Pound Lookout Traditional Cache
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(regular)
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This cache is located near the Pound walk, in the Ormiston Gorge area, West MacDonnell range.
This is a fantastic half-day walk, the nicest we have done in Australia so far. Enjoy !!!
The cache is a 2litres clap-top tupperware, protected by two large zip-lock bags.
This cache is located near the Pound walk, in the Ormiston Gorge area, West MacDonnell range.
If you do this walk in the recommended counter clockwise direction, you will find the cache before the half-way point of the walk. After finding the cache, make sure you KEEP GOING and complete the walk!!! This walk is nothing short of fantastic, and from the cache, it is mostly downhill and flat till the end, although the gorge section requires walking in a tricky boulder field.
The cache is not on the main walk but on a sidetrack leading to a lookout. After about 3 km, you will have the cache directly on your left and up a ridge. You may be tempted to go straight to it, but please KEEP GOING until you reach the lookout sidetrack a bit further up on your left. It will be much easier to reach the cache, and you won’t have to trample pristine desert land.
To get to the cache, you will have to scramble down slope a little bit as the cache is 6m below the ridge. Nothing dangerous and no sensitive vegetation as it is mostly rock.
WALK INFO:
It took us 2h15 of actual walking to complete the loop, including the out and back to the cache on the ridge, and that was carrying our 11 months-old on our back. We are faster than average walkers so your mileage may vary. Do note that this was in early July in perfect weather. If you have the time, it looks like you can keep on walking up the ridge past the cache all the way to a gorge view. This would likely add an additional hour to the walk.
Including photo stops (and there will be many), pauses and time to locate the cache you should plan at least 3.5 hours to complete the circuit. If you do this in the summer, make sure you carry plenty of water, and consider doing this early in the morning. The first 3km are mostly uphill and very exposed. The central 3km are downhill and flat while the rest is within the gorge and will be less exposed to the late morning sun. We saw several Rock Wallabies in the gorge. Keep your eyes open.
The Ormiston Gorge parking lot is about 140 km west of Alice Springs. Although this could be done is one day from Alice Springs, you may consider staying overnight at the Glen Helen Gorge. They have cabins, a grassed camping area and powered sites for camper vans. It is not big or fancy but the view is hard to beat. There is a small bar, restaurant and expensive petrol (fill up in Alice !).
NOTE
We are Canadians and we were disappointed by the limited number of caches in the Northern Territory. This is a small contribution toward solving this problem ! Thanks to Bettina and Grant (tttedzeins), fellow Canadians living in Alice Springs, for agreeing to maintain this cache in the future.
The cache is not near any sacred aboriginal sites or close to sensitive vegetation.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Gehfg lbhe TCF. Pbbeqvangrf jrer nirentrq sbe bire 5 zvahgrf naq fubhyq or irel cerpvfr. Ybbx orgjrra fybcvat ebpx fgengn, pbirerq jvgu syng ebpxf. Lbh jvyy unir gb or orybj gur pnpur gb frr vg, lbh jba’g frr vg sebz nobir.
Treasures
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