Top Things to do in Red Centre
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6 Mountains in Red Centre That You Shouldn't Miss
Discover the best top things to do in Red Centre, Australia including Mount Sonder, Kata Tjuta - The Olgas, Tjoritja/West MacDonnell National Park, MacDonnell Ranges, Mount Gillen, Mount Conner.
Restaurants in Red Centre
1. Mount Sonder
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 6 reviews
Reviewed By Paddles55 - Cairns, Australia
The walk to the summit of Mt.Sonder, in the heart of Australia, is highly recommended to all bushwalkers. However, the walk to Mt. Sonder involves 8 km of up-hill walking across some difficult and rugged terrain. This is for experienced, fit and well-prepared walkers. The start and finish of the walk is the Redbank Gorge carpark which is approx 5 km north of Namatjira Drive. This is a well-graded road that conventional cars and motorbikes can access without difficulty and leads to the Redbank Gorge car park. Given there is no water on the 8 km track, a large enclosed plastic tank 150m from the Information Board contains good quality potable water. The tank is beside the river bank and a good place to re-hydrate and fill up! As with all tracks in the majestic MacDonnell Ranges, walkers on the Mt. Sonder track are treated to a living canvas of blues, pinks, reds and oranges as the sun illuminates the rugged white quartzite, heavily eroded sandstones and the remains of uplifted ancient sea-floor mudstones. A keen eye will find pieces of pre-cambrian sea-floor mudstone with the characteristic oscillations and erosion caused by littoral wave action. The natural beauty, extremely arid climate and desolate isolation of Mt.Sonder can be a moving experience. Standing atop Mt.Sonder, the walker cannot see the hand of man in any direction, just the vast expanse of a very old country that was once ice-covered peaks not unlike the Himalayas. The view from the summit of Mt.Sonder is breathtaking and strikes most walkers silent. Of interest, the cairn, marking the 'summit' of Mt.Sonder (at 1380m) is in plain view of the true summit, some 600 metres to the North East. After much research and careful planning, my brother, an experienced walker and climber attempted to reach the proper summit. Walking to the proper summit was not possible with the additional 2 hours we allocated; the country is very rough, slow to move through and a difficult climb. There is a deep, tight gorge and numerous rock faces below the spur north of the walking track that is a clear game-changer. This requires specialist planning. Google maps does not show any gorges or rock faces in that area. Hundreds of millions of years of weathering, upheaval, glaciation, climate change and erosion has left the Heavitree Range a mere shadow of its former size. There is ample opportunity for a walker to see and find keep-sake examples and evidence of the ancient history of this timeless land. No doubt, this raises a number of puzzles too.. Where did the huge mountains go? Why are there no fossils or good palaeontology? The preferred time to walk to Mt.Sonder is Apr to Oct. Walkers are suggested to take plenty of water, a good hat, fly net, some energy snacks and stick to the track. There is no mobile reception or roads to access the areas. Please understand that fit walkers have perished who strayed from the route. Mt.Sonder is a fantastic and unique trek; the walk is so memorable for the amazing scenery and the true sense of exploring and learning about a piece of this country that most people have only even seen in paintings or postcards.
2. Kata Tjuta - The Olgas
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 2,261 reviews
Kata Tjuta is Pitjantjatjara meaning 'many heads'. This spectacular landform lies about 50 kilometres drive from Uluru and Yulara. This area is an Anangu men's site and is sacred under Tjukurpa (traditional law). Everyone is welcome and encouraged to visit this place but as with all areas of the park, please stay on the marked tracks. Take in the sunrise from the viewing platform or on a walking trail through Walpa Gorge or the Valley of the Winds.
Reviewed By Eplorer_01
Great place to visit and take your camera for Sunset pics! park at the viewing platform on the east side for a great photo opportunity.
3. Tjoritja/West MacDonnell National Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 32 reviews
Reviewed By Ciskawati
It’s nice to visit this spot even for one day trip. We can have a view nice pictures and have a little picnic
4. MacDonnell Ranges
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 421 reviews
Reviewed By zip048
Recently I accompanied by my wife and two friends were fortunate enough to do this tour with Emu run tours, this was a small group tour and our tour guide was Kirsty. Kirsty made this tour fantastic, great and enjoyable for all members of this tour, with her great people skills, bubbly happy out going personality, combined with her professionalism and vast knowledge and experience, she gave as all a fantastic adventure and many great experiences which the whole tour group enjoyed immensely. If you want a great tour, use this tour company and Kirsty as your tour guide JOE Cardiff NSW
5. Mount Gillen
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 103 reviews
Alhekuulyele (Mount Gillen) walk is officially closed as of the 2nd of December 2020 at the request of the Traditional Custodians for both cultural and safety reasons.
Reviewed By 216kevinl - Alice Springs, Australia
We finally climbed to the top, the trail itself is pretty well established, as we were told, where it forks, the right is a bit gentler than the left, but much like Rome, all roads lead to the top. There is a bit that requires hands, so if you're limited, you may want to stop at that point. At the peak is a marker, and views of Alice Springs and the surrounds. Even on a cool day, take water, and maybe a snack for energy. We walk ~10ks daily, and it was still some effort, so if your activity level is more towards the couch potato zone, perhaps just walk the trail from Flynn's Grave t Desert Park or beyond.
6. Mount Conner
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 41 reviews
Mt Conner is located on the private property of Curtin Springs Station. Structured 4wd and a guided walks program give visitors an opportunity to get up close to Mt Conner. Please enquire at Curtin Springs Wayside Inn for more details. Mt Conner was discovered by William Goss in 1873 and named after M L Conner, a member of the SA Government who financed the expedition. The mountain stands 344 metres above the surrounding plains. It is 32km around the base (which makes it 3 times bigger than Ayers Rock). Along with Ayers Rock and the Olgas, the 3 mountains form the 3 TORS (large bare rocky hills). Each one is a different geological formation. Mt Conner is made up mainly of carmichael sandstone and has it’s own distinct eco-environment that makes it very different to the others. There are no water holes or areas where water was caught after rain, so it has very little indigenous relevance. Aboriginal people could not visit there without access to water.
Reviewed By WilliamB826 - Perth, Australia
When driving along the Lasseter Highway to check out Uluru, it is easy to mistake Mount Connor for it's big brother Uluru. All of a sudden this beautiful rock formation appears on the horizon, and many have made the mistake thinking it is ''The Rock''. There is a great lookout that you can climb and take in the great view just before arriving at the ''real thing''. Mt Connor is a beautiful sight in it's own right and it too changes all the colours of the Red Centre at various times of the day. I think the stop off point is called ''Mount Connor Lookout'' a stop you should not miss for that great photo of an outback icon.
