Guide To The West MacDonnell Ranges (Tjoritja), Alice Springs

One of the things I learned connected our roadworthy travel astir Australia was that you should ever let yourself to beryllium surprised, which is however I felt erstwhile I visited the West MacDonnell Ranges successful Alice Springs.

Located successful the West MacDonnell National Park, oregon Tjoritja arsenic it’s known to its accepted owners, is simply a immense portion of unthinkable stone formations, canyons and creeks, viewpoints and hikes, and galore scenic drives.

While galore radical sojourn Alice Springs to sojourn Uluru and spot Ayres Rock, determination are truthful galore things to bash successful the West MacDonnell Ranges, it should not beryllium skipped.

In this guide, I stock with you what to bash successful this unthinkable nationalist parkland and however you tin sojourn it.

Where Are The West MacDonnell Ranges?

Did you cognize that the West MacDonnells was connected the doorstep of Alice? I’m embarrassed to accidental I didn’t.

I thought Alice Springs was successful the mediate of the desert, which I pictured arsenic being level and vast.

Alice really sits successful the spread betwixt the East and West MacDonnell Ranges, a 622km bid of past mountains sculptured by climatic conditions.

This means Alice Springs is acceptable successful a precise picturesque country offering tourists a wide assortment of things to spot and do.

Things to Do successful the West MacDonnell Ranges

Below I person shared with you immoderate of the apical things to bash successful the West MacDonnell Ranges, the roadworthy is each sealed from Alice and determination are plentifulness of facilities.

1. Walk the Larapinta Trail (or immoderate of it)

For the existent adventurous, you tin research it connected ft via the celebrated Larapinta Trail, which stretches 223 km on the backbone of the MacDonnell Ranges.

After speechmaking Cheryl Strayed’s caller “Wild”, I’m kinda keen to bash it (in the wintertime time!)

Or if you’re not a hiker, you tin thrust it on the Larapinta Drive

The West MacDonnell Ranges amusement disconnected its evident quality champion during the aureate hours of sunrise and sunset erstwhile the colour of the rocks alteration from pinkish to reddish to orange.

But dive a small deeper into its gorge walls and gaps and you’ll observe fabulous waterholes, ochre pits, and adust creek furniture walks.

2. Visit Glen Helen Gorge

The imperishable waterhole astatine Glen Helen Gorge is 1 of the nationalist park’s apical attractions and a favourite location to galore taxon of godforsaken wildlife.

It’s the cleanable spot to usage arsenic a basal to research the West MacDonnell Ranges.

Glen Helen Gorge lies astatine the headwaters of the Finke River, wherever you tin locomotion on the riverbed betwixt the gorge walls to spot fabulous cycads.

The accepted owners besides judge Glen Helen Gorge is the location of an past and almighty Rainbow Serpent, truthful see it off-limits for swimming.

3. Camp astatine Glen Helen Homestead

We camped astatine Glen Helen Lodge for 3 nights successful a powered site. We enjoyed chilling retired successful the homestead during the time aft we’d finished our greeting walks and swims successful the West Macs.

There are respective campsites passim the parkland which person blistery showers and toilets, but lone basal facilities. You bash person to wage overnight camping fees.

4. Have Breakfast astatine Glen Helen

We loved eating meal retired connected the decking astatine Glen Helen Homestead. The views retired implicit the West Mac ranges were stunning and it is precise serene watching the eagles soar softly supra looking for their ain breaky.

Okay, truthful we loved having sunset drinks retired present too!

5. Catch the Sunrise astatine Mount Sonder

Five minutes down the roadworthy from Glen Helen Gorge is the Mount Sonder Lookout. This is the spot to travel for sunrise (and sunset).

You get stunning views implicit to Mt Sonder, the highest constituent connected the Larapinta Trail and the West Macs ranges.

With its changing colours, it’s a favourite for painters, including the celebrated Australian creator Albert Namatjira.

The quality doesn’t halt determination though. Just look a small to the close for much quality looking crossed the past furniture of what is known arsenic the world’s oldest stream – the Finke – is an added bonus.

6. Go Tubing successful Redbank Gorge

Redbank Gorge was 1 of the astir delightful surprises and our favourite spot successful the West Macs.

The gorge sits successful the shadiness of Mt Sonder and is known for its chilly water, but I recovered it truthful refreshing connected our blistery day.

We grabbed a mates of tubes from Glen Helen Homestead and carried them on the 2 km instrumentality locomotion from the car parkland on the tree-lined, adust sandy creek furniture into the gorge.

There’s a tiny swimming spread that leads to a constrictive ace successful the wall. Paddle connected done it with your tubes and past clamber implicit the rocks that pb up to each caller level.

There are six altogether and we lone went up three. Just instrumentality attraction arsenic snakes similar to bask successful the sunshine on the walls here. But, don’t fearfulness they’re not funny successful you!

It was specified a amusive adventure.

Kalyra and I acceptable disconnected archetypal and giggled and splashed on with our legs with childish delight. I emotion these mini-adventures with Kalyra. She’s truthful funny and adventurous and keeps maine young and brave.

She past kicked maine retired to person the aforesaid escapade with her Daddy portion I swam successful determination with Savannah connected my back. She insisted successful joining the adventure, but lone if I swam her successful there!

You tin spot a video of Gary & Amanda’s Redbank utmost adventures with a crocodile here:

7. Swim successful Ormiston Gorge

Ormiston perchance has the biggest and prettiest astir imperishable swimming spread successful the West Macs. It’s besides the astir popular.

Don’t interest determination won’t beryllium crowds disturbing your peace, that’s the quality of the West MacDonnell Ranges.

You tin instrumentality a abbreviated locomotion into the gorge for a refreshing swim. Or you tin locomotion up to the alloy viewing level wherever you place the Ormiston Waterhole (20 min return). Off to the northbound you tin spot consecutive down into the majestic Ormiston Gorge with its rugged, quartzitic cliff faces and deep, sandy floor.

If you are feeling up to it, you tin proceed walking on the Ghost Gum Walk (a 1.5 hr loop) that winds down adjacent to the gorge and yet leads backmost to Ormiston Waterhole via the rocky level of the Gorge.

There is besides a kiosk unfastened present and seemingly serves a phenomenal crystal coffee.

8. Visit the Ochre Pits

A abbreviated locomotion from the car parkland volition instrumentality you to the Ochre pits, an country of brightly coloured tiny cliffs that section Arrarnta Aboriginal radical person utilized for thousands of years for their ceremonial overgarment and is adjacent a spot for trade.

The layers of white, yellowish and reddish ochre of the cliffs are truthful affluent and earthy. Don’t interaction the ochre, it’s a ineffable tract and truthful protected.

9. Hike done Serpentine Gorge

Serpentine Gorge offers a beauteous time hike done River Red Gums, reeds, and alongside idyllic semi-permanent h2o holes.

There is nary swimming present it has a protected and fragile ecosystem.

There’s a locomotion up an exposed, rocky slope with precise small shadiness to a lookout, but the views from the summit.

We didn’t effort it, but heard the 360 degrees views on the narrow, winding Serpentine Gorge were beauteous and gives a unsocial position of the MacDonnell Ranges.

10. Swim successful Ellery Creek Big Hole waterhole

A favourite swimming spread for the locals, Ellery Creek sits close adjacent the car park, making it a large spot for those who aren’t keen connected walking in. It’s besides a large spot for a picnic.

11. Check Out Standley Chasm

This is the spot you privation to sojourn astir noon erstwhile Mother Sun decides to ignite the splendour of the gorges fiery walls rising 80 meters above.

When the sun’s airy shifts crossed the cleft, the walls of the chasm glows golden, orangish and red. It’s a precise aged women’s concern healing place.

When the sun’s airy shifts crossed the cleft, the walls of the chasm glows golden, orangish and red. It’s a precise aged women’s concern healing place.

There’s a beauteous 15- 20 min locomotion on the creek too uncommon past cycads, and wherever spring-fed pools springiness the vale level a lush, tropical oasis feel. When you sojourn the Red Centre Way, your thought of what a godforsaken is volition beryllium tipped upside down.

There is different abbreviated locomotion that heads up westwards from the backmost of the Kiosk. The locomotion climbs up a vale and finishes connected a saddle with spectacular views of valleys, creeklines and mountains disconnected to the west.

There’s a kiosk astatine the commencement of the walk, wherever you tin get a bully luncheon with serenity views and a yummy cupful of coffee. Standley Chasm is Aboriginal owned and operated. Entry interest is $10 for adults, $6.50 for kids,

$25 Family of 2 Adults/2 Kids. You tin besides campy for $15

12. Check retired Simpsons Gap

This salient waterhole is conscionable a 25-minute thrust from Alice and is fashionable to rhythm to on the sealed 17km motorcycle way (one way) starting from Flynn’s grave.

The country is an important spiritual tract to the Arrarnta Aboriginal people, wherever respective dreaming trails and stories cross.

At dawn oregon dusk Simpsons spread is renowned arsenic a spot to spot Black-Footed Rock Wallabies on the gap’s abbreviated walking track.

The champion accidental to spot a rock-wallaby is aboriginal mornings oregon precocious day arsenic they don’t similar the midday heat.

13. See the Birds of Prey astatine Desert Park

This is an casual travel from Alice Springs. I took the girls determination for a greeting adventure. We had a large clip learning astir dingos, watching the vertebrate amusement and gathering an eagle successful person.

The Desert Park successful Alice Springs takes you done the antithetic godforsaken landscapes to spot the flora and fauna of each one. We had a large clip learning astir dingos, watching the vertebrate amusement and gathering an eagle successful person.

Other Places To Visit Near West MacDonnell Ranges

Of course, there’s truthful galore things to bash successful the West MacDonnell Ranges, but we can’t fto you walk by these different astonishing places adjacent that you should adhd to your itinerary.

14. Drive to Gosse Bluff (Tnorola) and Tylers Pass

We passed some of these connected the mode to Glen Helen Gorge and the West Macs from Kings Canyon on the Red Centre Way.

Around 142.5 cardinal years agone an entity from space, believed to beryllium a comet astir 600 metres across, crashed to earth, blasting a crater immoderate 20km across.

Today’s onshore aboveground is astir 2km little than the archetypal interaction aboveground and the bluff is astir 5km successful diameter, reduced implicit clip by erosion.

view of Gosse Bluff from Tylers Pass

According to Aboriginal belief, Tnorala was formed successful the instauration time, erstwhile a radical of women danced crossed the entity arsenic the Milky Way.

During this dance, a parent enactment her babe aside, resting successful it’s woody baby-carrier. The bearer toppled implicit the borderline of the dancing country and crashed to world wherever it was transformed into the circular stone walls of Tnorala.

We drove into person a look astatine Gosse Bluff. It’s a ineffable Aboriginal tract truthful you are asked to not locomotion successful definite places. We conscionable walked up to a lookout constituent from the car park. It’s eerily silent, but truthful pretty.

Tylers Pass is the spot to drawback a large panoramic presumption of Tnorala (Gosse Bluff) and the surrounding areas.

It helped springiness america a large ocular notation constituent erstwhile we aboriginal visited the Cosmos Centre and learned astir meteorites. Best not to deliberation astir them crashing into earth!

15. 4WD successful Palm Valley

One spot we’d heard truthful overmuch astir and were disappointed to miss arsenic Palm Valley.

You request a hardcore 4WD to entree it (or commercialized tour). Palm Valley is located successful the Finke National Park and is location to the world’s oldest river, the Finke River and the Red Cabbage Palm, that is lone recovered successful Palm Valley.

Tips for Visiting West MacDonnell Ranges

Before you go, I person a fewer tips to stock with you to marque the astir of your trip.

• Pack plentifulness of water. The outback is blistery and sunny, and tin pb to dehydration easily.
• Put connected sunscreen to support your skin.
• Know erstwhile to go. The warmer months are betwixt December and February wherever temperatures tin scope 34°C – 36°C.
• Make definite you complaint your cameras! There’s a batch of astonishing views to photograph.
• You don’t request a 4WD, determination are 2 roads – Larapinta Drive and Namatjira Drive – which are some paved.

Final Thoughts connected Visiting West MacDonnell Ranges

“Places we’d ne'er heard of are immoderate of our faves!”

We often acceptable retired connected our travels focused connected checking disconnected everything connected our bucket list. The bucket database is simply a must; you privation to spot those places and person those experiences you haven’t stopped reasoning about.

But, you request to permission abstraction successful your travel for the surprises.

The West MacDonnell Ranges were 1 of our biggest surprises. We’d ne'er person visited determination if it not for recommendations from different travellers and our readers.

We knew our roadworthy travel on the Red Centre Way from Uluru to Alice Springs successful the Northern Territory was going to beryllium epic. I mean we yet spell to sojourn Uluru – a bucket database dream.

Thanks to our narration with Amanda and Gary from Travel Outback Australia and the folks astatine Tourism Northern Territory, we besides discovered the Red Centre Way successful Central Australia has an infinite fig of surprises waiting for you to explore.

One of those unthinkable surprises – The West MacDonnell Ranges.

Tours successful Alice Springs

More Northern Territory Travel Tips

• 34 Fun things to bash successful the NT, Australia
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• 25 Outstanding National Parks successful Australia
• 14 Best Road Trips successful Australia
• 20 Places to Put connected your Australian Bucket List
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