Ormiston Pound
Encyclopedia
MacDonnell Ranges
The MacDonnell Ranges of the Northern Territory, are a long series of mountain ranges located in the centre of Australia , and consist of parallel ridges running to the east and west of Alice Springs...
, in the West MacDonnell National Park
West MacDonnell National Park
West MacDonnell is a national park in the Northern Territory , 1234 km south of Darwin. It extends along the MacDonnell Ranges west of Alice Springs....
, approximately 135 kilometres west of Alice Springs in the Northern Territory
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. It lies at roughly the half way point in the celebrated Larapinta Trail
Larapinta Trail
The Larapinta Trail is an extended walking track in the Northern Territory, Australia. Its total length covers from East to West, with one end at Alice Springs and the other at Mount Sonder, one of the territory's highest mountains...
and offers spectacular views from its circumference of Mount Sonder
Mount Sonder
Mount Sonder, or Rwetyepme, its Aboriginal name, is the fourth highest mountain in the Northern Territory, Australia at 1380 metres above sea level. Mount Zeil is the highest at 1531 metres, 27 kilometres to the west. It is west of Alice Springs along the MacDonnell Ranges in the West MacDonnell...
, Gosses Bluff crater
Gosses Bluff crater
Gosses Bluff is thought to be the eroded remnant of an impact crater. It is located in the southern Northern Territory, near the centre of Australia, about west of Alice Springs and about to the northeast of Uluru...
and the surrounding range.
The Pound, a ring of mountains, is dominated by Mount Giles
Mount Giles
Mount Giles is one of the highest mountains in the Northern Territory, Australia, at 1389 metres AHD. It lies along the MacDonnell Ranges, dominating Ormiston Pound, in the West MacDonnell National Park, approximately 80 kilometres west of Alice Springs...
, which forms its eastern boundary. The western boundary is formed by the Ormiston Gorge, a popular tourist destination.
The pound is accessible from a road in the west, which travels between Glen Helen and Alice Springs. There is a popular waterhole
Depression (geology)
A depression in geology is a landform sunken or depressed below the surrounding area. Depressions may be formed by various mechanisms.Structural or tectonic related:...
at the bottom near the gorge, as well as several lookouts. The entire pound ecompasses 46.55 square kilometres. The famous Finke River
Finke River
The Finke River is one of the largest rivers in central Australia. Its source is in the Northern Territory's MacDonnell Ranges, and the name Finke River is first applied at the confluence of the Davenport and Ormiston Creeks, just north of Glen Helen. From here the river meanders for approximately...
passes Ormiston Gorge in the west.
See also
- West MacDonnell National ParkWest MacDonnell National ParkWest MacDonnell is a national park in the Northern Territory , 1234 km south of Darwin. It extends along the MacDonnell Ranges west of Alice Springs....
- Larapinta TrailLarapinta TrailThe Larapinta Trail is an extended walking track in the Northern Territory, Australia. Its total length covers from East to West, with one end at Alice Springs and the other at Mount Sonder, one of the territory's highest mountains...
- MacDonnell RangesMacDonnell RangesThe MacDonnell Ranges of the Northern Territory, are a long series of mountain ranges located in the centre of Australia , and consist of parallel ridges running to the east and west of Alice Springs...
- Mount GilesMount GilesMount Giles is one of the highest mountains in the Northern Territory, Australia, at 1389 metres AHD. It lies along the MacDonnell Ranges, dominating Ormiston Pound, in the West MacDonnell National Park, approximately 80 kilometres west of Alice Springs...
External links
Panorama
