N'Dhala Gorge Nature Park

Protected area in the Northern Territory, Australia

Nearest town or cityAlice Springs ^[3]Coordinates23°38′08″S 134°27′15″E / 23.6356°S 134.4541°E / -23.6356; 134.4541^[2]Established21 December 1962 (1962-12-21)^[2]Area5.01 km² (1.9 sq mi)^[2]Managing authoritiesParks and Wildlife Commission of the Northern Territory
Traditional ownersWebsiteN'Dhala Gorge Nature ParkSee alsoProtected areas of the Northern Territory

N'Dhala Gorge Nature Park is a protected area in the Northern Territory of Australia consisting of an area of low sand dunes, rocky outcrops, about 90 kilometres (56 mi) east of Alice Springs. It is significant principally because of thousands of Indigenous rock carvings.

Description

N'Dhala Gorge Nature Park is located in the eastern MacDonnell Ranges. It contains approximately 6,000 stone carvings, or petroglyphs, as well as a wide variety of rare Australian plant life.

The gorge was used by the Eastern Arrernte people, who called the area Ilwentje. It contains men's sacred sites, petroglyphs, shelter or occupation sites and art sites. The 6,000 stone carvings are believed to have been created in two separate periods, the first approximately ten thousand years ago, and the second approximately three thousand years ago.^[4] They could be created by using two different techniques: either by pounding a rocky surface with another rock, or by a fine pecking technique.

Significant plant life in the area includes the undoolya wattle and the peach-leafed poison bush.^[5]

Gallery of rock carvings

References

^ "Place Names Register Extract for "N'Dhala Gorge"". NT Place Names Register. Northern Territory Government. Retrieved 9 October 2019.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Terrestrial Protected Areas by Reserve Type in Northern Territory (2016)". CAPAD 2016. Australian government. Retrieved 9 October 2019.
^ N'Dhala Gorge Nature Park Joint Management Plan (PDF), Department of Natural Resources, Environment, The Arts and Sport, Northern Territory Government (published 2007), 2011, pp. iii, ISBN 978-1-921937-01-9, retrieved 9 October 2019
^ nt.gov.au
^ northernterritory.com