Mt. Sonder Sentinel, 2018, Western MacDonnell Ranges, acrylic on board, 41 x 30 cm.
Here partially hidden ghost gums in dry, sandy creek beds are surrounded by spinifex and mulga that poke through orange soil. The pinks of Patterson’s Curse offer a dash of vibrant colour in contrast to the distant distinctive blue double peaks of Mount Sonder.
Quartzite Mount Sonder uplifted approximately 300 million ago, and though worn down, today reaches 1380 m, the fourth highest mountain in the Northern Territory. Sonder lies 120 km. west of Alice Springs at the Western edge of the Larapinta Trail. Explorer Ernest Giles named the mountain in honour of German botanist Dr. Otto Wilhelm Sonder, though its original Aboriginal name is Rwetyepme.