Mount Zeil
Mount Zeil is the highest peak in Australia's Northern Territory, standing at 1,531 metres (5,023 feet) above sea level within the western MacDonnell Ranges.[1][2] Located in the remote arid interior near the western boundary of Tjoritja/West MacDonnell National Park, it rises approximately 900 metres above the surrounding plains and represents the highest elevation on the Australian mainland west of the Great Dividing Range.[3][4] The mountain's summit is formed by outcrops of the Mount Zeil Granite, part of the ancient Proterozoic basement rocks characteristic of the region.[4] Named during Ernest Giles's 1872 expedition after Karl Maria Eberhard, Prince of Waldburg-Zeil, it holds cultural significance for local Indigenous groups, who refer to it as Urlatherrke, linked to the Yeperenye caterpillar in Arrernte lore.[5] Access to the summit requires off-road travel and strenuous hiking, underscoring its isolation and rugged terrain, with no formal trails maintained to the top.[3]
Geography
Location and Topography
Mount Zeil is situated in the Macdonnell Region of the Northern Territory, Australia, approximately 140 kilometers west-northwest of Alice Springs and within the boundaries of the West MacDonnell National Park.[6] Its geographic coordinates are 23°24′04″S 132°23′45″E.[7] The mountain occupies the western end of the MacDonnell Ranges, a series of parallel ridges extending eastward from the park's remote interior.[8] Topographically, Mount Zeil presents as a prominent elevation with steep slopes, a small summit area, and local relief of at least 300 meters above the adjacent desert plateau.[9] The surrounding landscape features arid, rocky terrain with sparse acacia woodlands and occasional quartzite outcrops, contributing to the rugged character of the West MacDonnell system.[10] Access to the mountain is limited due to its remoteness, requiring off-road travel from nearby settlements like Hermannsburg, over unsealed tracks that traverse the park's undulating hills and dry creek beds.[11] The topography reflects the broader central Australian environment of low-relief plains interrupted by abrupt escarpments and inselbergs.[5]Elevation and Prominence
Mount Zeil reaches an elevation of 1,531 meters (5,023 feet) above sea level, establishing it as the highest peak in the Northern Territory and the tallest point on the Australian mainland west of the Great Dividing Range.[7][11] This measurement, derived from topographic surveys, reflects the mountain's rise from the surrounding arid plains, which average around 600-700 meters in elevation within the MacDonnell Ranges region.[10] The mountain's topographic prominence is 1,322 meters (4,337 feet), representing the vertical drop from its summit to the lowest contour line encircling it without ascending to a higher peak, with its key col linking toward Bartle Frere in Queensland.[7] This substantial prominence highlights Mount Zeil's independent rise above the broader landscape, qualifying it among Australia's major peaks despite the continent's generally low relief, and it exceeds the 600-meter threshold for significant mainland summits.[12] Such metrics, calculated using detailed elevation data, underscore the peak's dominance in an otherwise flat terrain dominated by sedimentary basins and plateaus.[7]