Serpentine Gorge

{{Use Australian English|date= April 2020}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2020}}

{{Infobox mountain pass

| name = Serpentine Gorge

| other_name =

| photo = SerpentineGorgeSideWall.jpg

| photo_caption = Side wall of the gorge

| photo_alt =

| map = Australia Northern Territory

| map_caption = Location in Northern Territory

| elevation =

| traversed =

| location = Burt Plain, Northern Territory

| range = MacDonnell Ranges

| coordinates = {{coord|-23.75|132.9667|format=dms|type:landmark_region:AU-NT_dim:3000|display=title,inline}}{{cite web |title=Place Names Register Extract for "Serpentine Gorge" |url=https://www.ntlis.nt.gov.au/placenames/view.jsp?id=18298 |website=NT Place Names Register |publisher=Northern Territory Government |access-date=5 April 2020}}

}}

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.

It comprises two gorges created by a south flowing creek which has cut through two ridges of Heavitree Quartzite.van Oosterzee, Penny (1998) A Field Guide to Central Australia, J. B. Books, Marleston S.A. The gorge is home to some rare Central Australian plants such as the Centralian flannel-flowerNorthern Territory and Central Australia, Lonely Planet, 2006 and cycads (the Macrozamia macdonnellii). There is a semi-permanent waterhole guarding the entrance to the gorge.

Image:SerpentineGorgeWaterhole.jpg

Tourism

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.[http://www.nt.gov.au/nreta/parks/walks/larapinta/itineraries.html Northern Territory Government, Walks, Talks and Trails: The Larrapinta Trail] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090611080217/http://www.nt.gov.au/nreta/parks/walks/larapinta/itineraries.html |date=2009-06-11 }}

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.[https://archive.today/20121215174221/http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22375320-5001000,00.html Borthwick, John (2007) "The ripple effect"], The Australian, 8 September 2007

See also

References