Larapinta Trail
| Larapinta Trail | |
|---|---|
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| Along the Larapinta trail from a ridge of the West MacDonnell Ranges. | |
| Length | 223 km (139 mi) |
| Location | Northern Territory, Australia |
| Trailheads | Alice Springs, Mount Sonder |
| Use | Hiking |
| Trail difficulty | Medium |
| Season | Winter |
| Months | June to August |
| Sights | Arid mountains, gorges, dry creek beds, waterholes |
| Hazards | Dehydration, Snakes, Hyperthermia, Hypothermia |
The Larapinta Trail is an extended walking track in the Northern Territory, Australia. Its total length covers 223 kilometres (139 mi) from East to West, with one end at Alice Springs and the other at Mount Sonder, one of the territory's highest mountains. It follows the West MacDonnell Ranges, sometimes along the ridge line, other times on the plain below, in the West MacDonnell National Park.
Contents |
[edit] Notable attractions
- Finke River
- Simpsons Gap
- Standley Chasm
- Ellery Creek Bighole
- Serpentine Gorge
- Ochre Pits
- Ormiston Pound
- Redbank Gorge
- Glen Helen Gorge
- Tnorala Gosse Bluff
- Palm Valley
[edit] History
The walk harbours many aboriginal sacred sites of the Arrernte people, who have permitted tourists to visit the sites. In the 1990s the walk was only half as long, with the section between Mount Sonder and Ellery Big Hole completed at the turn of the millennium. Presently, the Northern Territory government is advertising the walk as Australia's best extended walk, competing with Western Australia's Bibbulmun Track and Tasmania's Overland Track and Western Arthurs track. The original Larapinta trail plan was to end at Mount Zeil on the Western end of the West MacDonnell National Park. The terrain from Mount Sonder to Mount Zeil being hard to access by vehicle for rescue operations, the trail stopped at Mount Sonder. In September 2006, Belgian adventurer Louis-Philippe Loncke walked without resupply from West of Mount Zeil to Alice Springs[1] walking off track and joining the Larapinta trail at Redbank gorge.
[edit] Amenities
The trail is very well marked with kilometre posts marking both the distance to the next campsite or section as well as the total length of the walk to go. There is a published leaflet that details the requirements and attractions of completing each of the twelve sections and notice boards at the transition of each section. These notice boards also show elevation graphs of the walk and alert walkers to potential dangers.
There is a reasonable amount of water along the track, both naturally found and trucked in. There are only one or two places in which water cannot be obtained throughout the day, with frequent storage tanks. Signage suggests that all water should be treated by boiling it for 5 minutes or adding water treatment tablets.
No fires are allowed along the walk.
[edit] Climate
Most people decide to do the trail during winter when the days are much cooler. It is not advisable to attempt the walk during the summer months, when temperatures exceed 45 degrees.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Alice Springs News, "Hill after Hill", 21 September 2006
