WEST MacDONNELL RANGES

25^th May, 2015

Time to explore to the west of Alice Springs. Roger and Gwen have Barry and Fay with them in their car and we tag along behind. Roger figures the best way to approach the problem of so many things to see and maybe not enough time to do it all, is to drive to the farthest attraction first and work our way back. Whatever we miss seeing today can then be seen on another day and not so far to drive. Sounds like a plan! We have all packed picnic lunches and are in good spirits as we head west along the range.

West MacDonnell Ranges

Ormiston Gorge is our first stop for the morning at 135 klms from Alice Springs. This is a very pretty gorge with towering red walls and a near-permanent waterhole. The following photos are a selection of the ones we took on our walk along the creek in the gorge.

Wok and Fay walk along the creek bed at Ormiston Gorge

Wok is very small against the backdrop of the gorge cliff face

Ormiston Gorge reflections

Love those reflections ...

Wok Gwen, Fay and Barry trekking up the gorge

Looking back at the lookout above the gorge

Further up the gorge

More reflections in the gorge and Gwen takes a break

This is as far as we go up the gorge

Fay and Barry share a piece of fruit while Roger, Gwen and Wok look for fish

After lunch we hopped in the cars and headed back the way we had come to the Ochre Pits. Things have changed since we last visited nearly thirty years ago. Back then we were able to literally drive right up to the ochre pits and wander about wherever we liked. There was no signage telling you about how the aboriginals used the ochre as face and body paint for different ceremonies and no signs telling you where you could and could not go. We remember showing the kids how the coloured ochre looked when painted on their skin. Now there is a designated parking area well away from the Ochre Pits with a concrete walkway leading to them and an information panel explaining the cultural aspect of the site. We stopped along the track to look at the first section of ochre in the walls of the creek bed thinking they were pretty good

Yes - very nice Wok!

until we continued further along the walkway and came to this.

Now that is a mural!  All done by mother nature!

Isn't nature wonderful. A feature wall like this would look fantastic anywhere!

Barry, Roger and Fay at the Ochre Pits

We all wandered around taking lots of photos before heading back along the track.

By the time we had driven back to Standley Chasm it was going on 4pm and didn't leave us enough time to explore it before the gates closed at 5pm. Yes! This natural attraction now has an opening and closing time and a fee for the pleasure of you being able to walk along the track to access the chasm. A conference was called and it was unanimously decided that we would come back another day when we could spend more time enjoying the scenery. We were all pretty tired by the time we got back to the campground so a Red Rooster dinner with a MacDonald's ice cream sundae seemed appropriate. The following day Wok was up early. The Jeep was due for its 10,000 klm service so we had booked it in at the local dealer. We then spent the day doing routine chores like the laundry and when we got the Jeep back went grocery shopping. Our last day in Alice Springs – we hopped in the Jeep and headed west to take a walk into Standley Chasm. Just outside of town is the memorial to the Rev. John Flynn (1880 – 1951) founder of the Royal Flying Doctor Service. His ashes lie under this giant granite boulder that was removed (with local aboriginal approval) from the Devil's Marbles which is a sacred site. It is a simple but appropriate memorial for the man who was known as 'Flynn of the Inland'.

Memorial to Rev. John Flynn

We finally arrive mid morning at Standley Chasm, pay our walking fee, and head out on the track.

Wok heading along the track to Standley Chasm

It is a pretty walk along a tributary of the Finke River system (also a dry river) and the white gums have been twisted into many different shapes by the floods that have surged through the narrow cleft between the sandstone walls.

Wok takes a break under this natural arch of a gum tree

The track becomes a bit of a climb over the rocky creek bed but we can see the chasm up ahead through the trees.

Standley Chasm is just behind the trees

Although we have been here before Standley Chasm is still an awesome sight

Wok at Standley Chasm

with towering walls separated by a couple of metres.

The chasm gets narrower the further up you go

Wok enjoying the scenery

The chasm only receives direct light for a short time around midday. The sun lights up the rich red colour in the sandstone walls and the gorge beyond. It is 11am so we decide to wait for the midday sun

The sun is nearly overhead

The splendour of the chasm caught by the sun's rays

and are so pleased we did. It was a perfect way to spend our last day in the 'Alice'.