Glen Helen Gorge, Natural gorge in Tjoritja National Park, Australia.
Glen Helen Gorge is a natural chasm cutting through the MacDonnell Ranges, featuring towering red cliffs that rise directly from a permanent waterhole in the Finke River. The site offers walking trails, swimming areas, and overnight lodging options at the nearby Glen Helen Lodge.
The rock formations here date back roughly 800 million years, making this one of the world's oldest river systems. Water has slowly carved and shaped this landscape across unimaginable spans of time.
The land holds deep meaning for the Western Aranda people, who recognize this place as part of their ancestral country. The red landscape and waterhole have been central to how people have lived here for countless generations.
You can swim in the permanent waterhole and walk several trails of varying difficulty around the site. It sits roughly 130 kilometers west of Alice Springs and has lodging options available for overnight stays.
The permanent waterhole acts as a critical refuge for water birds and fish species across the otherwise dry Central Australian landscape. This water source sustains animal life specially adapted to the region's extreme conditions.
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