Natural splendour, real musics, wines, wordpower
To reach the pictured location, you need to be able-bodied, but – in stable weather, at least – it does not involve a very long walk, nor an arduous/particularly hazardous one.
It still surprises me that relatively few visitors to such a magnificent place are prepared to walk more than a very few, very easy steps away from the car/bus park.
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In winter, in a “good” year, some places in “The Red Centre” can surprise a first-time visitor by presenting a relatively soft, lush green “face”.
Ellery Creek Big Hole is a striking, dramatic destination at any time, but it does not always look the way it did on 17 June 2023.
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This is a very popular swimming/ picnicking spot, easily accessed, just 80 kilometres west of Alice Springs.
It also offers scenic splendour, complex geology, and good walking opportunities.
Newcomers who lack knowledge of Western MacDonnell Ranges’ water holes will experience a cold shock the first time they enter this one.
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Looking at the image above, you may be surprised to know that this waterhole’s seemingly-deep waters do not enjoy a status which even remotely resembles “permanent”.
Circa 45 years ago – on the last of my several previous visits to Emily Gap – I walked through this very spot in bare feet; they remained dry, with my toes relishing the sand.
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Emily Gap is only a few minutes away from Alice Springs.
If you are heading out into the Eastern MacDonnell Ranges, it will be “your” first gap.
Beautiful aesthetically, and of geological interest too, Emily Gap/Anthwerrke has enormous cultural significance to the Eastern Arrernte People.
Accordingly, although it is an easily accessed, “open” and popular spot for both tourists and locals, visitors are requested to treat it with respect.
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The MacDonnell Ranges are rich in birdlife, including species unfamiliar to most suburban Australians.
This post’s photo may look “peaceful”, but in the middle of the day at Jessie Gap, the Australian zebra finch “action” was in fact a display of incredibly fleet, flurrying, “colour and movement”.
The pictured individuals were just part of a large flock, whose members were repeatedly zapping to and from tree and waterhole.
Jessie Gap is a short drive south-east, from Alice Springs.
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Eucalyptus gamophylla flourishes in very demanding environments, mostly in Central Australia.
Very hardy, even by mallee standards, it is one of several (quite different) mallee eucalypt species that are commonly known as “blue mallee”.
As you can see, blue is not its only hue.
It is not hard to see why florists and flower arrangers seek out its leaves.
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I am unsure whether the pictured grass is or is not a member of the genius Triodia.
“Spinifex” or not, this “blonde” is formidable!
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You are looking (I think) at a so-called “spinifex” grass, demonstrating its hardiness in Trephina Gorge, circa 85 kilometres east of Alice Springs.
What Australians call “spinifex” is something entirely different from the “true” spinifex, which are coastal grasses that grow on at least three continents, including Australia.
The uniquely Australian “spinifex” are inland dwellers, tussocky, clump-forming grasses that grow mostly in arid or semi-arid zones,
Typically, they dominate their preferred habitats, forming “hummock grasslands”, some of which are vast.
In Australia, almost every so-called “spinifex” is a member of the large, endemic Australian genus Triodia.
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The Western MacDonnell Ranges enjoy a rather higher public profile than do the Eastern.
Imagine someone who has “just 24 hours in Alice”, insufficient time/inclination to walk very far, and a keen desire to spend the whole day in the MacDonnell Ranges.
I would advise that person to “head west” – that side of the ranges has the most jaw-dropping vistas, the highest mountains, the deepest gorge….
However, you should ensure that you have at least “several days in Alice”, and you really should “head east” as well as west.
Trephina Gorge offers a particularly rewarding combination of beautiful scenery, pretty easy walking, and highly diverse, lovely vegetation.
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