Ormiston

Today was our first big walk of the trip. Probably made all the longer by the argument as to just what  we could do, would want to do, and had time to do. Despite the plan, we wound up doing the pound walk, but in the reverse direction from recommended, but anyhow…

Ormiston gorge is another one of those gaps in the ranges. In this case there is a little water in the bottom, but again it is mostly sand and rocks and dry. The lookout above the gorge is under a ghost gum whose roots reputedly reach down into the waterhole some 70m below.

 

 

 

 

 

The walk is mostly through arid and loose shale-like rock, but even so, the range of plants clinging tenaciously to life is astounding. The area gets 350mm of rain a year, but is quite variable between 150 and 800mm. Given this, and the fact that there is no discernable soil anywhere to speak of, the land is surprisingly green.

After a couple of km up and down from the lookout and through the gorge, the river opens out into a pound – a ring of mountains with the Ormiston River snaking its way across the bottom. The mountains are different in different parts and it is not immediately clear to me how they were formed into a ring.

The return journey was up over the side, again via another one of those lookouts with a lone tree on the ridgeline. We were back in time for a late lunch, but not for lunch, since that needed to wait until Glen Helen resort for us to buy our road pass and a loaf of bread.

As dramatic as they are, the West MacDonnell ranges just come to an end, and the country changes and become quite flat. Gosse Bluff, a meteorite Crater breaks up the landscape.

Another hour or so down the road and we pass  Albert Namitjira’s house and into Palm Valley for the camp for the night. The road in was nowhere near as dramatic as the three hour warning sign at the turnoff. We probably covered the 18km in a little over half an hour and arrived in time for a lamb curry, a shower, and a sunset.  Clear skies again, so we expect another cool night.