Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Road-Trip Tips for the East & West Macs
Facilities are scarce outside Alice, so bring food (a picnic perhaps, or
meat to barbecue), drinking water, and a full gas tank. Leaded,
unleaded, and diesel fuel is sold at Glen Helen Resort, Hermannsburg,
and Ross River Resort. Wear walking shoes.
Many of the water holes dry up too much to be good for swimming—
those at Ellery Creek, Ormiston Gorge, and Glen Helen are the most
permanent. Being spring-fed, they can be intensely cold, so take only
short dips to avoid cramping and hypothermia, don't swim alone, and
be careful of underwater snags. Don't wear sunscreen because it pol-
lutes drinking water for native animals.
Two-wheel-drive rental cars will not be insured on unsealed
(unpaved) roads—that means the last few miles into Trephina Gorge
Nature Park, and the 11km (7-mile) road into N'Dhala Gorge Nature
Park, both in the East Macs. If you are prepared to risk it, you will prob-
ably get into Trephina in a two-wheel-drive car, but you will need a
four-wheel-drive for N'Dhala and Arltunga. The West MacDonnell
road is paved to Glen Helen Gorge; a few points of interest may
require driving for short lengths on unpaved road. Before setting off,
drop into the CATIA Visitor Information Centre (see “Visitor Informa-
tion,” earlier in this chapter) for tips on road conditions, and for
details on the free ranger talks, walks, and slide shows that take place
in the West and East Macs April through October. Entry to all sights,
parks, and reserves (except for Standley Chasm) is free.
per adult, and A$3.30 (US$1.90) per child 5 to 15. The campground has no
powered sites but does have hot showers, toilets, and free barbecues.
A bit farther on is Glen Helen Gorge, where the Finke River cuts through
the ranges, with more gorge swimming, a walking trail, guided hikes, and heli-
copter flights. Modest Glen Helen Resort ( & 1800/896 110 in Australia, or
08/8956 7489; www.melanka.com.au/melanka_glenghelen/gh_index.html) has
25 motel rooms (A$143/US$93) double; bunkhouses for four (A$19/US$12
per person) and campgrounds (A$9/US$5.85 per person for a tent site, and
A$22/US$14 double for a powered campsite); a restaurant serving three meals a
day; a bar; and barbecues for which they sell meat packs.
HERMANNSBURG HISTORICAL PRECINCT An alternative to visiting
the West Mac gorges is to stay on Larapinta Drive all 128km (79 miles) from
Alice Springs to the old Lutheran Mission at the Hermannsburg Historical
Precinct ( & 08/8956 7402 ). Some maps will show this route as an unpaved
road, but it is now paved. Settled by German missionaries in the 1870s, this is
a cluster of restored farmhouse-style mission buildings. There are a museum, a
gallery housing landscapes by Aussie artist Albert Namatjira, and tearooms serv-
ing an apple strudel from an old German recipe. The Mission is open daily from
9am to 4pm (from 10am Nov-Mar). Admission to the precinct with tea or cof-
fee is A$4.50 (US$2.90) for adults, A$3 (US$1.95) for school-age kids, or A$12
(US$7.80) for a family, plus A$3.50 (US$2.30) per adult or A$2.50 (US$1.60)
 
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