Alice Springs to Trephina Gorge, Northern Territory
We scoot out of Alice Springs and head to the East MacDonnells, where we poke our noses into canyons and gorges.
Ah, finally. On the road again. The Rydges Plaza was nice, if a bit worn, but I'd rather be out seeing more things than sitting in a hotel room at 4 in the afternoon feeling like there isn't anything to do in town.
After quick stops at KMart for sundry stuff, COles for groceries, and the bakery for bread, we're on the road to the East MacDonnell ranges. A bit of geography helps here: Alice Springs sits just north of the MacDonnell Ranges, a very old mountain chain that runs east-west. The mountain range isn't very wide, maybe 2 to 5 kilometers at most, and it isn't very tall, maybe 300 meters or so above the plains on either side. What is unusual about it is its age, perhaps 800 million years old, its color (red and orange and purple) and the gaps in it. As the range was uplifted, rivers and creeks cut through its quartzite and schist, leaving narrow gaps of a few hundred meters where you can pass from one side to another. One of these gaps was cut by the Todd River, and it's where the highway and railroad from the south pass through the range. The McDonnells stretch a good 300 kilometers or so in length to the east and west of Alice Springs. We're heading to the east first, then coming back into town before heading south to Uluru.
Oh, one other thing: Alice Springs is not next to Ayer's Rock/Uluru. They're about 500 kilometers apart, or a five hour drive.
So. As we headed east, there are two gaps in the ranges. We stopped at both to look.
Then we headed another 50 kilomters east, and set up camp at Trephina Gorge. It was a good campsite, in the trees with a table and water. We did the hike through the gorge, then relaxed for the rest of the day.
Weird Wildlife Sighting
Nothing much.