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Map taken from http://www.outback-australia-travel-secrets.com/west-macdonnell-ranges.html
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Warning, danger ahead. You are in imminent danger of being
overwhelmed by photographs of some of the most beautiful places in central
Australia (well at least we think so). So
many in fact that I have had to divide this post into two or risk crashing
either your computers or your senses. We
loved our stay in Tjoritja National Park.
It totally stunned and surprised us (even though we had heard it was
fantastic it still exceeded our expections).
We spent 3 nights at Glen Helen Homestead – in itself a drop dead
gorgeous (pun intended) location. But
the rest of the ranges did our heads, eyes and senses in.
Tjoritja is a long national park running along the spine of the West Macs. The major sites are again the gaps caused by water erosion. I have organized this post in the order of the diagram above, although we weren’t that methodical. I will provide a short description of each location, but mostly I hope to let our photos do the talking about this amazing part of Australia.
Simpsons Gap
Just 24k from Alice is Simpsons Gap. This is the easiest site to access – sealed
roads and carpark, visitor information, and an easy walk from the carpark to
the gap. Whilst the gap has water it is
not suitable for swimming.
Angkerle Atwatye “the
Gap of Water” - Standley Chasm
A further 25k down the road lies Standley Chasm. Standley Chasm is a deep cleft in the ranges
with 80m walls on either side which has been gouged out of the sandstone by the
Finke River over millions of years.
Standley Chasm Angkerle Atwatye is found within a private flora and
fauna reserve owned and operated by the local community and therefore requires
an entry fee. The entry fee gives you
access to a short walk up the creek bed to the Chasm. There is also a kiosk on site, just in case
you need a bite to eat (or maybe an icecream in our case) after your walk.
Ellery Creek Big Hole
80k from Alice, Ellery Creek Big Hole is a spectacular
waterhole formed where Ellery Creek cuts its way through the ranges. We arrived here in the middle of an afternoon
as we had heard how lovely but cool this waterhole was. Yes it was quite cool – not really bad
though. And for our endurance we were
rewarded with one of the most amazing swims our family has ever had. We swam across the main pool and through the
gorge to the beach area on the other side.
We explored a bit, lay on the warm sunbaked sand to heat ourselves up
before returning. It was truly
spectacular. My ownly regret is that as
we pulled the GoPro out to take with us – we realised it had accidently turned
on and had no battery. The best part of
this waterhole now lives in our families' memories.
Serpentine Gorge
Serpentine Gorge was another beautiful West Mac gorge. This time there was a slightly longer walk
across country and then along the creek bed to the gorge. We tried to get the kids to do the lookout
out walk – but we may have done one or two already that day so there was a
strong veto and vote for swimming at Ellery Creek instead. Even without the lookout this was still a
lovely walk – but they all are here.
Ochre Pits
The Ochre Pits walk offered another lovely stroll ending at
this amazing and sacred site. Ochre has
and still provides an important source of material for indigenous
Australians. Aboriginal people have
extracted ochre from these cliffs for thousands of years. The ochre pits are still in use today by the
Western Arrente people mainly for ceremonial purposes. The ochre pits are a registered sacred site
and protected by law. It was a cool
experience to see all the different hues of ochres alongside each other –
almost making the pits themselves an amazing piece of art.
Ormiston Gorge
Ormiston Gorge offered short or long walks and with a
permanent waterhole it also offers swimming all year round. We chose to do the Ghost Gum Lookout Walk
which wasn’t a long walk – but did offer a good climb to get to the
lookout. The view was completely worth
it. The rugged towering red cliffs, the
ability to look down to the waterhole many tens of metres beneath us, the view
out over the surrounding landscape and of course the beautiful ghost gums made
this walk worth every step climbed.
There is also a national parks campground with a kiosk, again offering
the ability for a truly cold drink or in the boys case an icy pole after our
walk. We didn’t swim here choosing
instead to swim at Glen Helen gorge that day.
