After getting beaten by the heat on my first attempt at the Larapinta Trail I found myself in Alice Springs with a bit of time up my sleeve. What to do? I figured that a few day walks would be the go, I'd be able to plan them so that I wasn't walking during the hottest part of the day and without the need to carry gear for a few days I wouldn't have any problems carrying enough water. So that's how I decided to take a walk out to Bowmans Gap at Ormiston Gorge.
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| Looking into Ormiston Pound from the lookout. |
Leaving Alice early in the morning I was heading off from the trail head at the Ormiston Gorge visitor centre nice and early. The first short section involved a walk along a short section of the Larapinta trail before I headed of to the left through some low hills, making my way towards a lookout over looking Ormiston Pound. Arriving at the lookout I took in the scene in front of me, I could almost make out the whole days route, Ormiston Pound lay at my feet, across the pound Mount Giles dominated the view, and Ormiston Creek could be seen snaking its way towards Bowmans Gap.
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Ormiston Creek snaking its way towards Bowmans Gap.
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| Looking towards Ormiston Gorge from the pound lookout. |
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Leaving the lookout I headed north until I intersected with Ormiston Creek, once on the creek it was just a matter of following it up steam until I made it to Bowmans Gap. The walk up the creek was easy and enjoyable, with plenty of water holes to attract the wild life and an ever changing panorama of red cliffs to distract the eyes. As I got closer to Bowmans Gap I found myself walking the creek bed which alternated between soft sand and tilted rock slabs.
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Bowman Gap.
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| I was either walking on the rock slabs or the sand. |
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After getting to the gap I retreated a couple of kilometres to one of the beautiful water holes that I'd Passed on the way in, quickly stripping off I was soon floating in the water admiring the cliffs around me, confident that no one would be coming to disturb me in a hurry. I spent the rest of the day alternating between skinny dipping and basking on the rocks reading, occasionally breaking the routine to have something to eat, life's hard!
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My swimming hole.
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All to soon it was time to leave my little patch of paradise and head back to the troopie, I short-cutted a big loop in the creek by climbing over a spur, the late afternoon light adding even more colour the the scene. Dropping off the spur I was soon back on Ormiston Creek, now I just followed the creek through Ormiston Gorge, luckily the water levels meant that I didn't have to wade any sections. Arriving at the troopie I was soon on my way back to the motel in Alice Springs having found another place that I'd have to get back to and explore more thoroughly one day.
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Heading back.
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| The afternoon sun lighting up Mount Giles. |
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| Cresting the spur on my way back. |
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The Dirt.
I used the notes from the 4th edition of Lonely Planets Walking in Australia, the walk is listed as the Ormiston Gorge & Pound. The walk is fairly easy although there is no track or track markers for a lot of the route, the open nature of the desert makes navigation fairly easy. There was a fair bit of water around when I completed the walk but I wouldn't rely on it, best carry what you need for the day. I walked around 18 kilometres for the day so I suppose the length combined with some off piste sections would make this a medium walk.
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| Heading for Ormiston Gorge. |
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| The author back in Alice Spring after another great day. |
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