Glen Helen Gorge

4

After heading west out of Alice Springs along the MacDonnell Ranges for 132 km, the fourth highest mountain in the Northern Territory came into view to our north…

Image: Mt Sonder

Mount Sonder (1380m)

… Mount Sonder, which stands 1,380 meters above sea level (4,528 feet)

Mount Sonder is the end ‘marker’ of the famed Larapinta walking trail that traverses across country 223 kilometres (139 miles) from Alice Springs. The walk is broken down into 12 stages so sections can be enjoyed for those without the time (or inclination) to attempt the entire 14 day hike.

Having been travelling Namatjira Drive for 85 km, below is a painting by the road’s namesake, artist Albert Namatjira - A watercolour painted circa 1958 of Mt Sonder, which is held by the National Gallery of Australia.

Image: Albert Namatjira painting Mt Sonder

Albert Namatjira (1902 – 1959) was an aboriginal artist who painted in an adapted western style using watercolours – He was the first aboriginal to be granted Australian citizenship.

To the south of Namatjira Drive is Glen Helen Gorge ~ Our destination for an overnight stay with hosts Shelagh and Colin.

Image: Glen Helen

Glen Helen Resort is situated on the banks of the Finke River.

The Finke River is one of Central Australia’s largest river systems yet has only nine permanent waterholes along its course ~ Glen Helen is situated on one of those permanent waterholes.

Image: Glen Helen Gorge Waterhole

When we arrived (mid November), we were informed this waterhole had just started flowing again :)

Image: Glen Helen Gorge

After a quick look in the Glen Helen reception shop, where we spotted some Journey Jottings Mail-It Maps in amongst the postcards…

Glen Helen souvenir memento

It was time for a delicious barbeque of kebab’d vegetables, which we devoured under the twinkling starry outback sky down by the water’s edge overlooking the Finke River, to the escarpment on the far side.

Image: Glen Helen Gorge

I wish I had photographs to share of that night sky – An outback night sky is so…. expansive… uninterrupted… infinite :)

However, I do have photographs of the sunrise, which we were up at the crack of dawn, the next day, to capture.

Image: sunrise at Glen Helen

Image: Sunrise at Glen Helen

Image: Sunrise at Glen Helen

The West MacDonnell Ranges are a stunning area to visit – There is so much variety of landscape and things to see and do -

In the 130 km from Alice Springs to Glen Helen we stopped off at Standley Chasm, the Ochre Pits and Ormiston Gorge and loved each and every one of them, so do check out the blog post links there to read more :)

Image: Central Australia pictorial map

 This was as far west as we could go in our Maui motorhome as beyond Glen Helen the road reverts to dirt, so only 4WD hire vehicles can go on to Redbank Gorge and round the Mereenie Loop Road to Kings Canyon (Watarrka National Park).

Image: Glen Helen Gorge

So it was farewell to the West MacDonnells for us and back to Alice Springs, where we were going to head north for 400km to our next stop ~ the Devil’s Marbles.

Have you visited the West MacDonnell Ranges?

What was your favourite spot?

Do share in the commets below :)

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Ormiston Gorge and the Upside-Down Rainbow

Orminston_Gorge_feature
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Continuing along the West MacDonnell ranges, after our stops at Standley Chasm and the Ochre Pits we travelled the last 25 km to Ormiston Gorge, which after leaving Namatjira Drive crossed several dry creek beds adorned with stately eucalypts.

eucalypt tree in creek bed

It had been a long hot day and the sight of the water in Ormiston Gorge was welcoming :)

Image: Ormiston Gorge

It took no time at all to immerse ourselves in it!

Image: Ormiston Gorge

Delicious :)

Image: Ormiston Gorge

Image: Ormiston Gorge

The early evening light enhanced the classic red centre colours looking down the gorge to the escarpment.

Image: Ormiston Gorge

 Image: Ormiston Gorge

There were trees perilously embedding themselves in the red rocky gorge walls…

Image: Ormiston Gorge

…and clinging onto the sheer sides high above us

Image: Ormiston Gorge

 …a twisted eucalypt grappling for life.

Leaving this piece of paradise…

Image: Ormiston Gorge

…we were heading back to our camperbus (motorhome) when we spotted a Grey Crowned Babbler busy probing beneath the bark of a tree with its scimitar-like bill.

Image: Grey Crowned Babbler bird

But just before we left Ormiston, we looked up to the rim of the gorge behind us and saw this upside-down rainbow!

Upside-down rainbow

I couldn’t work out how this was possible – particularly since there appeared to be no rain about!

I’ve since looked up how this phenomena occurs and came across the term ‘Circumzenithal arcs‘ – The only tricky part of the description is there are supposed to be ice crystals up there for the sun to refract off, so it’s generally a sight only seen in places such as the Arctic circle – So, what was an upside-down rainbow doing in central Australia?

The colour order is correct for a circumzenithal arc, as the violet is at the top and the red at the bottom -

Do we have any scientists in our midst who can elaborate or…

please explain!?

 Have you ever seen an upside-down rainbow? 

Do share in the comments below :)

Central Australia Map Journal

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Are the ‘Ochre Pits’ the Pits?

Ochre Pits, Alice Springs (Red Centre)
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If the ‘Ochre Pits’ sounds like the ‘pits’ to you, you’re wrong!

I have to be honest, when one of our group on this trip to the Red Centre said they particularly wanted to stop off at the Ochre Pits, in the MacDonnell Ranges west of Alice Springs, my heart didn’t particularly sing ;)

Scanning the Internet prior to our visit to the Red Centre I’d found a somewhat uninspiring non-descript image and these ‘Pits’ looked like…. well, the ‘Pits’ :(

Were they just a bit of old mud on the banks of a creek bed?

Ochre Pits, MacDonnell Range

So… next stop, 80km west of our first stop at Standley Chasm was the Ochre Pits!

And it just goes to show you can’t believe everything you see on the Internet! Some places really have to be experienced to appreciate their cultural influence and their colour in the flesh!

Ochre Pits Australia

“The colourful curves and swirls of these soft-stoned and fragile cliffs tell a story rich with tradition and geological history. Since the beginning of time they’ve played an important role in the culture of the local Aboriginal people, the Western Arrente.”

Aboriginal women painted with ochre

While the photo above of Arente women ‘painted-up’ with ochre and feathers ready for a ceremony was taken over 100 years ago (by the anthropologist Walter Baldwin Spencer) ochre is still widely used in religious ceremony and for decoration.

Ochre Pit colour

In traditional western Arrente society ochre was an essential daily household item, and was central to the preparation of many medicines.

Aboriginal Medicine

 

“The different coloured layers are caused by the presence of iron oxide in varying amounts. The more iron oxide present, the darker and redder the colour. The whiter stone has little or no iron and a high level of kaolin, a white clay mineral”

Ochre Pits, West MacDonnell Ranges

Ochre Pits colours

Ochre Pits colours

The colours in the ochre cliff were every bit as attractive as colours seen in other geological delights from further afield such as the Coloured Sands on Fraser Island or Rainbow Valley, NT.

Ochre deposits are found across Australia but in varying qualities so was frequently traded with pituri (bush tobacco), boomerangs, spears and down feathers used in ceremonies. Trading has always been an important part of Aboriginal society.

Aboriginal coolamon on Head ring

Today, ochres are used in Aboriginal artworks from certain regional communities in Australia.

The Warmun Art Community in the Kimberleys are renowned for their artworks painted with ochres, where each artist personally collects their medium from the surrounding country and prepares it with pestle and mortar.

Turkey Creek artwork

As an example of this technique is the above artwork by Nancy Nodea, from Warmun at Turkey Creek, WA.

Ochre Pits Alice Springs

 Beautiful seeing the medium of coloured ochres come to life on the canvas in her work against this image of them in their natural environment :)

So, with our route plotted and dotted to the Ochre Pits on my Central Australia map…

pictorial map of central australia

…Next stop, Orminston Gorge (which I’ll post next Tuesday)

Have you seen ochres in their natural environment?

Or aboriginal artworks in this medium?

Would love to hear in the comments below :)

Journey Jottings... highlights your holiday adventures