Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
From Arltunga it's possible to loop back to Alice along the Arltunga Tourist Dr, which
pops out at the Stuart Hwy about 50km north of town. The road runs past the gracious
Old Ambalindum Homestead
( 08-8956 9993;
www.oldambalindumhomestead.com.au
;
un-
powered/powered sites $25/30, dm $75; )
which offers self-catered accommodation for
up to 12 people in the homestead and in the bunkhouse on a working cattle station.
Bookings are essential and you need to bring your own food.
Ruby Gap Nature Park
This remote park rewards visitors with wild and beautiful scenery. The sandy bed of the
Hale River sparkles with thousands of tiny garnets. The garnets caused a 'ruby rush' here
in the 19th century and some miners did well out of it until it was discovered that the 'ru-
bies' were, in fact, virtually worthless. It's an evocative place and is well worth the con-
siderable effort required to reach it − by high-clearance 4WD. The waterholes at
Glen
Annie Gorge
are usually deep enough for a cooling dip.
Camping
(adult/child $3.30/1.65)
is permitted anywhere along the river; make sure to
BYO drinking water and a camp cooker. Allow two hours each way for the 44km trip
from Arltunga.
TOP OF CHAPTER
West MacDonnell Ranges
With their stunning beauty and rich diversity of plants and animals, the West MacDon-
nell Ranges are not to be missed. Their easy access by conventional vehicle makes them
especially popular with day-trippers. Heading west from Alice, Namatjira Dr turns north-
west off Larapinta Dr 6km beyond Standley Chasm and is sealed all the way to Tylers
Pass.
Most sites in the West MacDonnell Ranges lie within the West MacDonnell National
Park, except for Standley Chasm, which is privately owned. There are ranger stations at
Simpsons Gap and Ormiston Gorge.
Larapinta Trail
The 230km Larapinta Trail extends along the backbone of the West MacDonnell Ranges
and is one of Australia's great long-distance walks. The track is split into 12 stages of
varying difficulty, stretching from the Telegraph Station in Alice Springs to the craggy
