Photo shows us on Day 10 at Brinkley Bluff, the first major high point along the Larapinta Trail.
We are back in Alice Springs after hiking most, but not all, of the Larapinta Trail. The trail snakes its way along the tops of the arid ridges west of Alice, at times threading its way through narrow gorges or 'gaps', at others winding a route across the bumpy lower levels between the Chewings and Heavitree ranges.
The name of the trail comes from the Arrernte name for the Finke River, Larapinta (salty water). Like all the other rivers here in Central Australia, there is water almost always flowing below the sandy river beds while the beds themselves are dry. Occasionally, like this last La NiƱa summer, it actually does rain quite hard, usually because a monsoonal low has slipped further south into the desert than usual. Then the rivers really do flood, helping to shape the way the gorges rip through the ranges. The Finke is the major river in these parts, funneling summer rainfall into the Simpson Desert. In exceptional years (like this one), water gets as far as Lake Eyre in South Australia's desert north, where its journey ends. The waterholes do become more salty as water evaporates in the dry season, but tasted OK to us as we crossed over and camped on the Finke's tributaries!
Despite the name of the trail, it has no particular significance in the way it has been constructed, which is rather arbitrary. Arrernte people lived here for thousands of years before being turfed into mission stations by early colonists. It's hard to believe that they survived so well in this harsh land, making use of the numerous waterholes that dot the area, mostly in the gorges where there are permanent, deep pools.
Of the 223 km of the trail we managed about 170 over a three week period, including the two highest points of Brinkley Bluff and Mount Sonder. The trail was one of the hardest we have done, mainly because of the rocky nature of the landscape and the fact that the trail itself was 'unformed', basically consisting of a route marked by blue triangles without an actual path having been constructed. Each ridge and gorge seemed like an obstacle course and our progress was often down to a kilometer an hour, although where the trail was flatter we could pick up speed. The weather alternated between cold mornings and warm days to cool mornings and very hot days. On the hotter days, the flies were so bothersome that we donned fly nets and kept flapping. On a few occasions we diverted from the main trail to stumble down dry river beds where we camped in the sand near a waterhole or two, shared by invisible mammals and numbers of birds.
One disappointment was the lack of wildlife. It was only to be expected that life was hard out here, but despite the obvious signs in the sand of dingoes, euros (sort of half way between a wallaby and a kangaroo), rock wallabies, camels and feral cattle, we saw no mammal life except for mice, which were everywhere, although dingoes howled one early morning. The most common birds were little finches, ringneck parrots, honeyeaters, budgerigars and crows. Many of Australia's smaller marsupial populations have taken a huge hit from introduced predators, particulalrly feral cats and foxes. NT's Parks & Wildlife Commission laments that formerly bountiful parts of Larapinta country like Ghost Gum Flat once had possums, bilbies and bettongs. No more.
We are now heading south to take a look at two of Australia's most famous landmarks - Uluru and the Kata Tjutas, then back up north again to Katherine, closer to Darwin where we are going to heave the backpacks up again on the 6 day Jatbula Trail in Nitmiluk National Park. Katherine is a lot hotter than Alice Springs, so we will have to take advantage of the numerous streams and rivers across the path of the trail - a welcome change from Larapinta.
The Australian federal election is taking place as this blog is being posted, with all hopes for a change in government. The ALP, like many social democratic parties everywhere, is timid and disappointing, but still a better bet than the current mob who have done enough damage in Oz over the last 9 years.
Update - the ALP has won the federal election with the help of the rise in the Green vote and second preferences directed towards Labor. It's probably no wonder after back to back climate disasters and loss in faith with the Coalition that the election has taken a more progressive direction. Hopefully, Labor will only have a minority government and will be forced to act on its policy pledges by the federal crossbench and the balance of power that the Greens are likely to have in the Senate.
Day 1- Geoff crossing the Darwin to Adelaide railtrack just before the Ghan rolled past.
Euro Ridge appearing on Day 1. Yes, that's the trail clinging to the very top of the ridge!
The cold waterhole at Bond Gap on Day 3
Overlooking Fish Hole in Jeay Creek - Day 6
Camped in the river bed in Jeay Creek - Day 6
The chasm at Standley Chasm - Day 7
The view of the trail landscape leading up towards Brinkley Bluff. We camped on that narrow ridge top as wind and rain forced a swift and uncomfortable stop - Day 9.
Alison descending Brinkley Bluff - Day 10.
Camped in the river at Stuart's Gap - Day 10.
The secure (from mice) cupboard at the 4/5 Junction campsite shelter - Day 11.
Birthday Waterhole near 4/5 Junction - Day 11.
Ghost gum at Ghost Gum Flat between Hugh Gorge and Ellery Creek - Day 13.
Loo at Rocky Gully campsite - Day 13.
Lookout from the saddle on the Heavitree Range near Ellery Creek - Day 14. it took us two days to hike the low land from the distant Chewings Range.
Ellery Creek South "Big Hole" - a popular swimming spot for Alice Springs residents and one place where an access road allows us to reprovision - Day 15.
Ormiston Gorge - Day 17.
Mount Sonder at the end of Larapinta Trail highest point of the trail at 1320m - Day 20.