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Destinations > East MacDonnell Ranges
East MacDonnell Ranges
Issue: Ocotober 2002
Words by Angela Nicholls Photos by Phill Nicholls & Denis O'Byrne
Go west, young man, is a saying often heard in Alice Springs. And they do. Hordes of tourists stampeding to well-known places like Ormiston, Simpson's Gap and Standley Chasm. All are spectacular, but they're often a little crowded, so why not head east instead? The East MacDonnell Ranges hold their own against their western cousins, and in many ways are the equal of the more famous West MacDonnell Ranges. The eastern route is just as easy to explore, and if you're based in Alice Springs then the journey is a great trek with heaps to see and do along the way. To get started, head east from The Alice along the sealed Ross Highway.
Emily & Jessie Gaps
These two red-walled gaps are about 10km and 17km respectively, out of Alice on the left and are accessible by short walking tracks from the highway.
Emily Gap is an especially significant site for the Eastern Arrernte Aboriginal people. From here the caterpillar beings of Mparntwe (Alice Springs) originated, forming this gap and many of the landforms around Alice Springs.
A large painting on the eastern rock face represents the caterpillar dreaming. Emily Gap was a man's place where women were strictly forbidden. There is a chilling story of the fate of one aboriginal woman who was thought to have entered the gap. She was hunted down and forcefully dragged through the gap by her hair before being speared.
There are toilet facilities at both parks. Picnics and barbecues are allowed at Jessie Gap.
Trephina Gorge
Rejoining Ross Highway travel another 51km eastward to the turn-off to Trephina Gorge. The Gorge is nine kilometres north - the last five kilometres of the road is gravel.
On the way make a small detour to see an impressive ghost gum. This single tree, dazzling white against a blue sky, is estimated to be 300 years old. It has been registered as a significant tree.
Arriving at Trephina Gorge, the scenery is amazing. A rusty cliff face looms high over a large tranquil waterhole. White sand fringes the waterhole, while nearby lie patches of mottled shade from white-trunked river gums. Of course, that's if there's been some rain. After a dry spell, the picture postcard scene isn't quite the same.
Luckily there's a lot more to Trephina than just the creek bed. Walking tracks, ranging in time from one hour return to six hours one way, lead the more adventurous around the rim to lookouts and to John Hayes Rockhole.
4WDs only are recommended to John Hayes Rockhole. Not that 4WD muscles need to be flexed but rather the necessity of higher clearance for the numerous rocky creek crossings.
Here a narrow cleft holds some permanent waterholes. Visitors can clamber among the rocks in the gorge or take the enticing sounding 'Chain of Ponds Walk.'
Camping is permitted at Trephina Bluff, Trephina Gorge and John Hayes Rockhole. Facilities at Trephina include water, gas barbecues, picnic tables and toilets. John Hayes has toilets and picnic tables.
Ross River Homestead
Once you're back on the Ross Highway, travel another13km east to Ross River Homestead. There is a broad range of accommodation available, from the distinctive huts at the homestead to a patch of green grass for a tent at the campground.
There's also a host of activities that will make your Outback experience truly memorable. Henry will take you on a camel ride or Darren will saddle up a horse.
Don't miss out on John's superb Billy tea and damper. Between a few cooling ales at the bar and tucking into the succulent Sunday roast at the restaurant, climb the ridge directly behind the homestead, take a bottle of something special and watch the sunset. There's no better way to appreciate the East Macs.
N'Dhala Gorge
The twelve kilometres from Ross River Homestead to N'Dhala is 4WD only. This narrow track winds through dramatic scenery, skirting high, red-walled bluffs and crisscrossing the wide and sandy Ross River many times.
N'Dhala is significant mainly for its many petroglyphs and intriguing flora. The petroglyphs, pictures or designs in stone, are of two different styles. Some are chiselled into the sandstone by sharp stones or bones, while others have been pounded.
Determining age for art of this kind is very difficult but estimates are from 2000 years for the more weatherworn to 300 years for the most recent.
Being protected from bushfires allows flora to thrive here. Overhanging, shading and lining the 1.5km walking track into the gorge are native fuchsias, cypress pines, wattle species and native tomatoes. Camping is allowed and facilities include picnic tables barbecues and toilets.
Arltunga
From Ross River Homestead return west along the Ross Highway for nine kilometres then turn right to Arltunga. This road is good gravel for the 31km to your destination.
Arltunga is spread out over a large area so spare at least a half day. Start at the visitor centre, where the historical displays and the self operated slideshow will give you some insight into this most fascinating gold mining area.
From the visitor's centre the first place to see is the government battery and cyanide works. Take a walk among these restored historic buildings. Imagine it as a hive of activity: miners bringing in their quartz for processing by horse and cart, the incessant thumping of the machinery, bustling workers, brisk officials keeping a beady eye on the extraction processes and the Assayer testing and weighing the precious finished product.
read on below advertisement
Nearby is the old police station. In 1911 the officer in charge in Alice Springs reported that a lock up was necessary. Until it was built Arltunga's no-goods - usually sly grog sellers or cattle rustlers - could only be restrained by a chain attached to the constable's bed.
Next stop is MacDonnell Range Reef Mine. By 1908 this mine had produced 7.7kg of gold. There are ladders to climb down and a few shafts to explore so bring a torch. Allow about half an hour for the walk and a decent look around.
The Crossroads area was once the preferred site for Arltunga but the decline of the goldfields put an end to these plans. The ruins of the rowdy Glencoe Hotel, where once tough men settled their disputes in a bare knuckle fashion, still remain.
The Great Western Mine is further down the road and is a 600m return walk from the carpark. This mine was the second most productive mine at White Range yielding about 18.6kg of gold in it's eleven years of operation. The mine is easy to explore with its open chambers and caverns.
Shaded picnic and barbecue facilities and toilets are located at the Visitors Centre and in the Police Station area. Picnic benches can be found at Joker Gorge, Great Western Mine and at the Historic Mines Walk carpark. Camping is available only at Arltunga Bush Hotel.
Ruby Gap
Before leaving Arltunga for the 42km, 4WD only trip to Ruby Gap, the rangers request that travellers sign in and out at the Visitors Centre.
Allow two hours for the drive to the Gap. Once inside, the park's remarkable beauty wraps itself around you. The track winds 7km along the sandy Hale River through a corridor of red cliffs, the contorted layers evidence of the ancient violent upheavals of nature.
The discovery in 1886 by explorer David Lindsay of rubies, sparked a mining rush by hordes of hopefuls, only for it all to go bust 18 months later. The place was abandoned because the 'rubies' were not rubies at all, but high quality garnets.
Was this the reason why Fox, whose grave lies on a bleak, windswept hill beyond Glen Annie waterhole, committed suicide? There are no facilities at Ruby Gap although camping is permitted along the river anywhere from the park entrance to Glen Annie Gorge.
Ruby Gap is an excellent place to relax, away from the marauding tourist packs of the West Macs. There's plenty of time, space and silence to reflect on the magnificence of scenery, the stories of human hardships and to speculate on haunting spirits, of distant chanting and didgeridoo song.
Getting There
The East Macs are located a short drive from the eastern fringes of Alice Springs, making The Alice an ideal spot from which to base your explorations. Driving to Alice Springs is a fairly easy haul from just about anywhere in Australia these days, as the tourist trade has seen the roads upgraded to handle the large volume of coaches and buses used to ferry tourists around the centre.
Several spots in the East Macs are reachable by 4WD only. These places are generally the least crowded, and thus worth taking a look at to enjoy without hordes of tourists blocking your view. Be prepared for desert driving conditions - take plenty of water, and let someone know where you're going and when you think you'll be back.
Staying There
Alice Springs is loaded with accommodation, from campsites to luxury resorts. The places of interest around the East Macs also support, for the most part, bush camping with a few facilities scattered around the place. At best, you can expect pit toilets and gas BBQs, at worst you'll need to be self-sufficient, which includes water. Check with the Rangers for precise campsite locations.
Things To Do
The East Macs demand proper exploration, and a lot of respect. The adage "take nothing but photos, leave nothing but footprints" really does apply to this area. The East Macs contain many sites that are of significance to the Aboriginal people, and these must be left undisturbed.
There's plenty of wildlife to spot for the keen of eye, and there's many walking tracks around the large features to keep even the hardiest campaigner complaining of sore feet for the next few weeks.
4WDing opportunities are limited around the major sites, but a 4WD is mandatory for gaining entrance to places like Ruby Gap, so be prepared for a little bit of rough stuff on your way. There are side tracks in the area, but they should only be explored by those with a good, working knowledge of the area. There are a few 4WD operators in Alice Springs who are worth contacting if you feel the urge to get off-road.
Around & About
Alice Springs is home to a host of Outback hospitality. Old style pubs nestle up against modern shopfronts, and the wares for sale range from the mundane items of everyday life to amazing examples of Aboriginal art and artifacts. The drive south from Alice Springs to Adelaide is usually done without making any stops, but there's plenty to see along the Stuart highway (click here for the complete story).
Important Numbers
Hema Road Atlas $21.95
Hema Central Australia $7.95
Hema Great Desert Tracks SC Sheet $14.95
Hema Red Centre $7.95
Hema Northern Territory Handy Map $5.95
Westprint East MacDonnell $7.95
Recommended Maps
NT Parks & Wildlife 08 8951 8211
Trephina Gorge & N'Dhala Gorge 08 8956 9765
Arltunga and Ruby Gap 08 8956 9770
Ross River Homestead 08 8956 9711
Arltunga Hotel & Bush Resort 08 8956 9797
Words by Angela Nicholls Photos by Phill Nicholls & Denis O'Byrne
Go west, young man, is a saying often heard in Alice Springs. And they do. Hordes of tourists stampeding to well-known places like Ormiston, Simpson's Gap and Standley Chasm. All are spectacular, but they're often a little crowded, so why not head east instead? The East MacDonnell Ranges hold their own against their western cousins, and in many ways are the equal of the more famous West MacDonnell Ranges. The eastern route is just as easy to explore, and if you're based in Alice Springs then the journey is a great trek with heaps to see and do along the way. To get started, head east from The Alice along the sealed Ross Highway.
Emily & Jessie Gaps
These two red-walled gaps are about 10km and 17km respectively, out of Alice on the left and are accessible by short walking tracks from the highway.
Emily Gap is an especially significant site for the Eastern Arrernte Aboriginal people. From here the caterpillar beings of Mparntwe (Alice Springs) originated, forming this gap and many of the landforms around Alice Springs.
A large painting on the eastern rock face represents the caterpillar dreaming. Emily Gap was a man's place where women were strictly forbidden. There is a chilling story of the fate of one aboriginal woman who was thought to have entered the gap. She was hunted down and forcefully dragged through the gap by her hair before being speared.
There are toilet facilities at both parks. Picnics and barbecues are allowed at Jessie Gap.
Trephina Gorge
Rejoining Ross Highway travel another 51km eastward to the turn-off to Trephina Gorge. The Gorge is nine kilometres north - the last five kilometres of the road is gravel.
On the way make a small detour to see an impressive ghost gum. This single tree, dazzling white against a blue sky, is estimated to be 300 years old. It has been registered as a significant tree.
Arriving at Trephina Gorge, the scenery is amazing. A rusty cliff face looms high over a large tranquil waterhole. White sand fringes the waterhole, while nearby lie patches of mottled shade from white-trunked river gums. Of course, that's if there's been some rain. After a dry spell, the picture postcard scene isn't quite the same.
Luckily there's a lot more to Trephina than just the creek bed. Walking tracks, ranging in time from one hour return to six hours one way, lead the more adventurous around the rim to lookouts and to John Hayes Rockhole.
4WDs only are recommended to John Hayes Rockhole. Not that 4WD muscles need to be flexed but rather the necessity of higher clearance for the numerous rocky creek crossings.
Here a narrow cleft holds some permanent waterholes. Visitors can clamber among the rocks in the gorge or take the enticing sounding 'Chain of Ponds Walk.'
Camping is permitted at Trephina Bluff, Trephina Gorge and John Hayes Rockhole. Facilities at Trephina include water, gas barbecues, picnic tables and toilets. John Hayes has toilets and picnic tables.
Ross River Homestead
Once you're back on the Ross Highway, travel another13km east to Ross River Homestead. There is a broad range of accommodation available, from the distinctive huts at the homestead to a patch of green grass for a tent at the campground.
There's also a host of activities that will make your Outback experience truly memorable. Henry will take you on a camel ride or Darren will saddle up a horse.
Don't miss out on John's superb Billy tea and damper. Between a few cooling ales at the bar and tucking into the succulent Sunday roast at the restaurant, climb the ridge directly behind the homestead, take a bottle of something special and watch the sunset. There's no better way to appreciate the East Macs.
N'Dhala Gorge
The twelve kilometres from Ross River Homestead to N'Dhala is 4WD only. This narrow track winds through dramatic scenery, skirting high, red-walled bluffs and crisscrossing the wide and sandy Ross River many times.
N'Dhala is significant mainly for its many petroglyphs and intriguing flora. The petroglyphs, pictures or designs in stone, are of two different styles. Some are chiselled into the sandstone by sharp stones or bones, while others have been pounded.
Determining age for art of this kind is very difficult but estimates are from 2000 years for the more weatherworn to 300 years for the most recent.
Being protected from bushfires allows flora to thrive here. Overhanging, shading and lining the 1.5km walking track into the gorge are native fuchsias, cypress pines, wattle species and native tomatoes. Camping is allowed and facilities include picnic tables barbecues and toilets.
Arltunga
From Ross River Homestead return west along the Ross Highway for nine kilometres then turn right to Arltunga. This road is good gravel for the 31km to your destination.
Arltunga is spread out over a large area so spare at least a half day. Start at the visitor centre, where the historical displays and the self operated slideshow will give you some insight into this most fascinating gold mining area.
From the visitor's centre the first place to see is the government battery and cyanide works. Take a walk among these restored historic buildings. Imagine it as a hive of activity: miners bringing in their quartz for processing by horse and cart, the incessant thumping of the machinery, bustling workers, brisk officials keeping a beady eye on the extraction processes and the Assayer testing and weighing the precious finished product.
read on below advertisement
Nearby is the old police station. In 1911 the officer in charge in Alice Springs reported that a lock up was necessary. Until it was built Arltunga's no-goods - usually sly grog sellers or cattle rustlers - could only be restrained by a chain attached to the constable's bed.
Next stop is MacDonnell Range Reef Mine. By 1908 this mine had produced 7.7kg of gold. There are ladders to climb down and a few shafts to explore so bring a torch. Allow about half an hour for the walk and a decent look around.
The Crossroads area was once the preferred site for Arltunga but the decline of the goldfields put an end to these plans. The ruins of the rowdy Glencoe Hotel, where once tough men settled their disputes in a bare knuckle fashion, still remain.
The Great Western Mine is further down the road and is a 600m return walk from the carpark. This mine was the second most productive mine at White Range yielding about 18.6kg of gold in it's eleven years of operation. The mine is easy to explore with its open chambers and caverns.
Shaded picnic and barbecue facilities and toilets are located at the Visitors Centre and in the Police Station area. Picnic benches can be found at Joker Gorge, Great Western Mine and at the Historic Mines Walk carpark. Camping is available only at Arltunga Bush Hotel.
Ruby Gap
Before leaving Arltunga for the 42km, 4WD only trip to Ruby Gap, the rangers request that travellers sign in and out at the Visitors Centre.
Allow two hours for the drive to the Gap. Once inside, the park's remarkable beauty wraps itself around you. The track winds 7km along the sandy Hale River through a corridor of red cliffs, the contorted layers evidence of the ancient violent upheavals of nature.
The discovery in 1886 by explorer David Lindsay of rubies, sparked a mining rush by hordes of hopefuls, only for it all to go bust 18 months later. The place was abandoned because the 'rubies' were not rubies at all, but high quality garnets.
Was this the reason why Fox, whose grave lies on a bleak, windswept hill beyond Glen Annie waterhole, committed suicide? There are no facilities at Ruby Gap although camping is permitted along the river anywhere from the park entrance to Glen Annie Gorge.
Ruby Gap is an excellent place to relax, away from the marauding tourist packs of the West Macs. There's plenty of time, space and silence to reflect on the magnificence of scenery, the stories of human hardships and to speculate on haunting spirits, of distant chanting and didgeridoo song.
Getting There
The East Macs are located a short drive from the eastern fringes of Alice Springs, making The Alice an ideal spot from which to base your explorations. Driving to Alice Springs is a fairly easy haul from just about anywhere in Australia these days, as the tourist trade has seen the roads upgraded to handle the large volume of coaches and buses used to ferry tourists around the centre.
Several spots in the East Macs are reachable by 4WD only. These places are generally the least crowded, and thus worth taking a look at to enjoy without hordes of tourists blocking your view. Be prepared for desert driving conditions - take plenty of water, and let someone know where you're going and when you think you'll be back.
Staying There
Alice Springs is loaded with accommodation, from campsites to luxury resorts. The places of interest around the East Macs also support, for the most part, bush camping with a few facilities scattered around the place. At best, you can expect pit toilets and gas BBQs, at worst you'll need to be self-sufficient, which includes water. Check with the Rangers for precise campsite locations.
Things To Do
The East Macs demand proper exploration, and a lot of respect. The adage "take nothing but photos, leave nothing but footprints" really does apply to this area. The East Macs contain many sites that are of significance to the Aboriginal people, and these must be left undisturbed.
There's plenty of wildlife to spot for the keen of eye, and there's many walking tracks around the large features to keep even the hardiest campaigner complaining of sore feet for the next few weeks.
4WDing opportunities are limited around the major sites, but a 4WD is mandatory for gaining entrance to places like Ruby Gap, so be prepared for a little bit of rough stuff on your way. There are side tracks in the area, but they should only be explored by those with a good, working knowledge of the area. There are a few 4WD operators in Alice Springs who are worth contacting if you feel the urge to get off-road.
Around & About
Alice Springs is home to a host of Outback hospitality. Old style pubs nestle up against modern shopfronts, and the wares for sale range from the mundane items of everyday life to amazing examples of Aboriginal art and artifacts. The drive south from Alice Springs to Adelaide is usually done without making any stops, but there's plenty to see along the Stuart highway (click here for the complete story).
Important Numbers
Hema Road Atlas $21.95
Hema Central Australia $7.95
Hema Great Desert Tracks SC Sheet $14.95
Hema Red Centre $7.95
Hema Northern Territory Handy Map $5.95
Westprint East MacDonnell $7.95
Recommended Maps
NT Parks & Wildlife 08 8951 8211
Trephina Gorge & N'Dhala Gorge 08 8956 9765
Arltunga and Ruby Gap 08 8956 9770
Ross River Homestead 08 8956 9711
Arltunga Hotel & Bush Resort 08 8956 9797
