A Day in the West Macdonnell Ranges

Alice Springs is nestled among the  gaps in the rocky Macdonnell Ranges.  The town is built on the flat areas and everywhere we look there are rocky ridges.  To the west is the West Macdonnell Ranges and to the east is the East Macdonnell Ranges.

As we left the town we passed by the grave of John Flynn, a minister who started the Royal Flying Doctor Service.  The memorial on his grave is topped by a rock from the Devils Marbles.


We drove eastwards through the western ranges on our way from Kings Canyon to Alice Springs.  We decided to do a day trip west and stop off at some of the many gorges.  The weather was hot and windy so it was nice to be in the air-conditioned comfort of the car.

We headed west along Larapinta Drive and turned off about 50km out of Alice Springs into the ranges.  The scenery was beautiful and we could imagine Albert Namatjira and other painters with their easels painting the beautiful ghost gums with the mountains in the background.

Our first stop was for a short walk at the Ochre Pits where various coloured ochres can be seen in the riverbanks and cliffs.  Colours ranged from white through elbows to deep oranges and various shades of pink and red.





Back into the car and we continued west stopping at several lookouts along the way.  We had a picnic lunch at Redbank Gorge, almost 200km from Alice Springs near the western edge of the Macdonnell Ranges National Park just past Mt Sonder.





After lunch we drove east towards Glen Helen on the Finke River.  The Glen Helen Gorge is a popular picning and swimming spot for Alice Springs residents.  The "resort" provides camping, accommodation, a bar and a restaurant with live music facilities.  Tourists can take helicopter flights through the many gorges.

Then it was time to make our way back to Alice Springs through more stunning scenery.

A day well spent!