Western MacDonnells

This is a hike and bike tour. It combines some great cycling with optional walks on the long-distance Larapinta walking trail and a visit to Palm Valley in the Finke Gorge national park. Expect warm days and cool nights in winter, writes Sue Webber.

Day One Alice Springs to Standley Chasm, 65km.

Head west out of Alice Springs following the Larapinta Drive. The bike path to Simpsons Gap starts just opposite the Flynn memorial and is a great way to travel with views of the ranges and no cars to worry about. Simpsons Gap has a picnic area, water and toilets. Ride south down the road to rejoin Larapinta Drive and head west for 24km to the turn off to Standley Chasm. This undulating road takes you to a kiosk with ice-cream and cold drinks for sale. This is a camping spot for people walking the Larapina Trail and, if you ask nicely, you may be allowed to camp here too. It’s a great spot, the gates are locked at 6pm so it’s quiet at night except for the rock wallabies that come down to eat the grass and jump on the tables.

Day Two Walking from Standley Chasm.

Follow the connector track to the Larapinta Trail from Standley Chasm that leads up a climb to a good view point, an alternative is to walk through the Chasm itself following the bed of Angkale creek. There’s also a one hour walk that runs along the valley with lots of central Australian plants to see. The Chasm itself it what most visitors come to see but it’s worth waiting until the late afternoon before you visit to enjoy the quiet.

Day Three Standley Chasm to Ellery Creek Big Hole, 58km

Return to Larapinta Drive and then head west to the junction with Namatjira Drive, take Namatjira Drive. A steep road to a look out on the left gives a great view along the valley to the west in sharp contrast to the disgusting man-made mess at the lookout. Fortunately the zebra finches don’t seem to mind. The dirt road to Ellery Creek Big Hole follows a river bed to the camping area. The water here was full of dead fish – a common problem at this time of the year. We took precautions and boiled and purified the water before drinking.

Day Four Ellery Creek Big Hole to Glen Helen, 47km

The cycling is good along Namajira Drive with a good road surface, undulating road and excellent weather. The Ochre Pits are well worth a detour and walk to see these coloured rocks that supply ochre for Aboriginal celebrations. Glen Helen Homestead is an outpost of luxury and offers restaurant and café meals, and motel-style accommodation as well as camping. We posted a food parcel ahead to pick up here. It’s also a chance to get some clothes washed ready for the next part of the trip.

Day Five Ormiston Pound

It is possible to camp at Ormiston Gorge but the 23km return ride from Glen Helen is part of an enjoyable day out. From the Gorge car park the three-hour Ormiston Pound walk is spectacular with a wonderful view across the pound and a walk through the gorge. It’s a sun bleached landscape but when the smells of the flowers fill the air and the birds are singing it feels very vibrant.

Day Six Glen Helen to Redbank Gorge, 24km

A short day to the most westerly official camping spot in the West MacDonnell National Park. The dirt starts just beyond Glen Helen but the surface was generally good with some sand and corrugations. There is no water at the Redbank Gorge campsite but it can be collected beyond the car park from Redbank creek (check that there will be water here before you set off, ask the rangers at Ormiston Gorge for advice).

Day Seven Walk to Mount Sonder.

Redbank Gorge is the western end of the Larapinta Trail but rather than follow it back towards Glen Helen we took the track up Mt Sonder (1380m) instead. The mountains here stand proud out of the landscape with the highest in the Northern Territory, Mt Zeil (1531m) in the distance. There is a wonderful sense of space in this wild open landscape and the combination of cycling and walking is a great way to appreciate of the area.

Day Eight Redbank Gorge to Tylers Pass, 30km.

The main challenge of this part of the tour is finding appropriate places to camp. South of Tyers Pass is Aboriginal land where camping is not permitted. Completing the 100km from Redbank to Hermannsburg in a day seemed unlikely so we looked for a place to bush camp near Tylers Pass in the national park. The road is slower out here with corrugations, clay, sand, gravel and rocks in all combinations. We carried the water we needed for two days and one night. From the lookout at Tylers Pass, Gosse Bluff looks like a fresh meteor impact on the plain. It’s tempting to ride out there but we didn’t have sufficient food or water to complete this extra trip.

Day Nine Bush camp to Hermannsburg, 68km

The original plan was to ride to Palm Valley but as the day wore on and we struggled with mechanical failure, sand and heat, the temptation of cold drinks and a shower became too strong and we took the road in to Hermannsburg instead. There is a good supermarket in town and a basic campground. But bring your ear plugs because the dogs of Hermannsburg sing all night long.

Day Ten Hermannsburg to Palm Valley, 17km

This is the roughest part of the tour, a sandy track that crosses and recrosses the Finke River. After heavy rain it may not be possible to ride in but we found the crossings shallow. It’s an exciting ride but not one that I would have been glad to tackle at the end of the day before. The campsite on the bank of the river is magic. There are some great walks nearby or cycle another four km up to Palm Valley itself. Another day here would have been excellent, however we had a train to catch out of Alice Springs.

Day Eleven Palm Valley to Bush Camp, 75km

Back along the sandy track to Larapinta Drive, a stop for cold drinks at Hermannsburg and east along the sealed roads towards Alice Springs. The landscape is not so dramatic along this road through Aboriginal land. The road is two lane until the end of Aboriginal land when it becomes single lane bitumen with dirt edges. Once out of Aboriginal land we made a bush camp off the road, we carried water for an overnight camp and to see us through the next day.

Day Twelve Bush Camp to Alice Springs, 80km

The sealed road gets busier towards Alice Springs. Larapinta Drive rejoins Namatjira Drive. This section is part of the first day’s ride and to return to Alice we took the side trip back along the Simpsons Gap bike path just for the fun of it.

Thanks to Great Southern Railway for providing transport for us and our bicycles from Adelaide to Alice Springs and back.

Tour guide Time of year. The winter months are the best time to do this tour. Days will be warm and nights cold, be prepared for frosts.

Water You need to be able to carry two day’s water to do this trip, that’s around 9-10 litres per person. You also need to purify creek water see March/April Cyclist for more information on water safety.

Maps The Hema map, The Red Centre covers this area very well. Maps of the Larapinta Trail are available at the tourism office at Alice Springs. Number three is Jay Creek to Standley Chasm and number 11 covers Glen Helen to Redbank Gorge. The leaflet, Walks of Ormiston Gorge and Pound is also available from the tourism office.

Getting There Bus, train or plane to Alice Springs. We took the Ghan from Adelaide. This is a great way to see the country and an easy way to take the bikes. These are taken as roll-on, roll-off with no need to disassemble or pack. Phone 1800 888 480 for more information or see www.gsr.com.au

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