At the Trephina Gorge, I pressed my ear against a Red River Gum Tree and heard the sound of flowing water. What happens inside the hollow tree bark is that the bad wood is eaten up by the termites, then the water begins to fill the space inside the bark.

The Oldest and Largest Ghost Gum Tree in Australia

We went to see what is believed to be the largest Ghost Gum Tree in Australia. When I arrived, I understood why this tree is considered a must-see attraction in East Mac. It wasn’t because the tree was apparently of the most advanced age (it is said to be 300 hundred years old), or that it was particularly prominent in its leafy crown.

As I looked up to see the entirety of its being, the Ghost Gum Tree did seem to bear a spirit that speaks poetry through the arid winds of the desert. Its sturdy bark and branches in snowy white, the tree stood tall and proud against the azure of the sky, its leaves ruffling gently.

Where you observe black branches on the Ghost Gum, they are the tree’s “least favorite branches.” When the tree is in shortage of water, it cuts off the circulation to its least favorite branches, that is why some branches appear in black. Even within one organism, the survival of the fittest is the rule of the game.

Known as ilwempe in the Western Arrernte language, the Ghost Gum Tree is where the spirits reside. In moonlit evenings their barks glow, reflecting the only source of light in the pitch darkness of the desert. Perhaps their lance shaped leaves also whisper amidst the chill of the night.

The abundant white powder is like the sunscreen in the desert for the tree. For the aborigines, the white powder is widely used as face paint. They use this chalk-slike substance to paint their faces during ceremonies. Needless to say, the aborigines also find practical and medicinal uses for other parts of the tree. To them, the barks of the Ghost Gum Tree is an assured source of fire making, as they are lit even against rainwater. The gum is used for tool protection and as a balm.

The Red River Gum v. the Ghost Gum Tree

As opposed to the Red River Gum tree, the Ghost Gum does not grow near water sources. Instead, the Ghost Gum Trees grow on rocky slopes, red sand flats and dry creek beds. In the Arrernte language, the Ghost Gum Tree is also known as aparrerinja, meaning “found around river red gums.” This word is part of the Latin name for Ghost Gum Tree, Eucalyptus / Corymbia aparrerinja.

Some of them grow in the most unlikely place, emerging strong and sturdy from the crevices of the Trephina Gorge’s rusty step surface. What it stands for is indeed the spirit of the Outback, of survival — human beings or otherwise.

An Eternal Love for the Ghost Gum

To the Australians, the Ghost Gum is a central figure in their appreciation of the native species that grace the heartland of their continent. One way that the Ghost Gum enters into the national consciousness of the Australian identity is through the paintings by Albert Namatjira, himself a descendant of the Western Arrernte aborigines.

In his paintings Albert Namatjira conveys the landscape of the Macdonnell Range in watercolor. His use of light hues and mostly neutral colors impress upon the viewers a calmness that is somewhat at odds with the vibes I got at the live viewing of similar sceneries at the Macdonnell Range.

In real-time viewing, the desert colors of the Outback come together feeling like an unwilling compromise. The rusted crimson of the rock surfaces clamors for attention at the Outback. The savanna green of the desert’s vegetation is subsumed into the rugged heat of the rusted rocks. Even at the actually cold waterholes, the water surface reflects the different shades of red earth.

The Ghost Gum is prominently featured in Albert Namatjira’s paintings on the Macdonnell Range. By that I mean that, where the Ghost Gum Tree appears, it becomes the most eye-catching detail in the painting, although for most times the tree is not placed in the center.

The Ghost Gum Tree in Albert Namatjira’s painting is mind-bogglingly explicit in its presence, the snowiness of its bark seizing the viewer’s attention at first sight—even against the generally light colored themes of his painting. Then the leaves appear to ruffle even within the paintings, their greenness being quite realistic, but the edges smudged, indicating motion. As to that clamoring rustiness that is ubiquitous in the Outback, Albert Namatjira represents so in a rustic brownness, in the typical hues of a common autumn anywhere.

Like in real life, the Ghost Gum Tree is spirited in Albert Namatjira’s work, but the watercolor renders it somewhat more subdued than what I felt at the sight of the real tree. Perhaps it does take an aboriginal painter to be able to recreate images of their homes in such a transformative manner. He had grown up within this nature distilling the essence of its beings. I came here for a two-day love affair, carrying with me all the fascination and romanticization that typify a common tourist’s perspectives.

The Old Man Salt Bush

Kirsty took me around to the small bushes and showed me some tiny, colorful seeds. She told me to taste them. “They are called the salt bush,” and true to her word, the fruits were salty.

At this moment, I realized that all of my senses had been engaged at East Mac. I even tasted its nature — but thank God the live bush coconut was not on the menu.

Sources

The Wikipedia on Corymbia aparrerinja at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corymbia_aparrerinja

Nature Bound Australia, The Ghost Gum — Symbol of the Australian Bush and Spirit.

Vatu Sanctuary, The Twin Ghost Gums.

Botanical Realm, Ghost Gum (Corymbia Aparrerinja).

Pastures Australia, Old man saltbush.

I lined up a trip to East Mac with Kirsty of Red Earth Roaming. She is a fantastic tour guide, who engaged me on so many different disciplines of knowledge. In this 6-hour tour, we went through amazing learning in geology, aboriginal and Aussie culture, fauna and flora, the tour business and a touch of Australia’s position in world affairs. I am incredibly thankful to Kirsty for her hospitality. If you are going to do a tour there (she runs tours in West Mac and East Mac), please approach Red Earth Roaming. She will also be able to tailor the itinerary to your specific interests.

As said in the preliminaries entry, late April was not the high season for the Outback. I was the only one that signed up for this East Macdonnell tour with Kirsty. As such, we had long conversations about everything under the sun. There were also few souls at East Mac, as it clearly was much less popular than the West Mac. I enjoyed the tour thoroughly.

The Itinerary

We started the chilly morning at Emily Gap. Then we visited Jessie Gap, Corroboree Rock, Trephina Gorge, The Ghost Gum Tree, and the Ross River Resort.

It felt colder than the previous day, when I visited West Mac. I wore my leggings, but those turned out to be a little bit too hot for the afternoon, when we did a couple of easy hikes. It was a pretty smart choice to wear a tank top beneath a jacket.

The Emily Gap

One aspect of traveling in the Outback is the varieties amongst the different sites. Although the general geological composition is similar in the area, each site appears to exude distinctive vibes. I can’t quite articulate how, but in that early morning when I came upon the waterhole at Emily Gap, it felt as if the ancient spirits were there to greet me, uttering poetry in nature’s language. I must have heard quite a few birds chirping to garner that impression.

Known to be Anthwerrke (pronounced “an-tur-ka”) in the native language, the Emily Gap is traditionally a cultural site for aboriginal men. The men-women division is clear in aboriginal cultures, and that includes the exclusiveness with which they used land for educational and community purposes. The Emily Gap is sacred for the Western Arrernte aborigines. The men do not swim in the waterhole here, as the water is for drinking only (both for humans and animals).

This area of the Macdonnell ranges prided a whole lot of games and a large number of aboriginal families. But over times, 19 species of mammals were lost to cats and the other predators, such as foxes. There was once a high diversity of plant lives as well.

The Caterpillar Dreaming

The Caterpillar Creation Dreaming is the single most significant Dreaming in the Macdonnell Ranges. It comes into full focus in East Macdonnell, where aboriginal rock paintings depicting the Caterpillar Dreaming are found in the Emily / Jessie Gap (Yeperenye Nature Park) area.

The creation stories were how the aborigines impart on the children their laws. The aboriginals believe that the earth was flat and nothing, until the gods came out of the earth and created creatures and oceans. The Three Caterpillars of Yerperenye, Ntyarlke and Utnerrengatye are believed to be the ancestors of the aborigines. Each of these caterpillars are associated with one kind of plant on which the caterpillar survives. The Yerperenye and Ntyarlke caterpillars feed on the Tar vine. The Utnerrengatye caterpillar feeds on the Emu Bush.

The caterpillars were walking across Central Australia, and came upon the territory of the green beetles. They didn’t ask for permission, the beetles were angry and killed them all.

This creation story is to teach the children about territorial respect. When you go to a place you set up a fire and someone would come to you — do not ever cross a territory without permission. The caterpillars became the mountain ranges here.

When the Emily Gap is filled with water, one would not be able to get to the rock paintings to admire the Caterpillar Dreaming. Suffice it is to say, that the various imageries bear specific meanings in aboriginal culture. For example, the stars represent change and transformation.

Sources

Descriptions on site at the Emily Gap.

Tour with Red Earth Roaming.

The tour left Standley Chasm for Ellery Creek, where we would have our picnic lunch. The Ellery Creek Big Hole is an oasis in the desert, with a body of water large enough in which to swim. In fact, the Ellery Creek Big Hole is the largest waterhole in the Outback.

On this trip, I had never looked up the images of the places that would be covered in the itinerary. The mystery was under wraps until I arrived. This was a good idea, as the sites were all breathtaking. I had no expectation of what the scenery was like, and the Ellery Creek Big Hole was exceptionally beautiful.

The Ellery Creek

Australia: The Land Where Time Began has a very thorough explanation of the geological developments throughout history in the Ellery Creek and the surrounding land formations, especially the cliff of the Ellery Gorge. I will take the simplest points from that article.

The Ellery Creek stretches 10km as a tributary of the Finke River, which is one of the oldest rivers in the world. It runs through the Ellery Gorge. The “bank is layered rock that has been tilted to 90° from its original horizontal position.” The layered rock is similar to the Grand Canyon’s geology. The Ellery Creek runs through what is called the Arunta Block in central Australia.

The Heavitree rocks form the red cliffs at the Ellery Big hole. The Heavitree quartzite was a sand formation. These landforms blocked the way to the sea from the riverways. The Ellery Creek Big Hole is a landlocked lake, formed when the water of the inland seaways evaporated. Thereafter, thousands of years of massive floods filled the cratered ground to form a lake.

As the saline water evaporated, the minerals deposited into sediments, further compressed to form the layered rocks at Ellery Creek.

Known as Udepata to the aborigines, the lake was a meeting place for the aborigines, especially the Arrernte. As a permanent waterhole in a desert, it has incredible cultural and spiritual significance to the aborigines. It is no surprise that Udepata is represented also in the Dreamtime as well.

Finally, there are animals that make it home in this part of the desert as well. The Ellery Creek area, particularly in the rugged, rocky terrain where we attempted hiking (see below), gives home to some rare animals, including the Central Rock-rats, Short-beaked Chidnas, and some kinds of Black-footed Rock-wallabies.

A Short Hike in the Ellery Creek Area

Some members of the tour went through the “woods” close to the creek for a quick walk. We found signs for the Dolomite Walk, 3 km in length. We did not have enough time to do a loop, and the directions were not exactly clear either. Due to time constraints, we turned back after a brief 20 minutes. But it was a different kind of appreciation of the nature in this area. The scenery is that of a distinct desert, with short, spikey shrubs and a mostly barren scenery. Yet, as said above, the animals that we didn’t see do thrive in this area.

Besides hiking, camping is also a very popular activity at the Ellery Creek. There is a campsite there. Be sure to bring plenty of drinking water if you plan to camp. Finally, our tour guide said that if you come here for camping, be prepared to arrive in a Four-wheel Drive.

The Ellery Creek Big Hole

I did not bring my swimsuit, so after returning to the Big Hole I just sat by the water to admire the scenery. My photographs showed an incredible contrast that conveys the opposite ends of color temperatures. Plenty of noontime sunshine illuminates the whole area, revealing, or perhaps even accentuating, the true colors that one would not normally associate with a desert landscape.

The contrast is that of the ultimate heat in incandescent red at the cliff and the ultimate cool in deep ocean blue at the Big Hole. I marveled at this scenery, for the fact that a desert presents all hues of the color spectrum is utterly incredible.

For those who plan on swimming at the Ellery Creek Big Hole, do not be fooled by the seeming warmth of the red cliffs and the blazing sun above you. The water is very cold. Some people bring their own floaties or boats, both of which are good ideas.

Lunch with the Flies

Came lunch time, and Brent put together a feast for us. I had a wrap, and then some. As said in the preliminaries entry, the flies of the Outback are a major annoyance. There were indeed quite a few of them as we savored our picnic. I hope that I didn’t inadvertently eat a fly or two.

An odd observation that I made about the flies: they liked to hover over the people, more so than the food.

Our next stop is the Ochre Pits, and we would be learning a critical lesson about aboriginal art.

Sources

Australia: The Land Where Time Began.

Red Centre, North Territory, Everything You Need to Know About Ellery Creek Big Hole.