Defendering Australia: Days 16-21: Larapinta trail (hiking)

The Larapinta trial covers over 230 km through the West McDonnell Ranges just out of Alice Springs. We did about 80km over 6 days, just seeing the highlights and staying in temporary campsites.

The temperature ranged from 1C to 30C, and facilities were pretty meagre but the food was OK, and most of it was cooked in big iron pots in open fires. We had a group of 16, all about our age.

Day 1, 16km: Alice Springs Telegraph Station to Wallaby Gap. Highlight was climbing Euro Ridge. Local indigenous food talk and tasting from Rayleen Brown, and Michele has one of one of her recipe books at home so she will get the ingredients sent from Alice Springs to cook it authentically.

First big climb

Walked along Euro Ridge

Apple Crumble cooked under hot coals

Michele and Rayleen with the recipe

View from Euro Ridge

Day 2, 10km: Simpson’s Gap and Standley Chasm. Education about local family relationships. Great scenery at Standley Chasm.

Walking into Simpson's Gap

Standley Chasm

Sunset from camp

Day 3, 17km: long walk covering Count’s point ending up in the next camp.

Day 4, 10km: Inarlanga Pass, Serpentine Gorge, the Ochre pits and the afternoon at Glen Helen Gorge for swimming (but water was freezing). The George is on the Fink River, which is over 700km long and, of course, drains into Lake Eyre, like everything else in central Australia.

In the 60's they dammed the gorge for water supply for a chalet. It was built by two Italians who carted concrete and steel up a difficult trail and once finished, it immediately silted up, making it useless.

Walked through area of recent fires

The Ochre Pit

Swimming at Glen Helen Gorge

Day 5, 16km: climbing Mt Sonder (1380m) for sunrise. Up at 2 for 2:30 departure and 8km climb to Mt Sonder for sunrise. Relaxing at Glen Helen Gorge in the afternoon again.

Shadow of Mt Sonder at sunrise

Us watching the sunrise from the top

Sunset from camp

Day 6, 8km: Ormiston Pound loop walk. Probably the best day of the trip, including a wade through 1m deep freezing water to complete the track. Then back to Alice Spring to rest and prepare for our BIG drive across the Tanami Desert tomorrow (957km) to Wolfe Creek meteorite crater for some sunset and sunrise photos.