Day 10 – Rocky Gully to Ellery Creek North (Section 6 Larapinta)

 

https://nt.gov.au/parks/find-a-park/tjoritja-west-macdonnell-national-park/larapinta-trail

https://nt.gov.au/_media/docs/parks/bushwalking-and-hiking/larapinta-trail/larapinta-trail-section-6-information-sheet-and-map.pdf

Last night was much milder, I slept only in underwear, no thermals or layers.  We were up this morning at 5:30am and away just after 7am.

https://northernterritory.com/cn/zh/alice-springs-and-surrounds/see-and-do/rocky-gully

The start of this morning’s walk started with a solid climb in which we quickly gained height. It was up and down over rocky terrain, with the odd short patch of trail that allowed a free stride. There were less wildflowers on today’s walk than yesterday, however there were a lot of Zebra Finches about this morning.

Once we reached Alice Valley View, it was generally free walking to East Junction, with fewer rocky outcrops and more wildflowers. There were several dry creekbeds to cross that were picturesque. We stopped for morning tea at East Junction and saw a Ringneck Parrot. We stayed on the new alignment of the Larapinta Trail heading for Ellery Creek North, rather than turning towards Ellery Creek Big Hole and Ellery Creek South. Between East Junction and Ellery Creek North there are several large areas of piled rocks where sections of the Heavitree Range have broken off. The noise that must be generated when these chunks break away and crack into pieces as they land must be impressive. We arrived at the Ellery Creek North Trailhead at 12:30pm.

https://nt.gov.au/parks/find-a-park/tjoritja-west-macdonnell-national-park/ellery-creek-big-hole

https://northernterritory.com/alice-springs-and-surrounds/see-and-do/ellery-creek-big-hole

We enjoyed lunch and had a wash and rinsed out our hiking clothes before heading out to explore.  Ellery Creek Big Hole is beautiful, and cold as has been our previous experience. We had previously seen it from the southern side, and I had not realised it was as long as it is. From the northern side there is a fair distance that you can wade out before reaching the deep section that separates the northern and southern sides.

We spent the remainder of the afternoon reading out books, and charging our devices.  This evening a fellow hiker, Toni, removed the splinter that I had thought was a blister starting from the base of one of my toes – much more comfortable. Thank you Toni! We opted to sleep in the shelter, which looked out over the plains between the Heavitree and Chewings Ranges – picturesque!

Statistics

Hike Distance                 13.66km

Hike Time                        4h 38m

Ascent                              325.0m

Descent                           410.1m