Alice springs 21st May Our stay is 2 weeks
We arrived and decided to stay here in Alice for two weeks , do some day trips to the west and east McDonnell ranges, have some down time from moving plus catch up with the washing and shopping.
We spent a morning playing golf and went to the races. While at the golf course we caught the sunset with the Macdonnell ranges in the background.
While in Alice we had a great day at the Desert park Tourist attraction where they had a fantastic bird display, with magpies, buzzards and owls flying amongst the crowd and showing how kites can sail in the sky for long periods of time hardly moving their wings. The nocturnal section had some real scary snakes, the king brown and death adder confirming our needs for good footwear when walking trails.
Quolls . And all types of small rodents, dingoes emus Roos and some good aviaries. Pics below
Below is a pic of Alice Springs from Anzac Hill a lookout in town.
The old Telegraph station.
West Mcdonnnell ranges
This spectacular range has many gorges to walk into , most providing swimming holes, the water extremely cold and they are mostly permanent water holes but the water levels are currently quiet low. We visited these in this order.
Flynn’s grave, a memorial to the founder of the Flying Doctors.
Simpson’s gap
Standley chasm
Hermannsburg, a historical precinct and old mission , now a town for the indigenous. The precinct famous for its apple strudel.
Palm valley
Palm Valley is where we were camping in our tent for the night. The local ranges gave a talk and slide show at the campfire and we spent the earlier part of the night chatting to other campers.
We enjoyed our first camp but unfortunately it was marred by the mattress going down all night and foiling our next night in the tent, causing us to return earlier to Alice and doing the the other gorges another day.
The campground at Palm Valley was 21 kms in on the dirt road, the tyres let down on the car. We frequently drove through the dry Finke River, this is the oldest river in the world and other than flood times has been dry for 300 million years.
Here, in Palm Valley we went 4wd driving, it was so much fun and Johns first attempt at 4wd. We went over river crossings and boulder climbing.
The valley is known for its Cynads and Cabbage palms, not what you except in the desert and central Australia.
We walked the creek bed and the rim, a walk and climb that really challenged me and the new knees.
Further on, in the west Macdonnall ranges we completed the circular drive via
Tyler’s Pass, with a meteorite crater
Mt Sonder lookout
We returned to the van and later the next week finished the circuit viewing the following.
Glen Helen gorge, a short walk to the gorge
Ormiston Gorge
The Ochre Pits
Serpentine Gorge
Ellery Creek Big Hole
East McDonnell ranges………………….Another day trip seeing the following
Emily and Jessie Reserves, with Emily reserve having some interesting Indigenous art, known as the three caterpillars
Corroboree Rock, an important area to the local Arrente Aboriginal People, the rock was formed 800 million years ago by salt lakes.
Trephina Gorge
Ghost Gum, thought to be the biggest ghost gum in Australia.
N’Dhala Gorge
This area was full of petroglyphs or rock carvings and Aboriginal Art thought to be from 3,000 to 10,000 years old.
We enjoyed our stay in Alice Springs, the weather the first week lovely but the second week very cold at night , down to 1 deg at night. But the flies persisted despite the cool weather if you ventured away from the town centre.
