Section 2: The Route

Simpsons Gap

A major tourist attraction in the Alice Springs region, this striking feature has been carved through the quartzite of Rungutjirba Ridge by the floods that occasionally surge down Roe Creek. A colony of Black-footed Rock-wallabies lives amongst a jumble of giant boulders on the Gap's eastern bank.

The Trail between Simpsons Gap and Bond Gap is easy walking along the southern foot of Rungutjirba Ridge. It crosses country that varies from open, grassy flats to low, rocky hills, where the main vegetation cover is Witchetty Bush and Mulga.

In the eastern section you cross eroded flats - a legacy of the days when the Simpsons Gap area was used to fatten cattle. Although most of these animals were removed in 1970, they had caused such serious degradation of the land that parts of it are still just in the very early stages of recovery. The examples that you will see illustrate the surprising fragility of this arid environment.

You will then go on to pass several Ghost Gums that make a coll contrast to their red surroundings. Their bark is covered with a white powder that was used by the Aborigines as a cosmetic; the red sap that oozes from wounds in the trunk made a powerful antiseptic solution. Such trees are found throughout northern Australia and reach a maximum height of 25 metres.

Some 6 kilometres from Simpsons Gap, before reaching Bond Gap, you will come across vertical slabs of fine-grained gneiss seen north of this point owe their appearance to the tremendous dragging pressure exerted during the earth movements along the Charles River Fault.

A small population of Common Brushtail Possums lives between here and Bond Gap. Once widespread in Central Australia, this species suffered a rapid decline in the 1920s and was thought to have vanished from the region. Now known to still survive in scattered colonies such as this one.

Bond Gap

This narrow, red-walled chasm has been cut through the quartzite of Pine Hill by millennia of seasonal floodwaters. Access through it is blocked by a deep, cold waterhole that is thought to remain even in the fiercest droughts. The Gap's southern end is a special place sheltered by high cliffs and steep gully slopes. On most days, its cathedral calm is disturbed only by an occasional birdcall and the rusting of leaves in the tall River Red Gums.

From Bond Gap the Trail crosses rough terrain, where dense Mulga woodland with a shrubby understorey grows on hills of broken gneiss. There is plenty of evidence of Euro activity here. Observant walkers may also meet some of the beautiful Painted Firetails (a type of finch) that frequent similar habitats along the Ranges' higher ridges.

Looming above you is the steep, rugged face of Pine Hill. This sheltered southern side is clothed with White Cypress-pines, various Eucalypt trees, and spiky Spinifex grass. You will also see scattered clumps of the distinctive MacDonnell Ranges Cycad - a species that survives from a long-gone, wetter age.

Arenge View

Here you emerge from the Mulga to cross a small, open flat bedside Rocky Creek. The clean, sandy creekbed at this point features large River red Gums and thickets of Inland Tea-Tree, making it an excellent place for an overnight camp.

The evening view northwards from the creek to prominent Arenge Bluff is one of the many highlights of the Larapinta Trail.

The route between Arenge View and Spring Gap generally follows the path of Rocky Creek as it winds south-eastwards through the silent, stony hills. Long stretches of Mulga woodland are broken by creekbeds and crossings, where shady River Red Gums are a pleasing sight.

On this low rise, the Trail passes small dykes of whitish pegmatite that outcrop from the brown schist. The pegmatites (a coarse-grained granite) were forced into cracks in the Earth's crust during an ancient period of molten invasion. The layered schist found here was originally a mixture of silt and fine quartz sands laid down in an inland sea.

Spring Gap

This feature is notable both for its peaceful atmosphere and the variety of plant species found on its rocky slopes. Ghost Gums reach an impressive size high up on the harsh, western slopes, where the roots find water held in cracks deep below the surface.

The Gap's spring-fed waterhole (unfortunately not permanent) makes this a prime birdwatching spot, particularly when other watering points in the area have dried up. Examine the ground and you'll probably find well-used dog pads leading in from the surrounding bush. This is a sure sign that the local Dingo population is coming here to drink.

Mulga Camp

This suggested campsite is marked by a grove of tall Mulga growing on the alluvial creek flat. Just westwards of here, the Trail crosses a ridgeline that offers panoramic views of Mount Lloyd (best early in the morning) and Arenge Bluff (late afternoon). Half gap, a kilometre or so to the northwest and on a tributary of Rocky Creek, may contain water for several months after good rains.

The Trail between Spring Gap and Jay Creek takes you across remote country under the brooding slopes of Mount Lloyd. Bare rock pavements, boulder outcrops and steep-sided gullies choked with dense Mulga are features here. Much of the walk takes you along a high ridgeline that rewards you with views and (usually) a pleasant breeze. Boulders and overhangs provide shelter for Euros, which are fairly common here.

Bush Supermarket

About 5 kilometres on you pass pale clumps of Caustic Vine in the Witchetty Bush and Mulga Scrub, with a Bloodwood and Native Orange growing nearby. All five species are used in various ways by Aborigines. Medicine is obtained from the sap of the Bloodwood and Caustic Vine, from Mulga bark, and from Witchetty Bush leaves.

Native Orange fruits are edible, as are the sac-like insects found in the rough, apple-like galls that hang from small branches on the Bloowood tree. Mulga seeds are very nutritious- they are eaten either baked or raw after being ground up. The fat, white moth larvae (Witchetty Grubs) found in the surface roots of Witchetty Bushes are considered a great delicacy. Mulga wood is valued for the manufacture of weapons and implements, as well as firewood.

Jay Creek

Jay Creek enters a rugged gorge about 1 km long cutting through the Chewings Range. A deep, permanent pool known as Fish Hole is located in a pretty setting at the gorge's southern end, where the rocky floor narrows to just a few metres across. Between Jay Creek and the ridge you pass a large area of Mulga woodland that is regenerating after fire. Mulga woodland that is regenerating after fire. Mulga, like White Cypress-pine, is particularly sensitive to fire; it is often burnt so badly that whole woodlands die.

The ridge summit itself gives a fine, early morning view westwards along the ragged Chewings Range. This entire ridge, from Spring Gap westwards, is made up of a granitic gneiss that was pushed up from deep below the surface during the formation of the MacDonnell Ranges. Further evidence of the area's tortured geological past is provided here by the minor fault zones that have eroded out to form narrow, east-west trending gullies.

Old Hamilton Downs Youth Camp

This small, lonely cluster of buildings is the original homestead of Hamilton Downs cattle station. Established in 1913, the homestead was always difficult to reach and so was abandoned in 1948. Today, it operates a privately-owned youth camp.

Emergency drinking water is available at the Old Hamilton Downs Youth Camp, which is connected by radio-transceiver to the Royal Flying Doctor network. A caretaker is usually resident in at the Camp.

0 of a possible 0 points from 0 votes