Travelling Through The West MacDonnell Range

Surprise, surprise!!!  We are about to post our second blog in two nights, something that hasn't happened in a very long time.  It is just very fortunate that the little town where we are camped for the evening has Telstra coverage even though there are less than 600 people that live here and it is about 150 klms from Alice Springs.  

Our trek westward started about mid-morning from Alice Springs and our first port of call in the West MacDonnell Range was Simpson's Gap.  Yes, it is another very rocky gorge, but still very beautiful and awe inspiring.  This gorge is very similar to the Jessie and Emily Gaps but on a much larger scale.

Simpson's Gap

Oops!  It Fell!!

So far, so good as the walk into Simpson's Gap was only short and reasonably flat - although we are both glad that there wasn't any boulders that had decided to let go.  They certainly would have made a very loud noise and possibly a large mess if they had hit something soft - like a person.

Onto Standley Chasm - another big cleft in the mountain range.  The walk from the carpark was a little bit more strenuous as we were climbing over rocks, boulders, creeks and fallen trees but, again, it was worth it.  The walls to Standley Chasm are vertical while the other gorges have had a bit of a slope to them.  At the end of the Chasm, there were these huge boulders that looked like they had been washed down the mountain and had been caught up in the narrow entrance.  These boulders were also extremely smooth, from many years of being pounded by the rushing waters.

Part of Standley Chasm

The Blockage At The Start of The Chasm

 

 

 

 

After leaving Standley Chasm, we headed for Hermannsburg as we were very interested in visiting the nearby Palm Valley, part of the Finke Gorge National Park.  As it was getting on in the afternoon, we decided not to go through to the National Park, but settle for the night in town.  Luckily, we found the 'Heritage Precinct' which now offers cost effective Caravan/Motorhome sites and is also fenced off to try and dissuade the irresponsible (and bored) locals from creating mayhem.

Our plan for tomorrow morning (Monday) is to check out this precinct - there is a museum, an art gallery and maybe The Captain might shout The Deckie some morning tea - and then head off into the wilds of the Finke Gorge.