Today we continued on our West MacDonnell Ranges tour. 

We had to backtrack a little bit to go to Serpentine Gorge. It looked lovely but we didn’t do a walk, as since Leanne’s heart surgery she hasn’t been able to do long walks. We checked out the camping at the nearby Serpentine Chalet campground which were a long long way from the Gorge - very nice but way too far to be anything other than a place to sleep.

After that we explored the Ochre Pits which had amazing colours - white, red, orange, purple. This is considered a sacred site and they ask visitors not to touch the ochre - so we dutifully complied, although Leanne really wanted to touch them to feel the texture.

Ormiston Gorge was an amazing swimming hole with huge gums, clear water, red sheer cliffs and a sandy beach. The local aboriginals run a small cafe here and you could also buy Aboriginal arts and crafts.

There used to be a big accommodation area called Glen Helen Resort so we stopped in but it is all fenced off and looking very derelict. Nearby is the Finke River so we headed off to explore the campground. Here you can camp right at the river bed and there were plenty of beautiful spots. Unfortunately we hadn’t booked and we had no reception so decided not stay here.

From there we stopped at the Mt Sonder lookout which had spectacular 360 degree views of Mt Sonder and the surrounding area. We also stopped in at Redbank Gorge and did a small walk to the lookout at the top of the hill. After this we went to Tyler’s Pass lookout.

Our final stop in the West MacDonnell Ranges was at Gosse Bluff Crater. We spent a bit of time here and did a small walk around the interior, which was very interesting as you could definitely see that it was a crater from a meteorite impact.

Finally, we decided to head back to Alice Springs where we will stay for a rest day (catch up with family, and restock with food) before heading off for the rest of our trip.