Masterpiece of nature.

Tip in the Outback: Most tourists prefer the pilgrimage to the famous Ayers Rock, instead of the MacDonnell Ranges to explore. These are the natural wonders here every trip kilometers worth - for example, if the traces of the main Aboriginal painter follows.

 

Alice Springs - Simple drawings on bare rock and the creation story of the "Rainbow Serpent", in strong colors, point by point set in the dot-painting technique: This is the art of the aborigines, Australia, the tourists encountered in many places. But Aboriginal and watercolors? That hardly seems to fit together.

To think many tourists who have never heard of Albert Namatjira have. He is considered one of the greatest artists of his people and has the outback in the most beautiful watercolors painted. On 8 August 2009 anniversary of the 50th death Namatjiras Time - one more reason is there in search of clues to go, where he almost his entire life spent in the West MacDonnell Ranges at Alice Springs.

By sunset, it takes not much longer. The many small flies annoying - but the colors of the landscape, its nuances are every few minutes, fascinated: In a dark purple light up the rocks, beyond the lush bush land and the river bed of the Finke River to the shores hellsandigen is the 1380 meter high Mount Special to see the fourth highest peak in Central Australia.

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AP; Australian Tourist Commission; DPA

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This view from one of the hills near Glen Helen Gorge also had Albert Namatjira often in mind - and in Malblock: The red rocks of the MacDonnell Ranges and the "Ghostgum" eucalyptus trees, he immortalized uncounted times.

Glen Helen is located about 130 kilometers west of Alice Springs in the West MacDonnell Ranges National Park. The place is an old cattle farm and, with its fixed the only Lodge accommodation in the "West Macs". The rooms are simple, but with air conditioning - in the summer is a great advantage. The restaurant serves kangaroo on potatoes. Already met here the host Albert Namatjira: Several watercolors hang on the wall, even if only as a reprint.

Namatjira was in the thirties to fifties, often in the area on the road. The watercolor technique, he had by the artist Rex Batterbee learned, and his works were soon in demand in Australia: in exhibitions in Melbourne and in other cities, he sold very well in the then racial barriers influenced Australian society by no means self-evident. In 1954, he was even then the young English Queen Elizabeth II presented.

Visit by wallabies

The fully paved and passable for normal rental car road from Alice Springs to Glen Helen was named after the painter: the Namatjira Drive "will take you through a wide, undulating layer with rust-red mountains on both sides, in which interesting destinations hide.

Take, for example, Simpsons Gap, a passage in the rocks just 18 miles from Alice Springs. There are also good opportunities for short hikes, such as 115 kilometers west of Ormiston Gorge, where three paths in the canyon and around them lead. If you are lucky, here looks small wallabies on the rocks to climb.

Between the two canyons is Standley Chasm, a six to ten meters narrow crevice, where the sun only at midday for a short time reaching the ground when they vertically above the Outback stands.

The place was named after the teacher Ida Standley, in Alice Springs once, among other things the children from the relationship of whites and Aborigines, and briefed them on trips to the MacDonnell Ranges hineinführte, told the local Gästeführer Martin Ludgate. "She was like a lovable grandmother and the children are well treated. Other teachers on the other hand, were common to them."

Consider allowed Anfassen prohibited

Two other targets along the visitors' Namatjira Drive "are the Ocher Pits and Ellery Creek Big Hole, which is one of the largest water holes in the West MacDonnell Ranges is. The up to 15 meters deep natural pool has very cold water and is a tourist destination especially for the residents of Alice Springs popular.

On the other hand, Ocher Pits ocher was used for ceremonial purposes from the rocks geritzt - exclusively by the Aboriginal men. The more iron contained therein, and the darker red is the color of the mineral rocks. It may be used by the tourists in, but not touched or even out of the rock removed. Violations can be expensive: The fine is around 2700 euros.

All these attractions are in a good day trip from Alice Springs reached. However, the West MacDonnell Ranges are far from such visitor flows to cope as much more distant, but also in the "red center" of Australia, the Ayers Rock. "People take too much time in travel planning," Martin Ludgate. They would be eligible for three to four days in the region, were surprised at the large distances and then stressed the attraction of its program, the least known - and this was compared to the rock just rank.