West MacDonnell Ranges Gorge Walk
Drive west from Alice Springs through the West MacDonnell Ranges National Park — a series of spectacular red gorges, permanent waterholes, and ancient Aboriginal sites in a mountain range older than the Himalayas.
- 1
Simpsons Gap
Simpsons Gap is the first gorge west of Alice Springs — the narrow chasm through red quartzite reveals a permanent waterhole where black-footed rock wallabies live on the cliff faces above.
- 2
Standley Chasm
Standley Chasm is a narrow slot canyon just one metre wide at the base — at midday, the sun shines directly down and the red walls glow with an intensity that makes this the most photographed gorge in the Territory.
- 3
Ellery Creek Big Hole
Ellery Creek Big Hole is the deepest permanent waterhole in the West MacDonnells — the cold water (never above 20°C even in summer) is a shock after the desert heat, and the surrounding Precambrian rock is over 1 billion years old.
- 4
Serpentine Gorge
Serpentine Gorge requires a waterhole crossing to enter the inner gorge — the effort reveals a sacred Aboriginal site with rock paintings in a narrow canyon that twists through the ancient mountain range.
- 5
Ormiston Gorge
Ormiston Gorge is the most spectacular in the West MacDonnells — a massive permanent waterhole surrounded by 300-metre red cliffs provides a swimming hole unlike anything else in Central Australia.
- 6
Glen Helen Gorge
Glen Helen Gorge is the furthest easily accessible gorge from Alice Springs — the Finke River, one of the oldest rivers in the world, passes through the range here on its journey south through Simpson Desert.
Walk this route with audio
Stories play automatically as you reach each stop — no tapping needed.
