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On location, hunting for dinosaurs! While waiting for a massive Sauropod to wander across the barren...
Destinations > MacDonnell Ranges
MacDonnell Ranges
In the day's last light, the range radiates shades of red and purple. Eroded and almost bare, its backbone is like the skeleton of a long-dead mythical creature, picked clean by the vultures of time. In the shadows, red sand is dotted with spiky clumps of pale yellow spinifex, still exhaling the warmth sucked in from laying day-long under a baking sun. This is the West MacDonnells, Central Australia.
Simpsons Gap
The journey starts in Alice Springs and heads west, taking the blacktop of Larapinta Drive. The turn-off appears on the right 17km out of town. A Further 7km gets you to the carpark but then it's only a 200m stroll along the banks of Roe Creek to the Gap itself.
Simpsons Gap has significance to many different people - to the Aboriginals, it's home to a group of giant goanna ancestors. The first European to see Simpsons Gap was Gilbert McMinn, who discovered it in 1871 while scouting a path for the Overland Telegraph. He described the area as "...one of the finest pieces of scenery I have met with for a long time". The way through the gap is barred by a freezing pool left by the receding Roe Creek, and access is limited. This seemingly harmless watercourse, fringed with white-trunked gums, must have been as determined and relentless as a prisoner in a tiny cell, gouging a tiny fracture in the rock until this wide gap was formed.
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Several walking trails lead to lookouts and other gaps, and explore the area's rare and relict plant life. Shy black-footed rock wallabies can be spotted early or late in the day.
Twin Ghost Gums
The Twin Ghost Gums, located just over the ramp after turning back on to Larapinta Drive from Simpsons Gap, are a Central Australian icon. They have featured in many publications and photographs, and painted by the inimitable Albert Namatjira.
Someone should have warned me before I tore out of town to pay homage that they're now a sorry sight. One tree in particular has suffered spectacularly, looking like a famine victim; gaunt, all ribs and bony limbs. Experts can only speculate at the cause - termite infestation, pathogenic root fungi or processionary caterpillars. There are no signs to point you to them. A roadside stop and a freestanding brick wall are the only clues.
Standley Chasm
Swinging back on to Larapinta Drive and heading west, after 24km the signpost to Standley Chasm will tell you to turn right and proceed for another 9km. This area is owned by the Iwupataka Land Trust, and a small entry fee is charged.
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Simpsons Gap
The journey starts in Alice Springs and heads west, taking the blacktop of Larapinta Drive. The turn-off appears on the right 17km out of town. A Further 7km gets you to the carpark but then it's only a 200m stroll along the banks of Roe Creek to the Gap itself.
Simpsons Gap has significance to many different people - to the Aboriginals, it's home to a group of giant goanna ancestors. The first European to see Simpsons Gap was Gilbert McMinn, who discovered it in 1871 while scouting a path for the Overland Telegraph. He described the area as "...one of the finest pieces of scenery I have met with for a long time". The way through the gap is barred by a freezing pool left by the receding Roe Creek, and access is limited. This seemingly harmless watercourse, fringed with white-trunked gums, must have been as determined and relentless as a prisoner in a tiny cell, gouging a tiny fracture in the rock until this wide gap was formed.
read on below advertisement
Several walking trails lead to lookouts and other gaps, and explore the area's rare and relict plant life. Shy black-footed rock wallabies can be spotted early or late in the day.
Twin Ghost Gums
The Twin Ghost Gums, located just over the ramp after turning back on to Larapinta Drive from Simpsons Gap, are a Central Australian icon. They have featured in many publications and photographs, and painted by the inimitable Albert Namatjira.
Someone should have warned me before I tore out of town to pay homage that they're now a sorry sight. One tree in particular has suffered spectacularly, looking like a famine victim; gaunt, all ribs and bony limbs. Experts can only speculate at the cause - termite infestation, pathogenic root fungi or processionary caterpillars. There are no signs to point you to them. A roadside stop and a freestanding brick wall are the only clues.
Standley Chasm
Swinging back on to Larapinta Drive and heading west, after 24km the signpost to Standley Chasm will tell you to turn right and proceed for another 9km. This area is owned by the Iwupataka Land Trust, and a small entry fee is charged.
next page »
