Must see/do

make sure you go to kings canyon, Olgas & stop off at Curtian Springs Roadhouse because they may have some Ayres Rock access tickets that may have a day or 2 left on them if u ask nicely.

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At the Olgas do the Valley of the Wind walk, great but about 8.5ks up hill and down dale. At the big rock walk around it not up it. West McDonald Ranges offer a totally different landscape to the West. Trip into Palm Valley good but can be rough allow for about 20ks of rocky riverbed driving (dry). Same goes for N'Dhala Gorge. All good fun. Even the notorious Mereny Loop Road was interesting albeit rough as guts. Glen Helen Gorge was interesting as well. Trip out to Arltunga is worth while. Good gravel road.

Hello Kevern,
Whilst at Ayers Rock do the sunrise on the rock viewing thing. The colours are superb ! But, don't try to do the climb and visit The Olgas in the one day, unless you are superbly fit. SWMBO did it at 59 years of age and paid the price the next day.

Visit the wildlife zoo opposite the School of the Air in The Alice. The snakes and lizards are well displayed and you can handle some of the tamer reptiles if your visit coincides with a presentation by one of the staff. I saw many of the desert dwelling reptiles up close; the ones that I would never see unless I was in the company of a reptile specialist.

Another different thing to do at The Alice is to watch the Ghan come in and/or leave town. I captured some great video footage of the Ghan leaving AS out by the Old Ghan Museum, a few clicks south of town.

Cheers,
Netnut

Climb the rock if it is NOT windy!! I climbed it(very fit 30 yrs) should not have done it on the day they had it open, carried a back pack,weight approx 5kg,if i had set it down it would have blown away like a feather,my eye's poored tears due to the wind.(If not windy, an easy climb) You buy a three day pass,the rock had been closed the two days prior to our arrival and we think that they felt obligated to open due to the high fee's charged.Yulara is a rip off but you have little choice.
Walk arround the rock, approx 10km.
Walk "The Todd" in Alice it will make you very sad, it did to us anyway.
Have fun
Cheers Lyndon

Hi Kevern

Depends what you like to see/do. Palm Valley near Hermannsburg is worth a look, and if you are adventurous, a drive to Boggy Hole is fun. The West MacDonnells have a number of gorges and waterholes that can be explored - my favourite is Redbank Gorge. Ellery Creek Big Hole is easier to get to, though. For amazing scenery, Tyler's Pass between Gosse's Bluff and Glen Helen gives a panoramic view of the ancient landscape.

And of course you could always drop in to Hermannsburg for a cuppa and a chat, and checkout the solar power station as well.

Cheers
John
Hermannsburg

long time reader, first time poster...

Hi Kevern,
Don't miss the Alice Springs Desert Park. Have got some great bird and nocturnal marsupial exhibits, as well as reptile and botanical exhibits/displays.
Cheers.
Fil.

All excellent suggestions so far. For me the pick of the West Mcdonnells is Ormiston Gorge. Try walking through it late in the afternoon or early in the morning. The cliff face and colours are stunning. Early morning you will find Black Tailed Rock Wallabies warming themselves in the sun and with care you can get quite close to them. The gorge has basic camping facilities for an overnight stay.

Other highlights include the Kings Canyon rim walk, a walk around the base of Uluru, the Valley of the Winds at the Olgas (Kata Tjuta).

Enjoy the trip
Rob

Hi Kevern,

Kings Canyon is great. West Macs are good, but Trephina Gorge in the east macs, is just as good but less busy. In Alice, the Desert Park is worth half a day as is the telegraph station. Chambers Pillar is also excellent.

Thanks heaps for all the suggestions, it is going to be a very busy month.