Hermannsburg & Namatjira

We spent a pleasant few hours in Hermannsburg, where the former Lutheran Mission is now a heritage precinct. It was set up by a German pastor, a man who spoke about twelve languages, translated and documented several local aboriginal ones, and looked after the physical and spiritual needs of the disrupted aboriginal communities.

Its most famous resident was Albert Namatjira, who became the foremost aboriginal painter in the European style. He painted the beautiful landscapes of the West MacDonnell mountains, and was a big hit when he went to Melbourne and sold his entire exhibition stock, coming back with enough money to build a little house a few kilometres out of Hermannsburg for him and his bride.

We went to see the play about his life in Parramatta a few months ago. It's not entirely an uplifting story. He felt compelled to share his earnings with hundreds of his fellow people, as was the custom. He was jailed for a while for supplying alcohol to an aboriginal person (he himself had become the first aboriginal to be freed from the restrictions of the relevant act, in effect becoming an honorary white before aborigines were officially granted citizenship via the 1967 referendum), and he died fairly young. But his art lives on, not least through the extensive work of his relatives, who continue to run quite an industry, producing a prolific output of similar work.

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(Some images courtesy Wikipedia)

Gaps, gorges & chasms - Part 5: Glen Helen resort & gorge

The main accommodation option along the West MacDonnell range, apart from camping, is the Glen Helen resort, where there's a range of options including the motel (sort of) rooms. Somewhat overpriced, and the service wonderfully Fawlty Towersish, it's run by well meaning backpackers.

The view outside our window was very very spectacular, with a terrific bright red sunset on the escarpment, and later, fabulously clear dark starry skies (more on this in a later post).

We walked across the paddocks on our first morning there, and checked out the Glen Helen Gorge, prior to heading off for a days outing to - you guessed it - two more gorges!

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Gaps, gorges & chasms - Part 3: Standley Chasm

Next stop on our tour of the West MacDonnells was Standley Chasm, with the 'ch' in chasm pronounced disconcertingly by many like the 'ch' in chap, rather than the 'ch' in charisma. Not sure what that's about.

I'd been there 38 years ago, on my fabled $49 all inclusive two day bus tour from Alice Springs to Ayers Rock and back, and remembered well the terrific light show put on every day at noon precisely, when the rays of the sun shine directly into the narrow vertical gap.

It didn't let us down, and the throngs who comprised the day's 'Standley Chasm ensemble' duly assembled and watched in awe.

We'd arrived a little early, so took the opportunity to walk a bit of the Larapinta Trail, the 223km walking track from Mt Sonder to Alice Springs. At this point it goes up and over the range, and you can sit up there and look down on the narrow gap below.

I was as ever curious to see how much the place had changed since 1974, so dug out my slide from back then. Uncannily, even the trees seem identical, and haven't grown perceptably. The pilgrims had longer hair in those days and slightly different fashions maybe. Compare the two pics.

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