Simpsons Gap

Simpsons Gap
Simpsons Gap in the West MacDonnell Ranges
Location	Burt Plain, Northern Territory1
Range	MacDonnell Ranges
Coordinates	23°40′32″S 133°43′07″E / 23.675655°S 133.718561°E / -23.675655; 133.7185611
Location in the Northern Territory

Simpsons Gap (Arrernte: Rungutjirpa) is one of the gaps in the West MacDonnell Ranges in Australia's Northern Territory. It is located 18 kilometres west from Alice Springs, on the Larapinta Trail.²

The gap is home to various plants and wildlife, including the black-footed rock-wallaby. It is the site of a permanent waterhole.

Rungutjirpa is an important spiritual place for the Arrernte people, who have inhabited the Arrernte area since before European discovery. It was later visited by surveyor Gilbert Rotherdale McMinn in 1871 while he was searching for a better route for the Overland Telegraph Line.³

Section 1 of the Larapinta Trail begins at Alice Springs Telegraph Station and ends at the waterhole at Rungutjirpa.⁴

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  Leaving Simpsons Gap
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  Waterhole at Rungutjirpa
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  Gum at Simpsons Gap
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  Simpons Gap, date unknown
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  Cattle at Simpsons Gap, c.1935
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  Simpsons Gap, c.1940s
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  The pinnacle at Simpsons Gap in 1941