Mount Sir Thomas facts for kids
Mount Sir Thomas is a mountain located in the northwest part of South Australia. It is found within the Watarru Indigenous Protected Area, which is a special place managed by its traditional owners. The mountain is about 20 kilometers southwest of a community called Watarru.
Mount Sir Thomas is part of the Birksgate Range. This area is the traditional land of the Pitjantjatjara people, an Aboriginal Australian group.
A Special Waterhole
Near the bottom of Mount Sir Thomas, there is an important water source called a rock hole. Its name in the Pitjantjatjara language is Kaḻayapiṯi, which means "Emu Water." This rock hole is a very important sacred site for the Kaḻaya Tjukurpa, also known as the Emu Dreaming. The Dreaming stories are ancient tales that explain how the world was created and how people should live.
How Mount Sir Thomas Got Its Name
The mountain was given the name "Sir Thomas" by a group of European explorers in 1891. They were part of a big journey called the Elder Scientific Exploring Expedition. This expedition traveled across the Great Victoria Desert between April 1891 and March 1892.
The mountain was named after Sir Thomas Elder. He was a philanthropist, which means he was a kind person who gave a lot of money to good causes. Sir Thomas Elder paid for and provided all the equipment for the expedition.
The mountain range around Mount Sir Thomas is called the Birksgate Range. This name comes from "Birksgate," which was the name of Sir Thomas Elder's large home in Adelaide. Another nearby mountain, Mount Lindsay, was named after the leader of the expedition, David Lindsay.
