Ormiston Gorge and the Ochre Pits.
Hi There,
Driving further west on Namatjira Drive you soon come across a sign that says Ochre Pits turn here! I remember the conversation was like this, “Do we want to turn off here and have a look?”,”not really”, “you sure?”, “yeah, don’t know”, “Well why don’t we have a quick look and see what it’s about, not likely coming down this road again in the near future”. So we turned off and had a look at the Ochre Pits. Very glad that we did because we enjoyed it. The small cliffs are several multi coloured layers of rock showing a wide range of colours. It was and is still used for ceremonies, trading with other clans, even used to protect weapons, click HEAR to find out how.
Layers upon layers of different coloured rock, it was quite stunning and one could imagine the shifts in colour during the day and the seasons.
Above is some plant trying to cling on in a very harsh environment. Some views below of the creek bed that runs through here.
The colours were even evident in the creek bed, see below.
Here we can see where it has been mined.
Another colourful photo! Or two or three!
There’s no point stopping somewhere without checking out the plant life!
Back in the Pajero and another 17 km’s and we have now arrived at Ormiston Gorge. We had hoped to camp here but the small camp ground was chock-a-block and the sun was on the way down, so we knew we had limited time here which was a shame. Another beautiful Gorge here in the West Macdonnell Ranges on a similar vein to Serpentine Gorge but quite possibly even prettier!
Perfect spot for a swim during the heat of the day, alas it was winter time! Some intriguing rock colour and formations below.
Of course the plant life here took up some of my time, below is the Long Leafed Corkwood, Hakea suberea , quite common in dry desert regions. This is a large shrub or small tree 3-8m in height with dark brown cork like bark. Beautiful flowers produced in winter-spring, 4-15cm in length.
See above the contorted and gnarly branches and the beautiful flowers below.
Another interesting plant was Wahlenbergia communis , the Tufted Blue Bell growing to 75cm on alluvial plains and intermittent watercourses plus run off area’s, often found in sandy soils as well. A wide-spread perennial in all mainland states.
Not a great photo below but a close-up nether the less.
Here’s some more rugged cliffs.
Did you notice the gum tree’s growing on the sides of these cliffs, not many but a few hanging on for dear life!
What about this view below, pretty special I reckon!
Or even these views…
Whichever direction you looked it looked pretty special!
Time to get moving the sun was sinking towards the western horizon and we needed to find a camp site. We continued on past Glen Helen Lodge until we found a track that drifted off the road into the scrub. Little did we know at the time but we had camped in front of Mt Sonder. This is one end of the Larapinta trail which runs for 223km to Alice Springs. The quietness out here was simply breathtaking or maybe blissful or mind-numbing. Might depend on your mood!
Below is looking across the valley
Time to get set up before the sun disappears!
Swags, fire and Tea!
Now for a bit of exploring! That means plant hunting really!
Now the plant below I’ve shown before, but here it is again in a pretty cool setting. Solanum quadriloculatum .
Plus a couple of close-ups of the flowers, sort of!
Here’s a couple of sunset type photos. Amazing how the rock changes colour according to the light.
Now to sit down and relax and enjoy the cool still silent evening…
This is what a lot of the surrounding plant scape looks like, uninspiring you may say but you just need to look closely to find its beauty.
Larapinta trail marker, this walking trail is 223km in length across the Macdonnell ranges, click on this 
Remember! Don’t just look ahead, cast your eye’s down and to the sides of where you’re walking, you’ll never know what you will find or see next.
Below is Senna artemisoides subsp. artemisoides, another mouthful but a very beautiful shrub which grows to about 1-2 metres with beautiful yellow buttercup flowers in winter and spring.
Maybe you can just call it the Silver Cassia. Now for an Emu Bush. Eremophila latrobei , commonly known as the Crimson Turkeybush, click 
Another stunning Emu bush is Eremophila longifolia , also known as Berrigan, tall shrub to small tree weeping in form, click 
Sorry, I got distracted with the plants in the Serpentine Gorge, lets move onto the scenery. This is the first sort of glimpse of the gorge and it looks like its sort of straight up to the top, hmm!
Lets go for it! Now we are starting the climb up and here you can clearly see the parallel ridge lines that run through the Macdonnell Ranges.
Another couple of views of those ridge lines
Yes, as you can see above we are getting higher, quite spectacular! It is quite a rocky landscape and on these hillsides there is a lot of Porcupine grass, Trioda irritans. The last past of its botanic name sums it up very well indeed, very irritating because it’s quite prickly.
Below are more views across the valley.
Another plant of interest for me to see in the wild was Dodonaea viscosa , the Broad leaf Hop Bush or just plain Hop Bush, very common in gardens around the country and useful for many things from hedging to specimen plantings. It’s a very variable plant in the wild and widespread across the country.
Now I know photos are great but there’s just no comparison to actually being there and seeing this landscape. I have a great digital SLR camera but it doesn’t capture the WOW! The size, scope and detail of what your eyes are looking at or what your feeling right then and there as you look at this amazing country. Below is the Serpentine Gorge.
Where does one go now from these heights? Down one would expect and lo and behold something I missed on the way up nearly hit me fair and square in the head on the way down.
Leaning over the rocky pathway was this intriguing large shrub with what looked like stems twining around themselves like a climbing plant. This is Pandorea doratoxylon also known as the Spearwood Vine. The Aboriginal people use this plant for spears hence its common name. The long twining stems are light weight and are straightened and hardened over a fire. The flowers are quite pretty when one comes upon them in such a tough landscape.
If they look familiar to you, you may be thinking of Pandorea jasminoides the Wonga Wonga vine or also known as the Bower Vine or one of the many hybrids available today. You would be correct because they are in the same family Bignoniaceae. Check out this closeup below!
This next photo doesn’t show too much, I just liked the detail of the bark. To me it tells a story of the harsh landscape in which it resides.
These next photos show an interesting Grevillea, the Holly Leaf Grevillea, Grevillea wickhamii. There are a few sub species but I’m not sure which one this is. I have pictures of this flowering at a different location which will be revealed at a later date!
You can see above that the new growth gives the plant a tinge of yellow which from a distance look like flowers.
Some more plants of interest here included another beautiful Emu Bush, Eremophila freelingii. The Rock Fuchsia Bush.
A characteristic of this plant is that it sheds its lower leaves during drought to conserve moisture, you can see that quite clearly in the above photo, the plant looks half dead but it’s not! Grows to about 1.5 metres. The lilac flowers are stunning and are produced after it rains. Just a few more views below of this beautiful plant on the sides of Serpentine Gorge.
Funnily enough another surprise was what looked to be some type of Fern here as well and yes it was. Not sure of its identity but quite possibly Cheilanthes brownie , The Northern Rock Fern, either way still remarkable to me to see a fern out here. Nature is amazing.
Another interesting plant we saw was a parasite. Lysiana exocarpi , the Harlequin Mistletoe. This parasite is found mostly in inland locations and is very colourful.
Now we have made it back down and headed into the cool of the gorge, being winter it wasn’t hot out in the open so one could imagine how nice and cool it would be in the heat of summer.
In the above photo in the distance you can see some cycads, Macrozamia macdonnellii , the Macdonnell Ranges Cycad. Here they are below as well.
Ah well! That’s about it for the Serpentine Gorge, here’s a few last photos of plants and foliage.
Finally a last look into the gorge.
Cheers!
Yes it is empty, this is only some puddles that are not moving.
Some of the kids having a ball in the puddles.
Here’s the dingo stalking a galah…..
Missed it.. ah well, there’s always next time.
Well maybe just a smidgen of water. The parting shot of Alice Springs for this post is from Anzac Hill. A memorial to the 
Thanks “ALICE” it was a blast!!
Of course there were all sorts of snakes and lizards, sorry about the blurry picture but I just had to include this nasty looking fellow!
The Thorny devils are always great to watch, these fellows were standing there and eating the ants as they went past them. Their tongues would just flick out and snaffle them up.
As you can see they are certainly thorny, also very well camouflaged for the desert environment. The Lizard below is just hanging out, I don’t know his name.
What I noticed a lot of in the park were lots of different Erimophila shrubs. There are about 260 Erimophila species endemic to Australia, also known as Emu Bushes. There are also many cultivars available in nurseries now. Here’s a few from the Desert Park.
If I say Dingo, what is the first thing that pops into your mind? If you come from Australia like me, I would haphazard a guess that the name 
They blend in quite beautifully with their surroundings as you can see. They also come with different coat colours depending on what habitat they live in. Interesting!
Here’s another plant that’s prominent in the Alice Springs area Senna artemisiodes subsp. oligophylla, also known as Oval Leaf Cassia. A beautiful yellow flowering shrub to 2 metres.
Another very exciting exhibit at the Alice Springs Desert Park is the Birds of Prey demonstration. Keep your head low!! A couple of Kites put on quite a masterful aerial display.
Of course the star of the show is the mighty Wedge Tail Eagle. These are quite widespread across the country and we see lots at home but still they are impressive wherever you see them.
Check out his Wedgesticks(drumsticks) and not to mention his talons!
And of course that big rudder at the back-wedge tail. Need to know more?? Click 
Of course there are plenty of other animals here, this is only a snapshot of a few. I will finish with one of our most iconic marsupials, Big Red. Macropus rufus.
Cheers!
Above is the Olive Python, Liasis olivaceus. My goodness this fella was huge, lucky the glass didn’t just vanish hey! Adults can reach over 4 metres in length, the second largest snake species in Australia. Dinner also includes the below pictured, Rock Wallaby, Yum! That’s quite a mouthful….
Pogona vitticeps, aka the Central Bearded Dragon pictured below can grow up to 60cm in length with the tail accounting for approximately half of its length. Central Bearded Dragons can be seen with a range of different colours, browns, reddish-brown, red, white, orange and yellows.
See his scary beard under his chin, used to intimidate would be tacklers! When threatened they flatten themselves, puff up their throats and open their jaws to look bigger and more fearsome. The photo below shows a different coloured Dragon, they change colour to regulate their temperature.
We were able to pass this fella around which was pretty cool! Quite soft to touch apart from his claws.
Here is the Centralian Carpet Python, Morelia bredli growing to 2 metres and in captivity its known to get to 3 metres or more. Don’t think we need to dwell on this anymore, moving right along!!
Talking about Brown snakes, here’s the King Brown, Pseudechis australis. Another one to give a miss or go the long way around!!
Luckily its a bit out of focus so it wont see you!! Here’s a few more animals from the Alice Springs Reptile Centre.
Never ever touch croc infested water, if you do you will be dead(most likely), vibration for them is like pollen to a honey bee. If you see their eyes break the water surface, you have just been triangulated, they know where you are. If you’re walking past croc infested waters – make sure you have a small dog with you. They are far more interested in small animals than they are in you. There is no such thing as a death roll, you are already dead, they are just trying to rip a piece of you off yourself because their hungry. They kill their prey by drowning them and it only takes a minute or so, no rolling required Their teeth are quite blunt and they tear pieces off, so that’s why you get rolled around. . See, not a death roll, more like a subway sub being prepared! So on that happy note, have a great day and look out for Terry!
Fortunately there was still a lot of things to look at and enjoy, particularly new species that I had never heard of before and the setting was idyllic, peaceful and quite in the midst of a major city. I made my way to the top of Annie Myers Hill where there was a fantastic view over Alice springs and the surrounding area.
You can see it has quite a twiggy appearance which provides good habitat for birds. The above photo makes it look dead but it is missing quite a few leaves from the hail storm although the leaves are like needles. A tree I had never heard of before is pictured below, Atalaya hemiglauca , Whitewood. This tree grows to 7 metres and has creamy flowers in the warmer months of the year. Occurs across central and eastern inland regions. Would look good in a garden setting or Parkland.
Aboriginal people harvest witchetty grubs from the roots of this tree. Soft timber used to make ornaments as well.
Above is Senna artemisiodes subsp. sturtii which is also known as Dense Cassia. This is a very attractive garden plant particularly while in full flower. Grows to about 2 metres. Saw plenty of Cassia’s Dense or Silver coming into flower. Certainly stand out even on roadsides. Here’s a few more different Wattles.
Acacia undoolyana , Undoolya Wattle has limited distribution in the East MacDonnell Ranges, grows to 15 metres and has a spectacular floral display in August. This plants status in the wild is Threatened due to hot summer wildfires and that it doesn’t set seed readily.
Acacia stipulosa with small interesting leaves. Below is Acacia kempeana , Witchetty Bush which is drought and fire tolerant. Witchetty grubs are harvested from the roots of this small tree. The Arrernte people also use the inner bark from the roots to make string.
Below is a bizarre looking Wattle called Waddy Wood. Acacia peuce is a threatened species known from only three different populations on the edge of the Simpson Desert. Grows to about 17 metres with immature plants being very spiky compared to mature specimens which have pendulous branches. Used traditionally for clubs and by early European settlers for fences.
Acacia desmondii , Des Nelson Wattle is found in the Rodinga Range south of Alice Springs. Grows to 5 metres on sandstone ridge habitat.
Seed from this plant is an important bush food throughout the region, it also produces Mulga Apples, a gall that forms around insect larvae which is consumed as well. The timber is widely used as firewood and traditionally for making shields, digging sticks and woomeras. There also 2 types of mistletoe that co habit this tree. Amyema maidenii and Amyena spathulata(you will see this in a later post).
Now for some Mallee’s. Mallee’s are multi stemmed tree’s from the genus’s Eucalyptus and Corymbia. There’s approximately 1000 different species of Eucalypts and Bloodwoods, don’t panic I’ll only show a couple!!
Above is Eucalyptus sessilis the Finke River Mallee which occurs in the ranges south and west of Alice Springs. This Mallee has smooth bark and large leathery leaves on a small multi trunked tree. Flowers are creamy yellow. This Mallee has nice orangey/brown coloured trunks and branches, noticeable when the bark is peeling. Below we have Eucalyptus oximitra , the Sharp Capped Mallee.
This Mallee grows to 6 metres with leathery leaves and large yellow flowers during the summer months. Can be found on sandy plains or rocky hills in arid parts of Australia, mostly S.A, N.T, and W.A. Below you can see its capsules.
Last but not least of the Mallee’s is Eucalyptus gamophylla , the Blue Mallee which can be found in many arid parts of Australia. Growing to about 8 metres with blueish coloured leaves, juvenile leaves are round and creamy white flowers during summer. Found on rocky hills or red sand country. Seeds can be eaten and water can be found in the roots if desperate!
What about Erythrina vespertilio another tree I had no idea about. The Bean Tree or Bats wing Coral tree has extremely light wood which was used for making shields and bowls.
Looks like there’s a few nests in this one. Grows up to 15 metres with leaves that are shaped like a bat. it also has quite stunning red/orange flowers. It also loses its leaves when it flowers in spring and summer. All in all by visiting the Olive Pink Botanic Garden in Alice Springs I have learnt a great deal about new(to me) varieties of Wattles and Eucalypts and even new species of plants which is very exciting. Astounding to learn how the Indigenous people use these plants as well. Next time you’re in Alice Springs, do make sure you drop in and have a look, its well worth it. To finish up here are some photos of a native conifer, Callitris glaucophylla , White Cypress Pine grows to somewhere between 7 -20 metres with blue-green cypress like foliage usually with a single trunk. White Cypress Pine is known for being extremely Termite resistant. Quite a nice conifer that is widespread across the country.
Stay tuned for part 3, coming soon!!
huon perennials 