The Macdonnell Ranges - Northern Territory.

They extend both sides of Alice Springs - like a protective horseshoe around the town. They are a magnificent range of mountains which offer so much for the keen walker and explorer, with gorges and gaps and places of significance to the Aboriginal tribes who live in the area.  One of the principal attractions is the Larapinta Trail which extends to the west of Alice Springs for 223 kms along the back bone of the range. You can walk along the whole trail or parts of it depending on how much time you have. We dipped into - literally - Ellery Creek Big Hole and Ormiston Gorge both areas of scenic beauty offering swimming, trails and wildlife, though we have to confess we saw very little wildlife but got excited when a monitor lizard crossed the road and  we spotted a heron in the river. One of the ranges with a long shadow of me. 

Ellery Creek Big water hole 

 Some of the rock formations walking one of the trails around the waterhole.

 George getting ready to dive into ice cold water.

Ormiston Gorge - unusually because of the rain, the creek was full so I had to strip down to my knickers to make the creek crossing to get to the other side of the gorge and follow the rocky path up to the look out. 

In our path a beautiful heron which seemed very untroubled by us and was looking for something fishy in the water.

A ghost tree on the cliff edge - stark against the red stone.

A happy camper in the foreground.