The Ochre Pits line a dry creek bed in the heart of the West MacDonnell Ranges, 11km west of Serpentine Gorge, and were a source of pigment for Aboriginal people. The various coloured ochres − mainly yellow, white and red-brown − are weathered limestone, with iron-oxide creating the colours.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
11.5 MILES
If you've only time for one stop in the West MacDonnell Ranges, make it here. There's a waterhole shaded with ghost gums and the gorge curls around to the…
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23.72 MILES
Top attraction Palm Valley is famous for its red cabbage palms (up to 12,000 of them!), which exist nowhere else in the world. These relics from…
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13.2 MILES
Just 1km northwest of Glen Helen Gorge, the Mt Sonder lookout has sweeping views out over the West MacDonnells; sunrise and sunset are the best times to…
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13.35 MILES
Ellery Creek Big Hole, 91km from Alice Springs, has a large permanent waterhole and is a beautiful spot. It's a popular place for a swim on a hot day (the…
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15.58 MILES
The whitewashed walls of the old mission are shaded by tall river gums and date palms. This fascinating monument to the NT’s early Lutheran missionaries…
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24.57 MILES
The westernmost of the gorges that puncture the West MacDonnells is multihued, cathedral-like Redbank Gorge. A permanent waterhole runs for kilometres…
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12.54 MILES
Glen Helen Gorge is where the Finke River cuts through the MacDonnells. It's not quite as dramatic as nearby Ormiston Gorge, but it's all relative. Only…
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7.24 MILES
Around 102km west of Alice Springs, a rough gravel track leads for 5km north off Namatjira Dr to narrow, ochre-red Serpentine Gorge. It has a lovely…
Nearby Northern Territory attractions
7.24 MILES
Around 102km west of Alice Springs, a rough gravel track leads for 5km north off Namatjira Dr to narrow, ochre-red Serpentine Gorge. It has a lovely…
11.5 MILES
If you've only time for one stop in the West MacDonnell Ranges, make it here. There's a waterhole shaded with ghost gums and the gorge curls around to the…
12.54 MILES
Glen Helen Gorge is where the Finke River cuts through the MacDonnells. It's not quite as dramatic as nearby Ormiston Gorge, but it's all relative. Only…
13.2 MILES
Just 1km northwest of Glen Helen Gorge, the Mt Sonder lookout has sweeping views out over the West MacDonnells; sunrise and sunset are the best times to…
13.35 MILES
Ellery Creek Big Hole, 91km from Alice Springs, has a large permanent waterhole and is a beautiful spot. It's a popular place for a swim on a hot day (the…
15.58 MILES
The whitewashed walls of the old mission are shaded by tall river gums and date palms. This fascinating monument to the NT’s early Lutheran missionaries…
23.72 MILES
Top attraction Palm Valley is famous for its red cabbage palms (up to 12,000 of them!), which exist nowhere else in the world. These relics from…
24.57 MILES
The westernmost of the gorges that puncture the West MacDonnells is multihued, cathedral-like Redbank Gorge. A permanent waterhole runs for kilometres…