Finke Gorge National Park

Introducing Finke Gorge National Park

Famous for its rare red cabbage palms, Finke Gorge National Park, south of Hermannsburg, is one of central Australia’s premier wilderness reserves. The top-billing attraction is Palm Valley with its ribbon of tall palms and cycads, but the main gorge features high red cliffs, stately river red gums, cool waterholes and lovely walks.

For thousands of years, the Finke River formed part of an Aboriginal trade route that crossed Australia, bringing goods such as sacred red ochre from the south and pearl shell from the north to the central Australian tribes. The area around Hermannsburg was a major refuge for the Western Arrernte people in times of drought, thanks to the permanent water in soaks dug in the Finke River bed.

Access to the park follows the sandy bed of the Finke River and rocky tracks, and so a high-clearance 4WD is essential. If you don’t have one, several tour operators go to Palm Valley from Alice Springs. The turnoff to Palm Valley starts about 1km west of the Hermannsburg turn-off on Larapinta Dr, while the turn-off to Finke Gorge starts about 50m east of the Hermannsburg turn-off.

Last updated: Apr 19, 2010