Australian_Geographic_-_February_2016_

January. February 55

F

OR THIS JOURNEY in search of arid zone scenery,

I’m following the Red Centre Way. It’s a series

of connecting roads between Alice Springs and

the West MacDonnell Ranges in the north, and Uluru

in the south. On the way it passes the landscapes of

Glen Helen Gorge, Tnorala and Kings Canyon.

Travelling south of Tnorala you pass through

Aboriginal land on the Mereenie Loop road, which

requires a permit and largely follows an unsealed, rug-

ged track. The corrugations rearrange the equipment

in my car, but I reduce the tyre pressure to help smooth

the ride. Doing this loop road turns the journey into

an adventure away from the main highway, with sight-

ings of dingoes and birds of prey along the way.

The MacDonnell Ranges spread in an east–west

direction for 640km and become more spectacular

heading west from Alice. There are stunning gorges

• Simpsons Gap, Standley Chasm and Serpentine
  Gorge among them – to investigate and explore with
  the UAVs. One of the most striking is Ormiston
  Gorge, a deep canyon that becomes filled with dawn
  light shortly after sunrise. The western ranges have the
  NT’s tallest mountains, all closely grouped: Mt Zeil
  (1531m), Mt Razorback (1247m) and Mt Sonder
  (1380m). The beautiful Mt Sonder is a highlight along

the 223km Larapinta Trail. It gently rises like a giant

launching ramp to an east-facing summit that captures

the radiant morning light. I position the UAV here

above the landscape to allow a clear view of the sum-

mit and Mt Razorback behind, and then rotate the

camera 1800 to capture a panorama.

The narrow Redbank Gorge is at the base of Mt

Sonder and the Redbank Creek flows through it. The

gap at nearby picturesque Glen Helen Gorge is formed

by the beginnings of the Finke River. You can swim

here and at the other gorges along the way, including

Ormiston and Redbank, and Ellery Creek. From Glen

Helen the river flows south to Finke Gorge National

Park, where it streams past sandy banks and rugged

cliffs. Although it’s ephemeral, the river ensures the

survival of the rare red cabbage palm, which was more

widespread at wetter times in the Red Centre’s past.

F

URTHER SOUTH along the Red Centre Way are

two landmark national parks – Watarrka, then

Uluru-Kata Tjuta. They both lie at the southern

margin of a 170,000sq.km depression, the Amadeus

Basin, which covers most of the southern NT. About

440 million years ago this was a great sea, which then

became plains and white sand dunes. Continued page 58