Holiday I promised I wouldn’t do turned out to be ‘trip of a lifetime’
An Aussie woman visited an underrated gem that’s just a three-hour flight from Sydney – and she discovered something unexpected about it.
In no particular order, there’s three things I strongly despise in life – Velcro strap shoes, Facebook Memories, and hikes.
That’s right. If you’ve got “Enjoys a cheeky hike hehe” in your Tinder bio, I’m swiping left. Ciao.
“But it’s so good for the soul and extremely rewarding!” you cry. I know, I KNOW! I honestly don’t understand why I despise it so much – but the fact that my therapist still hears about the PTSD from my Year 10 Duke of Edinburgh trip, 12 years on, could be it.
Who knew thongs weren’t an appropriate walking shoe for a three-day hike?!
So when I was offered to do a 72km hike with a bunch of strangers and no phone reception in one of the most isolated areas in Australia, you can understand the anxiety.
But with a chance to be part of the trek for the Kids’ Cancer Project – and to finally visit the Aussie destination at the top of my bucket list – I couldn’t turn it down.
This underrated gem is the Larapinta Trail.
Located on Arrernte land in the Northern Territory and running 223km across the majestic West MacDonnell Ranges west of Alice Springs, it boasts some of the most breathtakingly beautiful sacred landscapes we have to offer.
It was a chance to connect with country. Learn about the rich culture of the Western Arrernte people. Get adventurous. Climb some rocks. Sleep under the stars. Shut off from the hustle and bustle of Sydney, and to channel my inner Bindi Irwin. BTW, how the Irwins make hiking boots look cute, I’ll never know. Teach me, Terri.
Becoming a ‘hiking gal’
When the itinerary landed in my inbox, I didn’t think I was physically up to doing a six-day hike, with no experience. I immediately regretted rejecting those Hinge-hiking-lovers.
But after many pep talks from friends, a quick trip to Anaconda (the Bunnings for keen campers) and Miley Cyrus’ The Climb on loop, I was ready to take on those mountains in a chic mountaineering boot. Bring on the blisters.
Natural wonders of the NT
Oh boy, was it worth it. The McDonnell Ranges did not disappoint, and it is one of the most beautiful stretches of Australian land.
We tackled the many natural wonders of the Larapinta Trail, including Wallaby Gap, Glen Helen Gorge, Serpentine Gorge and Serpentine Chalet Dam, where we were rewarded with spectacular view after spectacular view of Haasts Bluff and Mount Zeil, the highest point in the Northern Territory.
But a six-day hike doesn’t come without its challenges, and climbing Mount Sonder made my aforementioned Duke of Edinburgh trek look like a piece of cake. With a 1am alarm clock set, and 4000 pairs of socks and beanies on, our group was ready to take on the 1,380 metre Mount Sonder, a mammoth beauty Arrernte people call ’Rwet Yepme’, meaning The Pregnant Lady, to catch the “breathtaking” sunrise.
Sweat dripping and hearts pounding, by 4am I was basically climbing this mountain in a bikini as we raced the sun to reach the top of the summit.
“This sunrise shot better be worth it,” is all anyone was thinking.
When we finally reached the top, we were greeted with spectacular 360-degree views of the ranges, valleys and salt lakes below, with incredible colours of the night desert.
But for me, the most magical place of the trip was a sweet little waterhole called Ormiston Gorge. The pastel green leaves against the vibrant red rocks – I’ve never seen a more beautiful spot.
We spent a lot of time here relaxing, going for quick dips in the fresh water (our only chance to “shower”), lying under eucalyptus trees, and listening to the birds chatter and play. If you’re planning on doing the Larapinta, this is definitely the top hidden gem to visit.
Strong friendships built in six days
There was 15 of us. Mostly strangers, at all different stages of life – plonked on a campsite in the outback with no showers, icky portaloos that made me crave festival toilets, trekking up rocky mountains with never-ending inclines, in 28-degree heat … It was the perfect recipe for disaster.
And yet, we built such strong, genuine bonds over the six days we were together.
We all had a different reason for coming to the Larapinta, but there was one thing that connected us all. And that was the Kids’ Cancer Project.
“It was also incredible to be with such an interesting and diverse group of people. Everyone had a story that brought them to Central Australia to do that walk, and everyone actually respected one another for their reasons for coming and the immense encouragement that they showed really helped us all to get there and to have an incredible time,” one of the trekkers, Sue Anderson said.
The Kids’ Cancer Project is an organisation that’s very close to Ms Anderson’s heart. It’s been part of the Melbourne mum’s journey of looking after her 16-year-old daughter, Audrey and helping her navigate the challenges of her cancer diagnosis for nearly 10 years.
Audrey was one of the people I built a strong bond with on this trip. Her determination and “let’s do this” attitude inspired us all. The 16-year-old’s positivity and vivacious banter really helped us get through those early morning starts and torturous climbs.
“For me, [the trip] was a great achievement to know I could do that. I did almost all the walks and I had people behind me, cheering me on. I felt like I belonged and that I was included in society,” Audrey Anderson said.
This Kids’ Cancer Project walk brought so many wonderful people together. One of the best moments – besides the chats by the campfire, sleeping under the stars and enjoying bush tucker prepared by Indigenous catering company Kungkas Can Cook – was listening to a New Zealander pronounce the name Clint and ‘teddybear’ (you can figure it out).
The Kids’ Cancer Project
It all started on an ordinary day in the late 1980s when Col Reynolds was driving his empty tourist coach past the Children’s Hospital in Camperdown, Sydney. After stopping to let two youngsters with bald heads cross the road, he parked and went into the hospital on the spur of the moment.
Touched by the spirit of everyone he met that day, Reynolds started his personal mission to help kids with cancer in any way he could. Early on, he learned the only way to improve outcomes for these children is through advances in medical research.
“My promise is to never give up until every child survives cancer with minimal or no long-term effects,” Reynolds says.
90 kids are diagnosed each month with childhood cancer. The Kids’ Cancer Council aims to raise money for research into better treatments, better outcomes and better cancer care for children.
“It’s an organisation that’s been there right the way through all of the years I’ve been parenting my daughter Audrey on her journey. And that’s over ten years now,” Ms Anderson says.
Ms Anderson continued, “It’s a place where I feel incredibly confident that the kids are in really good hands as greater investments are made, as progress is really invested into childhood cancer research.”
“I’m grateful to them for the work that they do every day, to make sure we have the research, we have the funding and that we have what it is that’s required to put children on an equal with adults on their cancer journey.”
The Kids’ Cancer Project is running a national campaign in September, to promote Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. You can find out more or donate to the Kids’ Cancer Project here.
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