West MacDonnell Ranges
Did a one day tour to the West MacDonnell Ranges which basically outline Alice Springs. Some interesting facts we learnt along the way is that 50% of Northern Territory has Aboriginal claims with a lot of the remaining area being under National Parks. This makes it very difficult for the Shire to release land for development resulting in shortage of accommodation. There are many jobs in Alice but with accommodation being at a premium and consequently high rents results in jobs remaining vacant. We were sort of surprised by the number of people we saw on this trip – the red centre is a very popular spot this time of year with lots of tour groups and others. Due to the amount of rain recently the locals are calling it the green centre and it good for us to see it like this as it doesn’t happen often.
All rivers are inland rivers and are dry riverbeds or “upside rivers” with the Todd River being the main river through town. The Todd River flows on average three times per year and floods approximately every 25 years. The other well known river is the Finke which begins at Ormiston Gorge. In some areas these inland rivers are below sea level. Alice doesn’t have strict seasons and has had a lot of rain recently and although the rivers are dry there is the odd puddle around. It is interesting to know that when waterholes fill with water they have fish and frogs in them. The burrowing frog hibernates in its burrows until it rains, sometimes for years at a time and when the water comes they come out. Fish eggs stay dormant until it rains at which time it hatches. A famous Aboriginal painter called Albert Namatjira hails from this part of the world. He is famous for his western style landscapes and he had a passion for painting ghost gums. In 1957 Namatjira and his wife were the first Aborigines to be granted Australian citizenship at a time when Aborigines had few rights. Being a citizen meant he could drink alcohol. Unfortunately Namatjira was jailed for supplying alcohol to members of his community and served two months where he developed pneumonia and died shortly after his release. He was 57 years old. We visited the spot where he liked to paint.
The highest point in the West MacDonnell Ranges is Mt Zeil at 1531m high the highest peak in NT followed by Mt Sonder at 1350m high.
Our first stop was Standley Chasm, 50kms from Alice Springs. After a picturesque walk along a creek bed with lots of ferns and greenery we reached the Chasm which is a deep red cleft. It is truly stunning and what amazing colours. “Standley Chasm (Angkerle) has been gouged into tough sandstone by the floods that, over untold millions of years, have surged down a narrow tributary of the Finke River system. The result is a deep red cleft crowded on either side by craggy slopes that rise 80 metres above the floor. Standley Chasm is located in a private flora and fauna reserve owned by the Iwupataka Land Trust and is operated by Aboriginal family members that are direct decendants from Aboriginal people that have lived in this area for thousands of years. The Chasm’s European name honours Mrs Ida Standley who, in 1914, became the first school teacher in Alice Springs. In 1925, the school for children of Aboriginal descent was moved from Alice Springs to Jay Creek (Iwupataka) with Mrs Standley as matron. It was during her time at Jay Creek that she became the first non-Aboriginal woman to visit the feature that now bears her name”.
Next stop was the Ochre pits 110km from Alice. “The pits have been used for generations by the local Aboriginal people as a mine for the colourful mineral ochre. Ochre occurs in a range of earthy colours and is the raw material for paintings and ceremonial body decoration”. The Aborigines add water and animal fat to the powder substance they gouge from the rocks. Colours can be black, brown, yellow, orange, purple and white.
Ormiston Gorge is truly breathtaking. It is a near permanent waterhole estimated to be 14 metres deep in the southern end. It rises up to 300m in some places. From here to Ellery Creek Big Hole which is another permanent waterhole and a popular swimming hole for the locals and finally to Simpsons Gap which is a natural gap in the ranges. The wonderful attraction of these waterholes is the beautiful white ash gums, ghost gums and red gums that surround the riverbeds and the waterholes. And the backdrop of the beautiful shades of orange, red etc make the whole area truly magical and very special. Very hard to leave could look in awe at these places for hours. There are many rock wallabies that live in these areas, however we didn’t see any. We had lunch at Glen Helen Resort which is a restored station homestead. It was a fantastic day and if you don’t see it for yourself it is hard to imagine these awesome spots are here in the middle of nowhere. It is easy to see how people go to the Centre for a visit and end up staying. It kinda gets to you. That night we went to a recommended Italian restaurant known for its pizzas. It is the real deal where they throw the pizza dough in the air, don’t know how they do that but it works. The pizzas were divine, the dough was thin and soft – never had a pizza quite like it before. Forget Domino’s and Eagle Boy’s, find a good Italian pizza shop!
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