Zapruda wrote:The 6 day itinerary from Ormiston to Hugh Gorge you suggested sounds great. How dire is the water situation along that route? It seems to follow a pretty logical route where water is the focus.
Water is going to be critical this year. The
Ormiston Gorge rainfall record shows that 2019 was the driest year on record, and 2020 so far has also been extremely dry. In many places the waterholes will be dry, and you will need to depend on the spring-fed gorges, where water has percolated through the range for some years and is briefly forced to the surface by a layer of impermeable rock before it drains back into the plains.
Ellery Fish Hole was dry last year, but I can give you co-ordinates for Milton Park Gorge which is an hour away and is spring-fed. I doubt you will find water between there and Mulga Creek this year, even though Chapman mentions some, but it's only a day's walk anyway.
I spent 45 days off-track in the Chewings Range during 2019, carrying up to 9 days of food at a time. I generally started each day with 3 litres of water. I made up the first litre with electrolytes, which makes a huge difference in dry country. I carried extra water to high camps (the N-S Range, Mt Giles, and above Portals Gorge), but except for the N-S Range it's not necessary to carry that water for the full day. I really liked camping at the springs: for the water supply, greenery, wildlife, less-rocky sleeping spots, and sunlight playing on the rock walls.
It's clear now that the 6-day itinerary from Ormiston to Hugh Gorge will be conservative for you, but it's really determined by the choice of campsites. I think you will have spare energy at the end of each day for side-trips, or to extend the day's walk to camp elsewhere if an expected water source turns out to be dry. If you're into photography there's plenty of scope to spend time climbing knolls or exploring gorges. If you want something more physical, Muddy's route to Mt Giles via Bowmans Gap, Red Walls and the N-S Ridge would do the job nicely for the price of an extra day. Other dramatic high routes are the skyline ridge west of Giles Yard Springs (doesn't add a day, but makes the day more energetic), and crossing the range via Diagonal Gorge instead of the Low Point (best to add a day, although it can also be done without an extra day).