Following the legends in the Australian desert

Walking into the heart of the desert

From the plane window leaving Sydney, the Australian landscape gradually changed with each flight hour. Fields turned into dark yellow strips of land, asphalt roads narrowed into dirt roads and then disappeared completely, giving way to the dunes of the Simpson desert. But as soon as passengers began to fall asleep at the seemingly endless desert scenery, a sudden scene appeared: the MacDonnell Mountains protruding from the horizon like giant folds on the ground.

In the middle of that mountain is the Larapinta trail - the most famous trekking route in Australia. The road is about 220km long along the western part of the MacDonnell range, connecting Alice Springs with Mount Sonder, nearly 1,400m high in the inland desert of Australia.

Unlike many famous trekking journeys in Europe or New Zealand, Larapinta is not a "pleasant" trip. Pedestrians must carry a large amount of water, face scorching desert sun, gravelly terrain and deserted roads that are almost without signs of human life. But it is this wilderness that creates a special attraction.

During the day, the land changes color continuously under the sunlight. Early morning is the silver-green color of spinifex grass, terracotta red and desert flower bushes. By noon, most of those colors have faded under the harsh - flickering sunlight in the rising heat. But in the afternoon, the whole mountain area turns to gentle pastel colors at sunset.

Along the road, pedestrians sleep in "swag" - a canvas sleeping bag typical of Australian bush people - set up by the campfire. At the end of each day, they soak their tired feet in the reeds along the Finke River, an ancient river called "Larapinta" by the locals, meaning "floodwaters".

The desert space at night is almost absolutely quiet. On the mountain slopes without electricity, the Milky Way appears so clearly that it feels like just reaching out your hand can touch the stars.

Land of indigenous legends

What makes Larapinta different is not only the landscape. For the Arrernte people - a long-standing indigenous community living in this region - every mountain crevice, puddle or rocky slope is associated with sacred stories passed down from generation to generation.

At Standley Chasm, a famous narrow ravine on the route, the Arrernte guide explained that wherever there is water in the middle of the desert has special meaning. According to local legend, the MacDonnell Mountains were once giant worms fighting green beetles from the south; today's ravines are the remaining bites of the body.

For modern tourists, it may just be a legend. But for the Arrernte people, landscape and story are inseparable. Land is not simply geography, but ancestral memory, community identity.

Therefore, many locations on the Larapinta route, although without fences or prohibition signs, are considered by the indigenous community as sacred lands that tourists should not set foot in. These are sacred ritual spaces only for elders or people who have been taught.

The intersection between indigenous culture and modern Australian history is also clearly shown through the story of painter Albert Namatjira - who in Arrernte is famous for his watercolor paintings of the MacDonnell Mountains.

Today, the descendants of Namatjira continue to return to the mountains to paint. They shared: "That land has always called us back. There are times when we sit and paint in the red mountains, we talk to this land, hoping it protects those who set foot here. And that land also talks back to us - through the wind blowing across the desert.

Perhaps that's why Larapinta is not simply a long hike. After many days of walking in nature, people gradually understand that this seemingly deserted desert area is actually full of memories, beliefs and ancient cultural layers of Australian natives.

Finke - The oldest river on the planet?

The Finke River in central Australia is often considered one of the oldest rivers on the planet, flowing through Northern Territory and Southern Australia. Geologists believe that this river system formed hundreds of millions of years ago, when most of Australia's continent was even more humid than it is now.

Today, Finke is mostly just a seasonal river, many sections are dry in the middle of barren land. After heavy rains, the water reappears next to reeds and white sand in the riverbed. According to the legend of Arrernte, the river was formed from traces of the sacred rainbow snake when moving through the desert.