Mount Sonder (1380m)

… Mount Sonder, which stands 1,380 meters above sea level (4,528 feet)

Mount Sonder is the end ‘marker’ of the famed Larapinta walking trail that traverses across country 223 kilometres (139 miles) from Alice Springs. The walk is broken down into 12 stages so sections can be enjoyed for those without the time (or inclination) to attempt the entire 14 day hike.

Having been travelling Namatjira Drive for 85 km, below is a painting by the road’s namesake, artist Albert Namatjira - A watercolour painted circa 1958 of Mt Sonder, which is held by the National Gallery of Australia.

Albert Namatjira (1902 – 1959) was an aboriginal artist who painted in an adapted western style using watercolours – He was the first aboriginal to be granted Australian citizenship.

To the south of Namatjira Drive is Glen Helen Gorge ~ Our destination for an overnight stay with hosts Shelagh and Colin.

Glen Helen Resort is situated on the banks of the Finke River.

The Finke River is one of Central Australia’s largest river systems yet has only nine permanent waterholes along its course ~ Glen Helen is situated on one of those permanent waterholes.

When we arrived (mid November), we were informed this waterhole had just started flowing again

After a quick look in the Glen Helen reception shop, where we spotted some Journey Jottings Mail-It Maps in amongst the postcards…

It was time for a delicious barbeque of kebab’d vegetables, which we devoured under the twinkling starry outback sky down by the water’s edge overlooking the Finke River, to the escarpment on the far side.

I wish I had photographs to share of that night sky – An outback night sky is so…. expansive… uninterrupted… infinite

However, I do have photographs of the sunrise, which we were up at the crack of dawn, the next day, to capture.

The West MacDonnell Ranges are a stunning area to visit – There is so much variety of landscape and things to see and do -

In the 130 km from Alice Springs to Glen Helen we stopped off at Standley Chasm, the Ochre Pits and Ormiston Gorge and loved each and every one of them, so do check out the blog post links there to read more

 This was as far west as we could go in our Maui motorhome as beyond Glen Helen the road reverts to dirt, so only 4WD hire vehicles can go on to Redbank Gorge and round the Mereenie Loop Road to Kings Canyon (Watarrka National Park).

So it was farewell to the West MacDonnells for us and back to Alice Springs, where we were going to head north for 400km to our next stop ~ the Devil’s Marbles.

Have you visited the West MacDonnell Ranges?

What was your favourite spot?

Do share in the commets below

It had been a long hot day and the sight of the water in Ormiston Gorge was welcoming

It took no time at all to immerse ourselves in it!

Delicious

The early evening light enhanced the classic red centre colours looking down the gorge to the escarpment.

There were trees perilously embedding themselves in the red rocky gorge walls…

…and clinging onto the sheer sides high above us

 …a twisted eucalypt grappling for life.

Leaving this piece of paradise…

…we were heading back to our camperbus (motorhome) when we spotted a Grey Crowned Babbler busy probing beneath the bark of a tree with its scimitar-like bill.

But just before we left Ormiston, we looked up to the rim of the gorge behind us and saw this upside-down rainbow!

I couldn’t work out how this was possible – particularly since there appeared to be no rain about!

I’ve since looked up how this phenomena occurs and came across the term ‘Circumzenithal arcs‘ – The only tricky part of the description is there are supposed to be ice crystals up there for the sun to refract off, so it’s generally a sight only seen in places such as the Arctic circle – So, what was an upside-down rainbow doing in central Australia?

The colour order is correct for a circumzenithal arc, as the violet is at the top and the red at the bottom -

Do we have any scientists in our midst who can elaborate or…

please explain!?

 Have you ever seen an upside-down rainbow? 

Do share in the comments below

 Next stop (next blog post) Glen Helen Gorge

Don’t want to miss it?

and receive the next post in the comfort of your Inbox

 I so nearly trod on this poor little chap!

We’d stopped for breakfast on the way to Standley Chasm. I was walking through the leaf litter to get a photo of our motorhome (camperbus!) when as I moved forward there was a rustling movement underfoot!

Yikes!

What was I about to step on?

To my relief, it was this cute Bearded Dragon (not a snake )

Whilst indignant, he didn’t scuttle off…

I was surprised to discover when we got home that the Inland Bearded Dragon is the most common variety to be sold as pets!

Have you seen a Bearded Dragon in the wild?

Or maybe more pertinent… as a pet?

I have to be honest, when one of our group on this trip to the Red Centre said they particularly wanted to stop off at the Ochre Pits, in the MacDonnell Ranges west of Alice Springs, my heart didn’t particularly sing

Scanning the Internet prior to our visit to the Red Centre I’d found a somewhat uninspiring non-descript image and these ‘Pits’ looked like…. well, the ‘Pits’

Were they just a bit of old mud on the banks of a creek bed?

So… next stop, 80km west of our first stop at Standley Chasm was the Ochre Pits!

And it just goes to show you can’t believe everything you see on the Internet! Some places really have to be experienced to appreciate their cultural influence and their colour in the flesh!

“The colourful curves and swirls of these soft-stoned and fragile cliffs tell a story rich with tradition and geological history. Since the beginning of time they’ve played an important role in the culture of the local Aboriginal people, the Western Arrente.”

While the photo above of Arente women ‘painted-up’ with ochre and feathers ready for a ceremony was taken over 100 years ago (by the anthropologist Walter Baldwin Spencer) ochre is still widely used in religious ceremony and for decoration.

In traditional western Arrente society ochre was an essential daily household item, and was central to the preparation of many medicines.

“The different coloured layers are caused by the presence of iron oxide in varying amounts. The more iron oxide present, the darker and redder the colour. The whiter stone has little or no iron and a high level of kaolin, a white clay mineral”

The colours in the ochre cliff were every bit as attractive as colours seen in other geological delights from further afield such as the Coloured Sands on Fraser Island or Rainbow Valley, NT.

Ochre deposits are found across Australia but in varying qualities so was frequently traded with pituri (bush tobacco), boomerangs, spears and down feathers used in ceremonies. Trading has always been an important part of Aboriginal society.

Today, ochres are used in Aboriginal artworks from certain regional communities in Australia.

The Warmun Art Community in the Kimberleys are renowned for their artworks painted with ochres, where each artist personally collects their medium from the surrounding country and prepares it with pestle and mortar.

As an example of this technique is the above artwork by Nancy Nodea, from Warmun at Turkey Creek, WA.

 Beautiful seeing the medium of coloured ochres come to life on the canvas in her work against this image of them in their natural environment

So, with our route plotted and dotted to the Ochre Pits on my Central Australia map…

…Next stop, Orminston Gorge (which I’ll post next Tuesday)

Have you seen ochres in their natural environment?

Or aboriginal artworks in this medium?

Would love to hear in the comments below

This was my favourite image of Standley Chasm when we visited.

Just 50km west of Alice Springs in the MacDonnel Ranges, Central Australia.

There is so much more to see in the Red Centre than just Uluru and Kata Tjuta

I need to return!
What places have you been too and not got your fill?

What places do you feel you need to return to?

Please share in the comments below

Not sure what the exact difference is there (so if you know do tell in the comments below!) but the bit I love about travelling this way is whether you feel peckish, thirsty or in need of a nap… Pull over, and its sorted

Having driven the 450km (5.5 hours) into Alice Springs from Yulara in our hire car (after a magical few days visiting Uluru and Kata Tjuta), we picked up our Maui 5 berth motor-home and trialled our first night’s sleep in a friend’s front yard in town!

Keen to hit the road we left Alice Springs early, and as soon as we were out of town pulled over for breakfast!

Replenished, our first real stop for the day was to be Standley Chasm, just 50km to the west of Alice on Larapinta Drive.

It’s only a 20 minute walk into the chasm from the car park up a delightful path.

Starting out under classic eucalypts…

The Eucalyptus trunks are a tree hugger’s dream (3 guesses what I am!)

While the trees satisfy the eye-level-eye-candy, the rocks underfoot satisfy the textural-underfoot-tactile-foot-candy.

After a little bit of clambering up a predominently dry creek bed…

Standley Chasm opens out before us.

The Eucalypt gives it scale.

…and stunning colour contrasts.

It’s an artist’s paradise…

so we sit, with sketch pads in hand, to take in the ambience and breath in the atmosphere

And this is what I saw and felt…

Red rugged rocky sides flaming up the perpendicular chasm walls…

 …to the blue sky above

where the sun at midday penetrates the close chasm walls and simultaneously lights up both sides as it passes overhead.

Wild-flowers and grasses cling on perilously to survive in the dry craggy crevises.

Returning back down the path

we see amongst the leaf litter a Long-Nosed Dragon, also known as the ‘Ta-Taa’ lizard as when scurrying off they’ll often stop momentarily and lift a front leg, appearing to wave goodbye… ta-ta

It’s particularly long nose, as well as a long tail, help it balance when running at high speed. (Official name: Lophognathus longirostris)

So first stop of the day in the West MacDonnell Ranges, Standley Chasm is plotted…

 …& the route dotted on my pictorial map of Central Australia

Next stop, 80 km (1.5 hours) to the Ochre Pits, which I’ll post next Tuesday!

Have you visited Standley Chasm? Or is it still on the ‘To Do’?

Do share in the comments below

As we herald in a New Year I’m always excited by the blank canvas that lays before me.

What will I fill the empty spaces with?

Will it go as anticipated?

…or will there be serendipitous encounters resulting in spontaneous changes of plan

(as in taking an on the spur trip to the Red Centre? )

The best part of any year is being able to look back and enjoy the memories!

Here is my year at a glance for 2010…

2010 ~ Year at a Glance

And now 2011…

2011 Year at a Glance

I’m not keen on resolutions (definition: A firm decision to do or not to do something) but I love change (definition: Make or become different).

To be resolute seems so blinkered, so fixed – You either do or don’t, you either have or you haven’t!

But aiming for change means even the smallest improvement towards the end aim is a huge success

So, what changes filled our 2011 blank canvas?

January ~ Our Map Magnets are Made in Australia and to avoid unnecessary transportation are manufactured within 50km of our Brisbane base

February ~ Having sold over 100,000 Mail-It Maps we publish the 5th edition folded this time to a DL shape, supplied with an enviro envelope and a funky translucent presentation band.

March ~ We discontinue the Scrapbook Pack, now offering the Jotting Boxes (that came in this pack for adding journalling and comments to your photo albums) via a download ~ Check out our Downloads page

April/May We celebrate TWO years of blogging

January to May 2011… 

June ~ To transpose our hand-drawn images from the drawing board to the press, we have a new member join the Journey Jottings team.

July ~ We develop a new product to add to the Journey Jottings range – Jigsaw Puzzle Postcards!

August ~ With 30 Map Magnets covering regions across Australia, we add TWO more magnets to the range!

September ~ This fabulous NEW website goes live

October ~ We add #09 to the Puzzle Postcard range

November ~ Off on a Red Centre Road trip to do some Journey Jotting

December ~ Phil, Journey Jottings’ Customer Service Manager flies to Europe, on a well deserved break. Travel is in the blood of all our Journey Jottings team

June to December 2011…

 Do you jot down a note somewhere to acknowledge your achievements?

What were your highlights for 2011?

Do share in the comments below…