Stretching for 160 kilometres west of Alice Springs is the West Macdonnell National Park, home to a spectacular section of the rugged Macdonnell Ranges. An ancient desert landform sculpted over the ages by climatic elements, the Macdonnell Ranges are a perfect example of the stark and harsh beauty of the Australian interior. A drive through the National Park brings you close to this beauty, and gives you the opportunity to explore the high peaks and the deep gorge features of this jagged landscape. This countryside is classically typical of the 'red centre' of Australia.
The best place to begin your exploration of the park is Alice Springs. Here you can pick up your hire car and strike out west along the Larapinta Drive. The attraction closest to Alice is the Alice Springs Desert Park, which gives you an educational insight into the flora, fauna and landscapes of the region and of deserts in general. The first natural attraction, however, is Simpsons Gap. Here the Roe River has carved out a narrow gorge with high walls. There is a permanent rock pool at the gap, and lots of rock wallabies live in the rocky ridges surrounding it. About twenty two kilometres into the park from the gap is Standley Chasm, whose high and smooth walls are especially impressive. When the sun is high in the sky at midday the walls light up in fiery reflective colours.
After Standley Chasm you are faced with two options, one is to continue on Larapinta Drive towards Hermannesburg and the other is to take a left onto Namatjira Drive and continue along in the park. The latter is the more popular option, as there is more to see in a shorter distance. If you are continuing along in this direction the next attraction you reach is the Ellery Creek Big Hole. Known as one of the coldest swimming holes around, this is also the deepest and the most permanent source of water in the area, and as a result a lot of wildlife can be seen on its banks quenching their thirst. The sandy creek here is fringed with tall gumtrees, which in turn are surrounded by high red cliffs. These features make this a pleasant and picturesque picnic spot.
Just down the road from Ellery Creek is Serpentine Gorge. This gorge is unique because it houses a large billabong that can only be accessed by swimming up the gorge. Secluded and beautiful, there are many walking trails around here that provide views of the gorge and the surrounds. After a refreshing swim here its only a short drive to one of the most visited spots in the park, the Ochre Pits, which is a quarry where the local Aboriginals used to glean their ochre pigments from. Ochre has always been an incredibly important substance to Aboriginals, who use it for medicinal and hunting purposes. It also used to be used as a magic charm, one that was believed to calm the heat of the sun or the strength of the wind. The Ochre Pits are thus very important to the local heritage of the area, and are also an impressively beautiful stopover for you to make. If you are feeling energetic, a three hour walk from here leads to Inarlanga Pass, where a wide range of flora can be found, including some rare prehistoric cycads.
Continuing on from the Ochre Pits in your hirecar you will reach the turn off to Ormiston Gorge and Pound after about seventeen kilometres. This is lauded as the most awe inspiring gorge in the West Macdonnell Ranges, rising to more than 300 metres in depth in some places. A permanent waterhole of about fourteen metres depth supports a large variety of flora and fauna, including more relic plant species. Many marked walking trails will take you to viewing points and impressive features and you are sure to see groups of wallabies bounding through the river red gums. In the distance the beautiful Mt. Sonder rises high on the horizon, captured in many paintings by the aboriginal painter Albert Namatjira, after who the road you have driven on was named.
Glen Helen gorge is the penultimate destination of your trip. Lying at the headwaters of the Finke River, here you can walk up the gorge and take in the beautiful flora including more ancient cycads. There is also accommodation available here, and your friendly hosts will make you comfortable with food, drink and motel style accommodation. There are also camping facilities available, so you may as well base yourself here for a couple of days and further explore the region. Alternatively you could start a slow drive back to Alice Springs, and stop in at the places you missed on your way here. You are certain to take back vivid memories of what makes the Red Centre of Australia so unique and special. The Macdonnell Ranges are just a small part of it, and we are certain you will enjoy exploring the rest!
Gavin Wyatt
