it Mt Woodroffe on July 20 that same year.{{cite web | url=https://plus.google.com/photos/114227224291694092298/albums/6047791436243456097/6047792317544658626?banner=pwa&authkey=CLL7s7fnpe75bQ&pid=6047792317544658626&oid=114227224291694092298 | title = Plaque on the summit of Woodroffe. | publisher = state8.net/sa.htm}} Woodroffe was named after George Woodroffe Goyder, Surveyor-General of South Australia and an early Australian explorer.{{cite web |url=http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/goyder-george-woodroffe-3647 |title = Goyder, George Woodroffe (1826-1898) | work = Australian Dictionary of Biography.|publisher = Melbourne University Press. | year = 1972 | accessdate = 2 September 2014}}
In the 1960s, Ngarutjaranya was considered as a potential site for the proposed Anglo-Australian Telescope (AAT). It lost out due to its remoteness compared to Siding Spring in New South Wales, where the AAT sits today amongst other astronomical observatories.Biographical Memoir of Arthur Robert Hogg, 1903-1966, Australian Academy of Science {{cite web |url=http://www.science.org.au/academy/memoirs/hogg.htm |title=AAS-Biographical memoirs-Hogg |accessdate=2007-07-16 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070810222243/http://www.science.org.au/academy/memoirs/hogg.htm |archivedate=2007-08-10 }}
Access
Access is limited as a permit is required to enter the Anangu Pitjantjatjara lands.{{cite web |url=http://www.waru.org/resources/permits.php |title=Permits |publisher=PYMedia |accessdate=2006-07-30 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20040725092052/http://waru.org/resources/permits.php |archivedate=2004-07-25 }}
As of October 2024, it is confirmed Ngarutjaranya cannot be climbed anymore as no more permits to climb it are issued by the APY lands (Aṉangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara).
See also
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.state8.net/sa.htm State8.net Mount Woodroffe]
- [http://maps.bonzle.com/c/a?a=p&p=35501&cmd=sp&c=1&x=135%2E94761&y=%2D31%2E11947&w=1098067 Bonzle.com profile page]
{{Australian State Highest Points}}