Most photos are taken on Arrente Country.
As we were back in Alice Springs today it was time to do a road trip out to explore the West Mcdonald’s ranges which is the long mountain side west of Alice Springs. Before we headed out we cooked our own little pancake breakfast. Which turned out heaps cheaper then the $48 per person they wanted for pancakes at Uluru.
After pancakes it was into the car and onto our adventure. Our first stop being Simpsons Gap. This place is absolutely stunning and only 22 minutes away from Alice. We strolled down the sandy creek taking lots of photos and taking it all in. There were heaps of fish, lizards and bugs around. On our way out we got talking to the local ranger and learnt more about the area and how the weather effects it. He also explained some of the wildlife and plants around. He was very proud to be working on the country that his grandparents lived on. Out of all the places we visited today this one way my favourite. Also the pictures don’t show you exactly how huge this area is.
Next stop was Stanley Chasm this is the only one of the attractions that has an entrance fee. For $12pp you can get in. Its a bit of a longer walk to the Chasm, however it is nice. The Chasm itself was cool however it wasn’t as good as the ones we got to for free. These cliffs were also huge. For a scale comparison there is a really small Rob in one of these pictures.
After a quick bite to eat the next stop was Ellery Creek Waterhole. It is one of the main watering holes this side of the mountains. The camping area around it was amazing and somewhere it would be awesome to stay. We didn’t take too many pictures as there were people swimming.
Onwards we went with our next stop being the Ochre Pits. This is where the local aboriginal people get their Ochre for painting. It was really cool to see all the different colours still in the rocks. People still use it to this day.
The last stop for the day was Ormiston Gorge. This place was stunning as well. Huge water holes and cliffs. We wandered for a while and then got back just as it started to rain. The whole of the Western Macdonald ranges were really beautiful. Also there is a tiny Rob for scale in there photos too.
We had dinnner at the local pub for our last night and celebrated a great holiday. Our favourite things were:
Amy- Seeing Uluru for the first time was really magical, especially how green the surrounds were. Anthony- The rainbow at the Uluru sunset was amazing! Rob- Learning about the Aboriginal life out here. Escpecially how central Australia is different to others. For example it not called the Dreamtime here. They say its not a Dream Story it is fact.
We have a few things to do tomorrow but we are on our way back tomorrow.