West MacDonnell Ranges Wall Art
Albert Namatjira painted this country, and it is still the least visited part of Central Australia relative to how good it looks. Seventeen prints from the ranges and river systems west of Alice Springs, where red rock walls sit directly above permanent waterholes.
The centre without the landmark
Most people photograph Central Australia and go home with a picture of a rock they have already seen a thousand times. The ranges running west from Alice Springs offer something harder to anticipate: gorges cut hundreds of metres deep, cold water at the bottom of them, and white trunked gums holding on to the sand.
The gorges
Ormiston Gorge, NT and Organ Pipes, Glen Helen Gorge, NT work the vertical rock walls, where the interest is in the banding and the colour shift as the light moves down the face during the day. Morning Mist, Ellery Creek, NT and River of Life, Ellery Creek, NT take the waterhole at Ellery Creek Big Hole, which is deep and cold enough to hold mist well after sunrise.
River gums
The ghost gum is the signature tree of this country and Namatjira made it famous. Ghost Gum Finke River National Park, NT and River Gum, Finke River, NT both isolate a single tree against rock, and Finke River Crossing, NT places them in the dry riverbed. These are the images that work in a vertical frame, because the tree gives the composition a natural upward axis that the gorges do not.
Further out
Heartland, Haasts Bluff, NT and Kintore Awakening, NT reach west into the desert proper, well past the ranges. Summer Storms Mt Sonder, NT catches the highest peak in the region under weather, and God's Marbles, NT sits north east of Alice on the Stuart Highway.
Why this collection is quieter
Nothing here is a landmark, which means these images are chosen on how they look rather than on where they were taken. That makes them a better fit for a room where a recognisable icon would feel too much like a souvenir.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this the same as the Red Centre?
It is the part of it that is not Uluru. The West MacDonnell Ranges run west from Alice Springs and cover gorge and river country. Uluru and Kata Tjuta sit several hundred kilometres to the south west and have their own collection.
What is the connection to Albert Namatjira?
This is the country he painted, and one image in the collection carries the title Namatjira Country, NT.
Which of these work in a vertical frame?
The river gum images. Ghost Gum Finke River National Park, NT and River Gum, Finke River, NT both use a single tree as the subject, which gives them an upward axis that suits a tall narrow wall or a space above furniture.
Are the waterholes permanent?
Several of them hold water year round, which is why the gorge images show reflection in country that is otherwise dry.