Hiking the Larapinta Trail in the Northern Territory | Travel Journal and pictures

Talking about Australia and hiking in Australia, I often refer to the Larapinta Trail in the Northern Territory as one of my best experiences. The trail goes for about 223 km through the red centre crossing the West MacDonnell ranges. Although there are plenty of side tracks, getting the total distance to 260km. Hikers walk from Alice Springs to Mt. Sonder and get picked up there, or do it the other way around. After our success on the Great Ocean Walk, Jesse and I decided to get dropped off at Mt. Sonder and walk back to our Hostel in Alice Springs! We captured our trip through film, photos and a journal. I can’t promise anything, but hopefully, the videos will follow soon! This post includes pictures and extracts from Jesse’s journal to experience the adventure with us.

Day 0 – The preparations:

As it is impossible to take 16 days’ worth of food in our backpacks on the trail, we have one day before the trail to prepare everything. Ahead of our trip, we got in touch with a local company, Larapinta Trail Trek Support. These people will bring us to Redbank Gorge tomorrow, the start of the Larapinta Trail. They will also provide us with three food drops along the way to ensure everything is stocked up while hiking. We have spaced our food drops so that there are four days in between each drop. Let the shopping begin!

Day 1 – Mt. Sonder:

This morning we got picked up at the hostel in Alice Springs around 7:30 am to head out to the start of the walk. After waiting a year to hike the Larapinta Trail, today was our official starting day! The drive to Redbank Gorge was incredible. Emily, our driver, gave some great tips while getting closer to the start. We arrived at Redbank Gorge a little before 11 am and chatted with the couples that had just finished the Larapinta Trail in the other direction. The campsite was excellent, with some raised and covered platforms, drinkable water and a toilet.

After setting up our tent, we had lunch and were happy that we took our first day pretty easy as we had time to enjoy being out here! Later, we walked to the Gorge for a swim and went up Mt. Sonder for dinner and sunset as per Emily’s suggestion! It was worth the 3 hours walk in the dark back to the campsite afterwards. All in all, about 19 km today and 5 hours of walking. We went to bed looking forward to Day 2, a great start!

Day 2 – Redbank Gorge to Hill Top Lookout:

We accidentally had a very late start today. Although we had planned to wake up with the sun and walk before the day’s heat, we only woke up at 9 am. When we got on the trail with our packs, it was close to 10.30 am. The next stop and final stop would have been Rocky Bar Gap. It was also at Rocky Bar Gap that we would have lunch, so the motivation to get there was high!

We got to the campsite at 1 pm and had lunch with hikers walking in the other direction. We had planned to spend the night here, but they recommended going further and camping at the Hill Top Lookout instead. As we liked Emily’s suggestion yesterday, we decided to listen to all the advice given to us! The climb was rough, which is to expect in the middle of the desert, at the hottest time of day, but seeing the sunset made everything worth the pain!

Day 3 – Hill Top Lookout to Finke River:

This morning we got out of bed early to watch the sunrise. It was cold and windy but the sun lighting up Mt. Sonder was fantastic! Because we walked further yesterday, we only had a short downhill towards Finke River. We could have walked further, but we didn’t want to go too fast. Our Larapinta Trail experience is not to go quickly but to enjoy every moment to the fullest.

At Finke River, we spend the afternoon exchanging hiking experiences with Ally, Bridgette and Aiden. Ally had walked the PC, and the conversation quickly went into thru-hiking! Although the Larapinta Trail gets very close to thru-hiking, the PCT is an entirely different level. When our friends left for their camp spot, we decided to make a side trip to the Glen Helen Gorge. We had hoped to return to camp before dark, but that was unsuccessful. Luckily, we both invested in some good headlights! The Glen Helen Gorge was beautiful, and I’m glad we went!

Day 4 – Finke River to Ormiston Gorge:

Today was a very smooth day. Since we had our first food drop tonight, we could walk with base-weight backpacks during the day. On top of that, we only needed to walk 7 km!

In the morning, our pack-up was easy as we slept on the covered platforms instead of in our tent. Leaving at 8.30 am, we arrived around 10.30 am at Ormiston Gorge. The rest of the day was for swimming and chatting with Richard and Noel, two other hikers walking the Larapinta. In the evening, we could enjoy some ciders that we put into our food drops. It’s the little things that count on the trail! Although, we also celebrated two years in Australia for Jesse with a bit of Bundaberg-Rum from Richard!

Day 5 – Ormiston Gorge to Mt. Gilles Lookout:

Today has been a tough day for a couple of reasons. Although our food pick-up meant treats yesterday, it also meant heavy backpacks again today. On top of that, we decided to spend the night on top of Mt. Gilles, which meant taking today’s and tomorrow’s water with us. Lastly, we had plenty of kilometres to walk, all uphill.

The day wasn’t easy, but we also didn’t complain. This place is lovely, with views up to 150 km over the MacDonnell Ranges. On our campsite tonight, we had the companionship of Heather. Yes, mister universe, I hear you, another PCT hiker! I’m getting the hints, and it’s exciting to hear all those stories! Maybe one day I’ll do it myself; just let me finish the Larapinta Trail first.

Day 6 – Mt. Gilles Lookout to Serpentine Chalet Dam:

Today has been a great day! The weather was overcast and cold, making it ideal hiking weather. Moreover, we got up early and were walking at 8.30 am! Now, most hikers are usually already two hours in their hike by then, but it’s an accomplishment for us compared to the previous days. We walked for about 5 hours on a beautiful rock scrambling track to the Ochre Pits side-track. We had lunch, left our backpacks and started the magnificent 3 hours side-trip to the Ochre Pits. At first, we were in doubt about doing it, but when we got back, we were glad we decided to do the side-track.

Afterwards, when we got to the campsite for the night, Richard and Noel, our official trail squad by now, gave us a warm welcome. We are spending the night again on the shelter platforms alongside our friends. Although word on the trail says, there is a big lunar eclipse tonight! It’s past our bedtime, but we will be up and waiting at hikers’ midnight (9 pm) for the eclipse!

Day 7 – Serpentine Chalet Dam to Serpentine Gorge:

Starting the day with coffee and breakfast in bed, we hit the trail around 8.30 am. Richard and Noel, the early birds, were already gone for hours. We told them yesterday that it was probably the last time we would see them as they have different itineraries. Although we secretly already made some changes to our trip planning to catch up with the guys again! We walked the first half of the day, had lunch and then made our way to Count’s Point Lookout. The views here are unique, and so far, this is our favourite spot on the Larapinta Trail. We spent over an hour looking in the distance before we went down to Serpentine Gorge, where we spent the night.

So, about yesterday’s lunar Eclipse! We watched the moon for about 45 minutes around full coverage, and nothing moved. Someone on the trail must have made a joke to keep people out of their beds, or a lunar eclipse is just prolonged. Either way, we had a great time standing there and waiting, but what we saw was not a Lunar Eclipse, haha!

Day 8 – Serpentine Gorge to Ellery Creek:

It’s day 8, and we have spent an entire week on the Larapinta Trail. Time has flown by, and we can’t believe we are halfway (in time) by the end of the day. It has been such a great experience already! Moreover, we have a food drop in Ellery Creek with some ciders and added goodies to boost the spirits, and honestly, I can’t wait for the Pringles!

Our week has flown by, but today didn’t. We only had to walk 14 km, and none of it was on flats. The trail went over every hill possible, making it a very tiring day. On top of that, the campsite at Ellery Creek isn’t the nicest. On the previous days, we could only reach the camps on foot whereas this one is reachable by car, making it combined camping with day tourists. It’s not the worst. It just doesn’t have the same feeling. To keep ourselves motivated on the trail, we took some extra time to create what some might call cinematic genius. Although, I can’t explain it, and you will have to wait for the videos to experience this with us!

Day 9 – Ellery Creek to Hugh Gorge:

We were off in the morning by 9 am for our 32 km day. The night was slightly warmer than the previous nights, and there was no wind, making us both sleep well. We could hear the dingos howl during the night, which added to the Larapinta Trail experience! Once we started walking, we each settled at our own pace. By 1 pm, we were halfway and had an hour’s lunch at Rocky Gully. It was fortunate that it was a clear and sunny day, but it wasn’t hot, so walking in the day’s heat wasn’t bad.

After lunch, Jesse moved faster than I did and left little notes and sweets on the km markers. I usually have a drink break every 2 km, so she made sure every 2 km there was something for me to find. It was delightful and helped me to keep my spirit up! On the way, we also saw some wild horses (Brumbies), which was incredible!m Jesse arrived about 20 minutes before me at camp, where she had the chance to surprise Richard and Noel! We told them we wouldn’t see them again but then changed our itinerary. Looking back at it,m we were happy that we changed our plan, as today pretty much looked the same all day; otherwise, we would have to do this over two days.

Day 10 – Hugh Gorge to 4/5 junction:

After our 32km day, we decided to take it a little bit easier in the morning. We slept in and had a little party at camp until 10 am. To put that into perspective, Richard and Noel left camp at 5.30 am. We smashed out the first rock-scramble section to the Hugh Gorge junction and decided to make a little side trip. It was another 1,5 km of rock scrambling to reach the Gorge itself, but since our first section went that fast, we thought it wouldn’t take long. In the end, it took us about 2 hours, four times longer than expected. The Gorge wasn’t even suitable for swimming. We suddenly had a long day ahead and less time than we had hoped. It was beautiful, though; we even saved a fish as we moved it from a puddle into the Gorge.

Thinking that we did the most challenging part of the day, we had lunch at Fringe Lily Creek before moving on. The hot afternoon was a rude shock. The Razorback Ridge, windy saddle and Rocky Taus sections were steep and rough. The only thing that kept us going here was that it was gorgeous and most likely our favourite part on the Larapinta Trail. From there, we had another rock scrambling section. We only made it to camp just before dark, and the only thing left was a 900 metres side trip to the birthday waterhole.

Day 11 – 4/5 Junction to Brinkley Bluff:

After first going through our longest day and then our most challenging day so far, today was going to be a little bit easier. We only had a relatively short distance to walk. We started our day again with a little dance party in the morning and started walking by 10 am. We packed our bags with the extra water to overnight on Brinkley, quickly looked at the Birthday Waterhole and started hiking. It was a steep climb, but the track was more accessible than yesterday. We got to camp early and had time to enjoy all the magnificent views. Our backpacks were pretty heavy during the day as we had the extra 13 litres, but after ten and more days on the Larapinta Trail, our body is getting used to the backpacks.

Day 12 – Brinkley Bluff to Millers Flat:

Our initial plan for today was to walk to Standley Chasm. The distance between Brinkley Bluff and Standley Chasm was only 10 km, so we took it easy in the morning. We started with coffee and breakfast over a beautiful sunrise. Everybody else was packing up, but we weren’t in a hurry. We are here to enjoy every little moment and not to get as fast as possible from a to b. We left for our next camp, and as we got closer to the end of our hike, we passed our tips and tricks on to everybody we met along the way. We also got some news for the first time since we started the Larapinta Trail, and it appeared that Melbourne is again in a covid-lockdown.

We got to Standley Chasm, our initial camp place, but were disappointed with the views. Once again, this was a shared campsite with day-trippers in cars. We gave ourselves time for lunch, a well-deserved shower (the first since the start of the track), to re-pack our bags with our last food drop and said we would leave at 4 pm for a 2-hour walk to Millers Flat. Well, by the time we went, it was 5 pm. The track was also steeper than anticipated.

Moreover, all the rock-scrambling with freshly loaded packs and the extra water for the overnight trip was way more complex than we thought. Unorganized as we are, we, therefore, ended up walking in the dark for hours. We got to camp around 8.30 pm and had our most efficient setup and cooking dinner routine of the whole trail (+had ciders and Pringles to treat ourselves)

Day 13 – Millers Flat to Jay Creek:

It’s crazy how we’ve been on the Larapinta Trail for almost two weeks and only have three days left. Time has flown by, and we can’t believe how quickly this trip has passed. As much as we look forward to having a normal bed again, we are not ready to leave the trail behind. Life here is too good.

After another lovely coffee and breakfast, we set out at about 9.15 am. Because we only had to walk 10km today, we decided to take the optional high route and take some pictures of the two of us. We took it super easy, took the time for snacks, and relaxed in the sun on top of the mountain. Even with the last couple of km being a sluggish trudge through loose sand and rocky creek beds, we made it to camp at 2 pm. Tomorrow we have a 27 km day, so the rest of the day is for chilling!

Day 14 – Jay Creek to Simpsons Gap:

We set off this morning just before 9 am for our 27 km day. It was crazy how fast our morning went because at 10 am; we had already made it to the 20-km marker. The walking just flew. Those long-distance days are mentally pretty extraordinary. Every time Jesse and I met up after a stretch of walking, we both looked like we’d been on another planet. It’s funny how far the mind wanders when you get into that flow on the trail. I caught myself mid-stretch a few times, not knowing how far I’d walked or where I was because I’d been so deep in thoughts. You wonder why we forgot to take any pictures during our walk! 🙂

Day 15 – Jay Creek to Wallaby Gap:

Over two weeks on the Larapinta Trail, we suddenly only have one day left after today. It makes us pretty sad as we are not ready to return to society. It crossed our mind to start walking back in the other direction, although food-wise, that wouldn’t be possible.

Today was an easy day track-wise. We only had about 10 km of even ground. Instead of pushing to camp, we had lunch just before. We didn’t want to arrive too early at our last camp spot. In the end, it was 2 pm when we got to Wallaby Gap, and after checking out Wallaby Gap, we just relaxed in the sun. It’s crazy how sad we are with the end of our adventure on the Larapinta Trail. Maybe this tells me I should try to do a long-distance thru-hike one day? If 16 days and 260km don’t do it, it’s time to expand the boundaries.

Day 16 – Wallaby Gap to our hostel:

This morning we had planned to take it pretty easy packing up. But then, it ended up being even later than anticipated because the only time our tent was covered in condensation on the Larapinta Trai must have been on that last night. We waited for the sun to make its way into the little valley to dry everything. The walk from Wallaby Gap to Telegraph Station afterwards was excellent and was nicer than we thought it would be. It was great summiting each slight crest and seeing Alice Springs from above getting closer and closer as we moved along.

The day was also sad, as we realised that with each km, we were getting closer to the end of this fantastic trip. Of course, we were both tired, looking forwards to a bed and decent food, but if we could choose, we would stay longer on the trail! By lunchtime, we made it to the Telegraph Station, and it’s funny that compared to the Great Ocean walk, we didn’t feel the same joy of finishing the hike. We both had the same feeling and were ready for something bigger to follow now. But first, tomorrow we are spending a day alongside the pool in the hostel with a fair amount of beers! We will catch you on the next adventure!

Looking back on the adventure we just went through and realising how good our life is that after this unique experience, we can spend the day by the pool, we did have that feeling of accomplishment! What an adventure, first the Great Ocean road and now the Larapinta Trail. It makes you wonder, what’s next?

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