Tag: MacDonnell Ranges

Glen Helen Gorge is in the Western MacDonnell Ranges, 132 kilometres west of Alice Springs.

It was carved by the Finke, allegedly the world’s oldest river.

Glen Helen is one of not many Central Australian places where water is “permanently” visible, reflecting the sky.

If you are looking for particularly beautiful examples of “water in landscape” – whether an entirely natural landscape, or a man-made/manicured/ garden setting – you will likely enjoy a higher success rate in regions with dry rather than wet climates.

Even by Australian standards, this post’s hero is a relatively modest mountain.

130 kilometres west of Alice Springs, Mount Sonder (1,380 metres) is the Northern Territory’s 4th highest peak; with the sole exception of Western Australia, all other Australian States (& the ACT) have considerably higher mountains.

Everest (which I have seen, “in person”, albeit from some distance) comprehensively dwarfs it, but is no lovelier.

Mount Sonder is one of the most beautiful mountains I have ever seen.

This post’s photo was taken from almost exactly the same vantage point as the previous post’s…and only a few seconds later.

In “standard format” terms, #16’s photo was a cropped version of a 120mm (short telephoto lens) view, whilst this post’s is a wide angle (24 mm) shot, unedited.

Some “arid” Australian rockfaces cause some humans to revise their notions of trees’ “minimum requirements”.

The pictured ghost gum is growing on the eastern wall of Ormiston Gorge, 135 kilometres west of Alice Springs.