Alice’s Wonderland – Australia

Having travelled the Mereenie Loop from Kings Canyon, dodging herds of wild donkeys, camels and the occasional dingo, we arrived in Alice Springs ready to start our next adventure. The Loop road was a good choice, as less than half of the 325 klm’s was un-sealed. If we had taken the Erldunda, sealed road, it would have been an extra 150 klm’s.

We booked into The Big 4 MacDonnell Range Holiday Park, and made this our home for the next 4 nights. The cabin was amazing. After camping and staying in some questionable places for the last few weeks, this was like a palace. To have air-conditioning and an en-suite was heaven. Our plan, while we were here, was to explore the  MacDonnell Ranges, East and West. After checking in to our cabin around lunch time, we took a drive east of town on the Ross Highway. Our first stop was Emily Gap, about 16 klm’s from Alice. This gap is a sacred Aboriginal site and has some amazing rock paintings and a fairly deep waterhole in the narrow gorge. We were rather surprised at the beautiful white sand, which wouldn’t have looked out of place on a coastal beach. 8 klm’s further on is Jessie Gap. Both of these gaps are associated with the Eastern Arrernte Caterpillar Dreaming trail. An unmarked bushwalk leads around the ridge between the two gaps and is about 8 klm’s long.

A bit further along the road is Corroboree Rock, formed more than 800 million years ago. No one seems to know what the importance of the rock is and it is questionable as to whether there has ever been a Corroboree here. But it’s any easy and pretty walk around this rock in the bush.

Early the next morning, our plan of attack was to drive out to Redbank Gorge, 154 klm’s away, along Namatjira Drive, west of Alice Springs, in the West MacDonnell Ranges, and slowly make our way back to town, visiting each of the tourist sites along the way. The West MacDonnell Ranges is definitely a wonderland for nature lovers, photographers, hikers and anyone that appreciates geology. 

Redbank Gorge – We parked our trusty Prado and headed off down the mainly unmarked track. The track is quite rocky at times, so wear sturdy shoes. We really felt like explorers, wandering around the dry creek beds, all on our own. Being September, most of the tourists have packed up and gone home, as it starts to get too hot out here. About 1 klm in, we came across the crystal clear, near permanent waterhole, framed by the magnificent fractured red cliffs of the gorge. The orange lifebuoy, positioned on the far side of the dry creek bed, looked a bit out of place. There are basic camping facilities at Woodland Camping Area and Ridgetop Camping Area. Both have toilets, picnic tables and fire pits. Woodland also has free gas BBQs. As with all camping spots in the West MacDonnell Ranges, it is a first come, first serve basis. Camping fees do apply and are payable onsite.

Glen Helen Gorge – Heading back towards Alice, our next stop was Glen Helen Gorge, situated on the Finke River. Glen Helen Homestead is the only place where you will get Motel style accommodation, outside of Alice Springs, so it makes a great spot to set up a base for a few days, to continue exploring. There is also caravan and tent sites or you can stay in the bunk house. After walking the river bank for a while, we hopped back in the Prado and headed up a dirt track, past the Two Mile Bush Camp area,( 4WD only ) and found a shady, serene spot on the river bank, overlooked by Mt Sonder. Well I thought it was serene, Tony on the other hand stayed in the car for a while after spotting a very large snake heading our way. With the all clear, we settled in for a picnic under the biggest gum tree we had ever seen. 

Ormiston Gorge – After lunch we drove a few klms east, to Ormiston Gorge. There is a small camping area here, with a shower ( hot water ), toilet block and free gas BBQs.  The gorge has a near permanent water hole that was so clear you could see dozens of fish swimming around. There is a number of walking trails here, so we set off up to Ghost Gum Lookout, an easy 15 minute, uphill walk. While I admired the views and took photos, Tony had his eyes firmly fixed on the ground looking for snakes.  We continued on to do the 7 klm Pound Walk, along the rocky ridge, dotted with gums and spinifex,  and descended down to the river. While we rested at the waters edge, the only sounds you could hear were the many different types of native birds. The water level this time of year was pretty low, so we were able to cross the river and make our way back to the car park, to return to Alice Springs before dark.

Serpentine Gorge – The next morning we headed to Serpentine Gorge. There is an easy 30 minute walk that takes you from the car park to a waterhole and the steep gorge. It is pretty sheltered and a good spot to sit and relax and observe the local wildlife. If you like hiking, and continually slipping on shale rock, take the Lookout Walk. It is about a 20 minute walk up a steep, rocky track to gain a view of the Ranges and the Serpentine Gorge. Back at the car park, there are no camping facilities, only picnic tables and a pit toilet.

Ellery Creek Big Hole –  This is one of the largest permanent waterholes in the West MacDonnell Ranges. Definitely bring your swimmers, as this is a fantastic spot to take a dip. The white sandy beach and crystal clear water is a blessing after hiking the 3 klm  Dolomite Walk.  Beware though, the water  is extremely cold.  There are limited camping spaces here, with showers, toilets and a free BBQ area. During the peak, May to August tourist season, the camp sites fill up very fast and are a first in, first serve basis. There is a tank for water, but I wouldn’t recommend it for drinking. Always bring plenty of your own. 

 

Standley Chasm – This is a private property operated by local Aboriginals. It has a Cafe where you can get anything from a full meal to an ice cream. There is a great camp ground which costs $18.50 per person per night and includes access to the Chasm and overnight camping. There are toilets, showers and a laundry. Bookings are advisable during the peak season.

The 10 minute walk from the car park to the Chasm, meanders along a bush track dotted with wildflowers, ferns and beautiful gum trees. As you round a bend, you are confronted with this enormous Chasm which is 80 mtrs high, but only about 9 mtrs wide. If you can visit around midday, when the sun is overhead, the walls of the Chasm become a fiery red colour. 

Simpsons Gap –  This was our last stop on our drive back into Alice Springs, so we did a short walk along the creek, to the Gap. The track is pretty flat and meanders down to the permanent waterhole. Unfortunately there is no swimming allowed here and unless you are hiking the Larapinta Trail, there is no camping here either. There are public toilets and BBQ facilities.  We have had an amazing two days, travelling back and forth along the West MacDonnell Ranges, enjoying the spectacular sights and marveling at how much water and wildlife is actually out here, in some of the driest parts of Australia.

The next morning we thought we would check out the Alice Springs Desert Park, which is about 10 minutes from the centre of town. You could spent a week in the outback and not see a lot of wildlife, unless you go out early in the morning, or late afternoon, as animals, birds and reptiles tend to hide from the scorching heat during the day.  This park is a great place to visit to see all the local critters in one place. It has a wonderful Nature Theatre where you can see a free flying bird show, which we loved. Normally we’re not into performing animals, but there was still some sort of wild element to this show. The birds were not caged or tied to anything. In fact, when the presenter finished telling us about the habitat and habits of various birds of prey, she would blow a whistle and hold up a piece of meat and an Owl would pop its head out of a hollow knot in a tree, a fair distance from the park, and it would fly over, catch the food on the wing, and settle on a branch near her. Small Spinifex Pigeons marched back and forth like, little tin soldiers, following one another as if on parade. There were talks and displays on various other species of birds, but what amazed us was, at the end of the show, it appeared that the birds flew back to their natural habitat, they were not walked off stage on the arm of a presenter. The Nocturnal House was one of the best layed out and natural looking nocturnal display’s that we have seen. Having never seen a Bilby, we were surprised at it’s size, being much bigger than we imagined, and having really big ears. On the other hand, the Thorny Devil lizard was much smaller than we imagined. As we love gardens, it was a treat to see the Sturt Desert Peas out in flower, as we had never seen them in the wild before. We had a great few hours here and enjoyed every aspect of the park.

 

After lunch we headed 4 klm out of town to the Alice Springs Telegraph Station, the original site for the first European settlement in central Australia. This town was established in 1872 to relay messages between Darwin and Adelaide. The history of the Station was really interesting, especially in the 1930’s when it was a childrens home,  and helped us to understand a bit more about the Stolen Generation. We took the self guided tour, which takes about an hour, wandering around the various buildings, which are filled with memorabilia from the era,  and finished up in the Heritage Cafe for a great coffee.

With a week left of our holidays, and 4000 klm to travel, it was time to pack up the Prado and head home. For some reason ( probably because we didn’t want the adventure to end ) we headed north, stopping quickly to take a look at The Devils Marbles, then up through Tennant Creek, across to Mt Isa and down to Bourke in NSW, before heading east and our home on the coast. 

These two statues, stand 17 mtrs high and dominate the landscape at Aileron Roadhouse, about 150 klm north of Alice Springs.