The Vagabond Hiker

Hiking, trekking, and climbing the world

All About Alice

To say that the more than 500,000 square miles of the Northern Territory of Australia is sparsely settled is a bit of an understatement.  Evenly distributed, each inhabitant would have more than 2 square miles to roam without encountering another human.  Alice Springs, the third largest town in the Northern Territory, is the definition of remote.  With about 27,000 inhabitants, Alice is situated roughly in Australia’s geographic center. It is the largest settlement between Darwin to the north and Adelaide to the south, each approximately equidistant at about 1,500 km (930 miles) away.

As part of the Red Centre (see my previous blog On the Road to Alice), this country is rich with mountain ranges, waterholes and gorges, which create a variety of natural habitats.  The following photos summarize a series of day hikes I took from Alice, where my brother and I stayed for a week.  All hikes except Trephina Gorge were in the West McDonnell Ranges to the West of Alice, easily the most scenic landscape in the Red Centre.

A Sturt Desert Rose at Ormsiton Gorge along section 8 of the Larapinta Track.  At 223 km, the Larapinta is one of the most famous long distance tracks in Australia. On that day we were only on it a short distance before diverging onto the Ormiston Pound Walk loop.
Ormiston Gorge Water Hole. After the recent rains, we needed to wade across the stream in crotch-high water to complete the Pound Loop walk.
Panorama Trail view at Trephina Gorge Nature Park, the East McDonnell Ranges, in the early morning. Hot days necessitated early starts.
A remarkable Ghost Gum at Trephina Gorge Nature Park (composite photo)
Our 4wd Mitsubishi Pajero at Palm Valley trail-head, Finke Gorge National Park. A “serious” 4 wheel drive road of about 20 km had to be navigated to reach the trail-heads for our two hikes that day.
Clifford at Kalarranga Lookout, Finke Gorge
Morning vista from Kalarranga Lookout, Finke Gorge
A Ghost Gum along the Mpulunkinya Trail at Finke Gorge National Park
The Vagabond Hiker celebrating his birthday on a boulder amongst the Red Cabbage Palms at Finke Gorge National Park
Early morning shot of the West McDonnell Ranges from the road to Standley Chasm, starting point of section 4 of the Larapinta Track
The ridge to Brinkley Bluff summit on section 4 of the Larapinta Track
The view South from Brinkley Bluff summit. 360 degree views were on offer from this local high point on the Larapinta Track.  It is a popular dry camping site halfway through this section of the track, though I encountered only one other group that day.
The Vagabond Hiker on the Brinkley Bluff ridge-line high above the surrounding land

Despite the title of this blog, it would be remiss of me not to at least mention in passing our 2,700 km road trip odyssey from Alice back to Sydney for our departure flights from Australia.  Most of those three days were naturally consumed by driving and sleeping (fortunately, not at the same time!) but we did manage two early morning walks.  Below is one photo taken from each.  Quite a contrast to the Red Centre.

Pastoral view from the southern flanks of Mt Remarkable, Melrose, South Australia
Morning reflections on the Murrumbidgee, Hay, New South Wales (photo courtesy of Clifford).  A major tributary of the Murray, the Murrumbidgee is the 2nd longest river in Australia.

Comments

  2. Hi Kent,
    Has your birthday just came, Happy Birthday! Don and I just returned from an amazing trip in Nepal hiking the Annapurna Circuit. Fabulous weather, mountains higher than I have ever climbed, over Thorung La pass at 17,769 ft, magnificent waterfalls and rivers and overall natural beauty; a wonderful trip. It is so great to see and hear about your ongoing adventures. Hugs,
    Leslie

    • Leslie, I’ve been wondering how your trekking was going. The Thorung La was amazing, though I most remember the cold on the ascent and the headache on top. It was the highest tea room I’ve ever been in. You’ll have to do a presentation for Outback!

    • Thank you, Linda. And happy VERY belated b-day to you, too. I’m hoping for a good weather window later this month and early June for you.

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