Namatjira Twin Gums:

Albert Namatjira (1902–1959), born Elea Namatjira, was an Australian artist. He was a Western Arrernte man, an Indigenous Australian of the Western MacDonnell Ranges area.

Albert Namatjira is perhaps Australia's best known Aboriginal painter, with his work forming one of the foundations of contemporary Indigenous Australian art.

He is best known for his watercolour Australian outback desert landscapes, a style which inspired the Hermannsburg School of Aboriginal art.

While his work is the product of his life and experiences, his paintings are not in the highly symbolic style of traditional Aboriginal art; they are richly detailed depictions.

He is also notable for being the first Northern Territory Indigenous Australian to be freed from the restrictions of legislation that made Aborigines wards of the State. Source courtesy of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Namatjira

 

The two ghost gums of Albert Namatjira's paintings are about 19km west of Alice Springs which has made the site famous for tourists. Latest update on the condition of the Twin Gums click here: http://www.abc.net.au/local/audio/2013/01/11/3668063.htm (Jan 2013)

Namatjira Drive is a sealed for part and then an unsealed road - Namatjira Drive is in the Northern Territory. It travels on from Glen Helen Resort to near Iwupataka (Jay Creek). Where Namatjira Drive then meets up with Larapinta Drive.

Is namatjira drive part of the Mereenie Loop?

Red Centre Way: Glen Helen is now part of the Mereenie Loop which in fact is now known as 'The Red Centre Way'. From Alice Springs travellers leisurely drive to Glen Helen, sidetracking from Larapinta or Namatjira onto the Mereenie Loop and into Herrmansburg and Palm Valley (see our map below), then one would travel onto Kings Canyon in the Watarrka National park, Then onto Uluru Kata Tjuta National Park to Uluru (Ayers Rock) and Kata Tjuta (The Olgas) , and back to Alice Springs via the Lasseter and left onto Stuart Highway stopping at Stuarts Well. A spectacular round trip of well over 1350km with all the side trips. RAB View the map below.

Larapinta Drive is a designated state route in the Northern Territory of Australia. It forms the primary road access to the community of Hermannsburg, as well as a number of tourist attractions located west of Alice Springs, including the Alice Springs Desert Park, West MacDonnell National Park, Kings Canyon, monuments dedicated to Aboriginal artist Albert Namatjira and Royal Flying Doctor Service founder John Flynn, as well as Albert Namatjira's house near Hermannsburg. Larapinta is the local Arrernte name for the Finke River a major watercourse in the area.[1]

The length of Larapinta Drive is marketed as part of the "Red Centre Way" tourist drive.[2]

With the adoption of a state route numbering system of rural roads maintained by the Northern Territory Government in 1987, state route designations and signage were applied to Larapinta Drive. State route 2, from Alice Springs to Glen Helen follows Larapinta Drive as far as Namatjira Drive. From Namatjira Drive to Watarrka National Park, state route 6 signage applies.[3]

Road conditions on the route are varied. Travelling west from the Stuart Highway the road is a divided dual carriageway for approximately 1 km (0.62 mi), crossing the Adelaide-Darwin Railway at grade and forming the boundary of the suburb of Gillen and industrial area of Ciccone. The road continues as a single carriageway beyond this point except for a short section of approximately 600 m (2,000 ft) in the suburb of Araluen. Beyond Alice Springs, Larapinta Drive is sealed as far as Hermannsburg. West of Hermannsburg, the road conditions are suitable to four-wheel drive vehicles as it is a dirt track and it is advisable to check road conditions before travel. This section is also known as the Mereenie Loop Road, and permits are required to enter traditional lands when travelling this route.[4] Source and courtesy of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larapinta_Drive

Other Remote Tracks and Towns
• Birdsville • Boulia • Dalhousie Springs Track • Donohue Highway • Kidman Way • Jervois • Plenty Highway • Mt Dare • Woomera • Kulgera • Coober Pedy • Harts Range • Pine Gap • Mac Clark Conservation Reserve • Owen Springs Reserve • Ryans Well • Santa Teresa • The Dog Fence • Old Andado Track • Old Ghan Heritage Trail • Plenty Highway • Ross Highway • Finke Track in Finke Gorge National Park • Oodnadatta Track - Dalhousie Springs Track