Larapinta Trail Background
The Larapinta Trail stretches for 223 kilometres across the rugged spine of the West MacDonnell Ranges, west of Alice Springs. The trail was completed in stages during the 1980s and 1990s by the Northern Territory Parks and Wildlife Commission. It was designed to showcase one of Australia’s most dramatic desert mountain landscapes. Today, it is considered one of the world’s great long-distance walks, offering both short day hikes and extended treks through country that is as culturally rich as it is visually striking.
For tens of thousands of years, before European exploration, this landscape was home to the Western Arrernte people. The ranges and gaps are not simply landforms, but living cultural sites woven into Tjukurpa (Dreaming stories), law, and identity. Features like Simpsons Gap (Rungutjirpa) hold profound spiritual significance, as they are associated with ancestral beings who shaped the land. When walking the trail, we hikers are moving through a cultural landscape that continues to be cared for and respected by its Traditional Owners. Understanding this connection enriches the experience, reminding us that the Larapinta is not just a physical trail, but also a pathway through ancient storylines.
Geological Story of the West MacDonnell Ranges
The striking ridges, gorges, and gaps encountered along the Larapinta Trail are the result of geological processes that span hundreds of millions of years.
- Around 800–1,000 million years ago, Central Australia lay beneath an inland sea. Layers of sand, silt, and lime settled on the seabed, gradually compacting into sandstone, shale, and limestone.
- Approximately 450–300 million years ago, a massive mountain-building event known as the Alice Springs Orogeny caused these rock layers to be uplifted, folding and faulting them into towering ranges. At their peak, these mountains are thought to have rivalled the Himalayas in height, which demonstrates just how much weathering & erosion can occur over time. Now we are left with the rugged ridges and gaps we see today.
Walking the Trail: Day 1 Alice Springs to Simpsons Gap
The initial section of 31km eased me into the West MacDonnell Range with a gentle rising and falling of the hills, as I left behind the tendrils of Alice Springs’ northern suburbs and reached the OFFICIAL starting point, Alice Springs Telegraph Station. Here I reflected on how happy I was to have just made it. A standard challenge for any multi-day hike is escaping the inertia of modern-day life, including family, work, and social connections. However, I also had the curveball of a savage chest infection, which had left me flat on my back only three days before.
Note: If leaving Alice on foot, don’t rely on Google Maps; head north on the western bank of the Todd to the Telegraph Station. Interesting bit of communication history. In 1871, William Mills chose this site to build the Alice Springs Telegraph Station, one of twelve repeater stations along the Overland Telegraph Line, linking Adelaide to Darwin. On 21 October 1872, the first telegraph message travelled between Britain and Australia. Before this, messages were sent by ship, and a reply could take several months. This new technology meant replies could be received within hours.
The gentle terrain provided an opportunity to develop a stride, check pack balance, and dial in some leg speed. The first hint of what was to come arises in the form of Euro Ridge, which will be one of many ‘razorback ridges’ to be experienced over the next 12 days. I had a few dustings of rain throughout the day. Enough to keep temperatures comfortable and the zebra finches chirping and happy.
Walking these rolling hills took me through typical acacia woodlands, and then, toward the end of the first day, appeared the standout feature, Simpsons Gap (Rungutjirpa). Download a Simpsons Gap NT Fact Sheet. The gap itself cuts through a quartzite ridge along a fault line—a fracture in the rock created during the Alice Springs Orogeny. Over millions of years, Roe Creek found this weakness and gradually carved the narrow passage we can walk through today. The towering walls on either side show the tilted layers of ancient sedimentary rocks, with each layer telling part of the billion-year story of deposition, compression, and erosion.
Getting in close, you can see the original layering (called “bedding”) of the sedimentary rocks, now tilted at steep angles. In some places, you can spot small-scale folding where the rock layers were crumpled like paper during the mountain-building process. The different colours in the rock layers reflect various depositional environments: reddish layers rich in iron oxides, whitish layers of pure quartzite, and darker layers rich in organic material. These gaps and gorges in the West MacDonnells create important corridors that serve as vital passageways for wildlife and people.
As I walked parallel to the ridge line, the consistent geological formations were prominent. Rolling hills/ridges all aligned east to west, with linear waves of different rock colours rising and falling in crescent shapes within each hill.
The gorges between the rolling ridges were filled with a mix of sandy or rock-strewn riverbeds as time, weather, and water have carved sharp gorges into the hard quartzite. These features are not random: they are direct expressions of the ancient collisions and erosion processes that built and shaped Central Australia.
Simpsons Gap is a permanent waterhole, and hikers can often spot the black footed rock wallaby. Not me!
Walking the Trail: Day 2 Simpsons Gap to Jay Creek
Much like day one, day two continues through rolling hills and valleys. Although the Larapinta Trail crosses what seems to be an arid environment, it is surprisingly rich in plant life. The vegetation reflects adaptations to limited and unpredictable rainfall, harsh sunlight, and poor soil conditions.
Sections 1 & 2 are graded Moderate-Difficult (Grade 4 out of 5), and Section 2 (27km) is estimated to take 8 hours. I found the recommended times to be a little longer than I took, including breaks for food and photography.
Common species hikers will encounter in these sections include:
- Spinifex grasses (Triodia species): These tough hummock grasses dominate many slopes. Their spiny leaves reduce water loss and deter grazing, while their circular clumps trap windblown soil and provide shelter for small animals.
- River Red Gum (Eucalyptus camaldulensis): Found along dry riverbeds, these giants tap into underground water. They are keystone species, creating shade and habitat for birds and insects and are great to sit under for lunch.
- Desert Oak (Allocasuarina decaisneana): Distinguished by its fine, needle-like foliage and upright form, the Desert Oak survives with deep taproots that can reach groundwater tens of metres below the surface. Young trees grow as tall, narrow “pencils” before maturing into broad-canopied elders.
- Mulga (Acacia aneura): Dominating the lower slopes and plains, Mulga has tiny modified leaflets (“phyllodes”) that minimise water loss. It plays a crucial role in nitrogen-fixing soils and in sustaining desert ecosystems.
Arriving in Jay Creek, I was welcomed by a brahman bull ‘Bullie’ who was to play an interesting role during the night. Having lived on a cattle farm for the past couple of decades, he was a pleasingly welcome sight for me, but I am not sure about the other hikers.
It was near a full moon, a windless night, and, like at home, that meant time for bull telegraph talk time. He bellowed on and off, taking particular interest in a brown-coloured tent that, in the dark, might have been mistaken for a cow. When the heifers and cows turned up to see what all the commotion was about (at around 2.00 am), he was so excited that his first extra loud bellow frightened them all into the bush. So it was just him and the brown tent for the rest of the night! Neither the hikers nor Bullie had much sleep that night!
Walking the Trail: Day 3 Jay Creek to Standley Chasm
Leaving Bullie behind, the trail passes Fish Hole and follows a valley that was burnt late last year. There was plenty of shrub regrowth starting, and a beautiful abundance of wildflowers. At Tangentyere Junction, you have the option of a high ridge walk or to continue up through the valley. I was aware of a steep section up and over into Standley Chasm, so I took the valley route. Section 3 is only 15km (6 hours) and rated Moderate-Difficult.
As I climbed the rock stairs up the final ascent, I marvelled at the craftsmanship of the trailbuilders. It was like a rock stairway, no star pickets, wood bracing or mortar, just rock on rock going up. At the saddle, there was a magnificent reverse vista down the valley, a sentinel ghost gum to acknowledge the effort of the climb, and the overpowering smell of barbecuing onions, which made my stomach grumble.
Angkerle Atwatye (Standley Chasm) was given a European name in honour of Ida Standley (1869-1948), the first school teacher at Stuart (now Alice Springs). She received an MBE for service to teaching and child welfare. The chasm narrows to 3 meters in width and 80 meters in height. At the back of the chasm, two creeks converge, which are recharged by water seeping slowly through the many rock cracks and fractures in the surrounding quartzite. These creeks, in turn, feed the permanent spring, which creates the unique microcosm of flora and fauna in the Standley Chasm.
As is most of the Chewings Range, the chasm is formed of blue-grey quartzite from ancient seabeds. The stunning quartzite is stained with red, oxidised iron, and exhibits colour variations due to lichen and microbial activity. Water, time and temperature have created cracks/fractures of which the chasm is the most obvious. Standley Chasm is also a culturally significant site, sacred to women’s dreaming of the Arrernte people and a place where women would come for shelter, safety, and to give birth.
