Here's another of the walks that I did up in Central Australia late last year. If there is one thing all these walks have in common it's that they are all short, probably the longest walk I completed in the red centre last year would have been only around 5 or 6 kilometres, there were two reasons for that though, the first being that the rain had closed a lot access roads so my choices were a little limited and secondly, the grey skies and frequent rain sucked my mojo away a little. Twelve months previously I'd snuck in a walk at Ormiston Gorge, once again sneaking in just after the roads had opened and a couple of days before I had to be back home to go to work. That walk was notable for a very close encounter with a Death Adder so heading back today I was hoping for a rather less exciting walk, oh and I decided that boots and not sandals were the go, which is what all the smart (and alive) bushwalkers are wearing!
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| The Ghost Gum Walk climbs up to a lookout directly above the swimming hole in Ormiston Gorge. |
I wasn't heading back out to Ormiston Pound as I had last year though, in my lethargic state I decided to do the very short Ghost Gum Walk. This little stroll initially climbs up above Ormiston Gorge to a substantial lookout above the main swimming hole, I've swum down there many times over the years but I'm not sure I'll be swimming there again. It would just take one tool up here to lob a rock over the edge and you could be in all sorts of trouble down below, judging by the warning signs I reckon it might have already happened more than once! The climb up to the lookout follows a very short section of the Larapinta Trail through the Ormiston Gorge camping area before starting to climb via a long series of steps into the hills, as it climbs the track is benched into sometimes almost vertical slopes and the views as you would imagine take your breath away.
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| There are plenty of excuses to stop and get your breath bak on the climb. |
Once at the lookout my eyes were drawn to the view down along the gorge, I've walked through the gorge many times but have never seen the view from up here. Your spoilt for choice a little when it comes to grand scenery in the Western MacDonnell's but Ormiston Gorge is right up there in my opinion. After swatting away a few flies I continued on, dropping gently down to the bed of the gorge past slopes coloured gold with spinifex and dotted with the occasional majestic ghost gum.
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The view down the gorge from the lookout, that's the main swimming hole below.
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Dropping down to the bed of Ormiston Creek the track passed a few ghost gums.
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As well as spinifex.
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Once I was down on the sandy bed of Ormiston Creek all that was left was to head down stream back towards the visitor centre at the head of the gorge. Now normally I'd be telling you all about the great swimming holes along here and how I languished in my share of them, but with the grey sky above threatening to drop their load on me at any minute I didn't muck around to much this morning. After climbing over one last rocky rib I arrived at the last waterhole, this is the usual swimming spot for the tourists being only a two minute walk from the car park. There was no one swimming today though, I was welcomed to the waterhole by more warm rain so I took shelter under an old ghost gum while I took a couple of photos of the quiet waterhole, last year I'd had to swim across here but this year I managed to get across Ormiston Creek to the car park without wet feet (although this situation changed drastically a couple of days later). The walk was now coming to it's end, all that was left now was a couple of hundred metres along the paved tourist walk and I was back in the ute cranking the air-conditioning up, it may of been grey over head but it was still bloody hot!
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If you want to swim here I'd head down stream (into the gorge).
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Once reaching the bed of Ormiston Creek it was just a matter of following the creek back to the car park.
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The Dirt.
Somehow I managed to eke out 3.1 kilometres and climb 86 metres on this easy stroll. Don't let the measly stats put you off though this walk is a scenic extravaganza. If you are lucky enough to be here in the early morning on a blue sky day then I don't think that you could take a bad photo. As I mentioned earlier I don't think I'll swim at the main waterhole again, the danger of someone lobbing a rock from the (un-seen) lookout above is too much for me, I guess if you have to swim here then cross over to the far bank, at least over there you should be able to see if there is anyone up at the lookout. The good thing about Ormiston Gorge though is that if your prepared to walk a little there are normally plenty more options for a dip as you make your way up the gorge. I used the notes out of the Daly's
Take A Walk In Northern Territory's National Park, although I think it's only available as a e-book now.
Relevant Posts.
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| Sheltering from the rain under a big ghost gum, this is the main swimming spot. |
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| Last year I had to swim across here, the car park is on the far bank. |
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