Ayers Rock And The Red Centre
- Thread starter Angus
- Start date
Free camp under the stars at Curtain Springs! Its the closest free camp spot to Uluru, and the view of the stars are absolutely amazing!
Chambers Pillar, Palm Valley, Arltunga Kings Canyon and the East and West Mac's too.
If your there for the 1st July there is Territory day too
Have a read HERE from a one of our trips up there if you like it was our 2nd time up there
:tea:
If your there for the 1st July there is Territory day too
Have a read HERE from a one of our trips up there if you like it was our 2nd time up there
:tea:
All of the Eastern & Western MacDonnell Ranges with their gorges, especially Palm Valley, Gosses Bluff (inside and from Tyler Pass viewing area), Kings Canyon, Rainbow Valley, Henbury Meteorite craters, overnight camping (or just long day trip) to Chambers Pillar, Desert Wildlife Park, Telegraph Station.
Anything I left out.
Anything I left out.
I forgot one thing. If you are there for the Henley on Todd, don't go to a chicken and Champaign/Riesling/Moselle breakfast and not have the chicken. It seems that missing out on the hard food and being in 32DegC causes problems with focussing the camera.
Hi @Angus,
This is the report from our trip.
http://www.expandasdownunder.com/threads/hms-central-australia-trip.3136/
HM
If your heading a little north the Devil's Marbles are a must, another good place to see the night sky.
Dave
Dave
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We did the trip clockwise from brisbane last August /sept. you'll have a ball. Kings canyon, devils marbles and west of alice all worthwhile. We also found Winton in west qld was worth a few days. Cooper Pedy is worth a day or two if you haven't been there before also. At that time of year the crowds seemed to have died off a little as it was starting to get hot. We had two straight weeks of 40 degree days. Not really what we had expected!
I haven't been there since the early 80's and there's no way you would have gotten one out there then. Although the route down to Maryvale would have been OK, then there were the Hugh River Crossing, the Charlotte Range and the 5 or so Km's of dune crossings from there to the Pillar itself. From the last person I know who was out there, the Hugh River crossing is now in a better place and the Charlotte Range has a better bypass now, but there's still the dunes and while not large would be quite a challenge. All changes with the weather though and any rain can go either way. Very dry and the sand is deep and soft, rain and it could be so firm you would barely leave tracks. The Hugh used to be very wide and deep soft sand at times and I was bogged a car length from the other side. That was my first trip and I did it by myself as a day trip, about 4 hours either way. Next trip was a camping trip with some others and it had some rain and did the Hugh crossing in high range 3rd. If you find it on Google Earth and can view the layer with the Panoramio shots available you will find one of the Hugh River crossing ( 24°41'7.79"S and 134° 2'9.66"E ). If this is accurate then the crossing is a lot better than it was, but could still change if flooding has covered it with sand.
Details of the Reserve are available at http://www.parksandwildlife.nt.gov.au/parks/find/chamberspillar#.U2Diu5MiPyM and you should read the "Fact sheet". Personally I wouldn't tempt fate by taking a van out there. It may be possible to park it at Maryvale though.
The Finke desert race is coming up, and from what I've heard about afterwards the road from Alice to Maryvale gets really cut up.
It is a great place to camp though. Last trip we were out there on a full moon night and I still can't decide which pictures I took in the day and a time exposure at night. Still better than the other person taking shots. Took a whole roll of film at night, he thought, (obviously a long time ago) and next day realised that the film wasn't engaged on the sprockets fully and never wound on.
Phil
Details of the Reserve are available at http://www.parksandwildlife.nt.gov.au/parks/find/chamberspillar#.U2Diu5MiPyM and you should read the "Fact sheet". Personally I wouldn't tempt fate by taking a van out there. It may be possible to park it at Maryvale though.
The Finke desert race is coming up, and from what I've heard about afterwards the road from Alice to Maryvale gets really cut up.
It is a great place to camp though. Last trip we were out there on a full moon night and I still can't decide which pictures I took in the day and a time exposure at night. Still better than the other person taking shots. Took a whole roll of film at night, he thought, (obviously a long time ago) and next day realised that the film wasn't engaged on the sprockets fully and never wound on.
Phil
Im up in Alice up til the 5th June then coming down the Finke to Oodnadatta , across the oody track to Marree - let me know where you are and we should have a beer or twoooo .
Dont forget to stop into the Kulgera roadhouse as somebody from my village just bought the lease
Dont forget to stop into the Kulgera roadhouse as somebody from my village just bought the lease
Wilpena 7-8 June, Coober Pedy 10-11 June, Kulgera 13 June. Pretty much sticking to the black stuff except for a trip out from Cadney Park (12 June) to the Painted Desert and the the Meereni loop.