Alice Springs - Welcome to the Outback

All of the "Gaps" were terrific, combining photogenic spots with hiking/rock clambering and wildfile viewing. Trephina Gorge provided a special bonus - swimming. Standley Chasm was a fairly easy, rewarding hike. Attempting to feed "wild" camels was one of the most memorable moments.

Quick Tips:

Avoid the heat and maximize wildlife viewing by starting out early each day.

Best Way To Get Around:

Rent a car - preferably with 4WD drive. This will maximize your opportunites regardless of the weather.

The rooms were surprisingly nice - large and very modern - this place is more of a resort than I had expected. A pool with waterfall and heated spa provided a wonderful way to relax and cool down at the end of the day. Ainslie''s Restaurant is wonderful - elegant, somewhat formal settings, with excellent international cuisine. A nice surprise for a hotel restaurant. One disappointing feature is a somewhat depressing walk-through kangaroo and wallaby enclosure - the animals don''t have much to do. Lastly, a beautiful view is just a short walk up the hill behind the hotel. The only major drawback is that the hotel is a bit far from town center (2k); it does happen to be near the casino/golf course if that''s your cup of tea.

First off, what's a "gap"? Answer - two huge rock formations (uhh...hills) with a relatively narrow pass between them. Unfortunately both of these places blur together in my memory, so I've decided to write about them as a pair. Emily is about 1k from the Alice, and Jessie is another 7k onward. The hiking/rock clambering here is steep, but very rewarding; you can see for miles in all directions and the landscapes and colors will create unique photos. You may see some 'roos or wallabies here, but don't count on it - there are other better spots anyway. What you will see are little blue streaks flying around in large flocks - tropical lorikeets! Emily does have some ancient rock paintings to view as well. Picnic tables are available. Expect to spend a minimum of half an hour at each stop in awe of nature.

This spot is another 25k past Jessie Gap and is just what it sounds like, a rock formation. At one time it had some sacred siginificance to the locals. Now, it's only worth a quick stop, a short hike around, and a photo in front of the hole. The formation is *very* steep - do not climb unless experienced at such things. One of the members of our group's testosterone got the better of him - we waited down in the carpark for the better part of 45 minutes wasting film and video on his "exploits" (not like we had anything better to do). 15 minutes will do you nicely here.

Trephina Gorge is another 20k on from Corroboree Rock, but well worth the drive. At the start of the hike you may here strange buzzing sounds emanating from the eerie ghost gum trees. Most of the hike is on a dry creek bed with rocky formations on either side (unless it's rained heavily recently). It's quiet, secluded, and peaceful. With luck, you'll find a nice sized swimming hole at some point during the walk to help cool off. You'll probably spend 1 - 2 hours here enjoying the scenery.

Well, as you may have heard, wild camels roam the outback. We doubted we would ever see one, as we have generally poor luck spotting critters. However, on the way to Ross River Resort (east of Alice), we came across a pack, err herd, uh flock...well whatever you call a group of camels by the roadside. We immediately pulled over and proceeded to see how close we could get to them. Seeing that they were eating dried grasses, I picked some and tried to tempt them with an offering. As you can see by the picture, I had my head turned to avoid any nasty behavior like spitting, kicking, or biting. Oh well. Turned out that these camels were halfway tame, being broken into human contact by the Resort, so I probably could have touched them if I'd been a bit braver.

On up the road another 13k from Trephina. This place is also known as Ross River Homestead which is a much more apt name. They've got camel and horse rides available, bull-whip and boomerang lessons, a hay ride, and cabins. All of that was nice, but we'd had a long hot day and came for 2 things - Aussie BBQ and beer. Disaster struck however, as the kitchen was closed! We planned the rest of the day while stewing over potato chips, popsicles, and beer (not a terrific combo mind you). If I revisit Alice, I'd consider both staying and/or stopping over here again.

17k west of Alice is wonderful Simpson's gap. This stop had all the beauty of Emily and Jessie gap's, with one added bonus - black-footed rock wallabies! Try to be here near dawn or dusk as the little guys hide during the heat of the day. The hiking is easy, with markers helping find the way, and signs explaining the native plants. You'll want to be here an hour or more.

23k past Simpson's Gap is Standley Chasm. Several walking trails here lead up the chasm; we felt this was the most beautiful spot we'd been in the Red Centre to this point. You'll probably see wallabies here as well. It is owned by an Aborginal group, so there is a fee to enter, and also a small lunch counter and gift shop. Expect to spend 1-2 hours here, many of them in a position with you head thrown back looking virtually straight up. Bring lots of film.

We wish we had: 1) visited King's Canyon and Serpentine Gorge west of Alice. 2) Visited Alice Springs Reptile Centre in Alice. 3) Gotten to witness either the Henley-on-Todd Regatta (dry river bed race) or Camel Cup races - these are seasonal events. 4) Taken a camel ride.

We wish we *hadn't* 1) Driven to Ayer's Rock instead of flying. The drive is 5+ hours and once were were 1/2 hour out of Alice, it was so boring that seeing a cow was considered a highlight. Perhaps if we'd gone via King's Canyon instead of Stuart Highway? 2) Visited a small aboriginal town south of Standley Chasm. It was an incredibly long drive beacuse the raod was so rutted. When we got there, it was a very small, poor town, reminicent of an Indian Res in the US. We did walk out of the only shop with two nice souvenirs, but it wasn't worth the trip.