Serpentine Gorge is one of the gorges in the West MacDonnell Ranges in Australia's Northern Territory. It is located approximately 100 kilometres west of Alice Springs along the Larapinta Trail.
| Serpentine Gorge | |
|---|---|
 Side wall of the gorge | |
| Location | Burt Plain, Northern Territory |
| Range | MacDonnell Ranges |
| Coordinates | 23°45′00″S 132°58′00″E / 23.75°S 132.9667°E[1] |
  Location in Northern Territory | |
It comprises two gorges created by a south flowing creek which has cut through two ridges of Heavitree Quartzite.[2] The gorge is home to some rare Central Australian plants such as the Centralian flannel-flower[3] and cycads (the Macrozamia macdonnellii). There is a semi-permanent waterhole guarding the entrance to the gorge.
Tourism edit
There is a 1.3 kilometre walk along a service road, or alternatively along the creek bed, to the gorge, and a short steep climb to a lookout.
Section 7 of the Larapinta Trail starts at Ellery Creek Big Hole and ends here. Section 8 of the trail goes from here to Serpentine Chalet Dam.[4]
Nearby are the ruins of Serpentine Chalet which was a late 1950s/early 1960s Ansett-Pioneer tourist venture. Lack of water and the remote location on an unsealed road brought about its demise. All that remains now are a concrete slab and other floor foundations.[3][5]
See also edit
References edit
- ^ "Place Names Register Extract for "Serpentine Gorge"". NT Place Names Register. Northern Territory Government. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
- ^ van Oosterzee, Penny (1998) A Field Guide to Central Australia, J. B. Books, Marleston S.A.
- ^ a b Northern Territory and Central Australia, Lonely Planet, 2006
- ^ Northern Territory Government, Walks, Talks and Trails: The Larrapinta Trail Archived 2009-06-11 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Borthwick, John (2007) "The ripple effect", The Australian, 8 September 2007