Standley Chasm
Ormiston Gorge
Distant Beauty
Alice from the Anzac Memorial Lookout
Ormiston Gorge
Distant Beauty
Alice from the Anzac Memorial LookoutAMAZING ALICE
I am absolutely amazed by Alice Springs and the surrounding area. I was obviously completely ignorant of the general landscape here. I suppose, like most people, I had not consciously thought about what Alice would be like, but in the dim recesses of my mind I had an image of flat, dry, hot, red, dusty plains surrounding a somewhat tumble-down township. That was the visual. On top of that, we were told by innumerable people that the aboriginal people here were not friendly and that drunken and bad behaviour by the locals made visiting the town both unpleasant and dangerous. Goes to show that you should never really take anyone else’s opinion of a place – just go and find out for yourself! I don’t believe I have been sooooooooo totally wrong about anything for quite some time.
From the township perspective, the town is well ordered and has pretty much everything you would wish to find in a remote area town. The aboriginal people we have encountered here have been friendly and welcoming. We have not felt at risk at any time. Certainly alcohol abuse is still evident, but it is now very low key during daylight. We have not ventured out at night. The population here is very multi-cultural as people from all over the world have settled in this area.
Scenically, this is an outstandingly beautiful place. Alice is nestled into a basin within the MacDonnell Ranges. The ranges provide some amazing spectacles including gorges, chasms and spectacular red rocky mounts, hills and rocky outcrops. Thanks to the very wet season just finished, the area is also quite green. We have been very lucky to be here at this time. The Finke River still has quite a bit of water in it making visits to the gorges all the more rewarding.
The only thing I had right, was the red part. I still cannot get past just how red the soil and rocks are here. With the green foliage, bright blue skies and red soils and rocks, the overwhelming effect is one of unspeakable beauty. It almost hurts the eye at times, it is just so incredible! It seems just a bit too dramatic to call it opalesque and yet, that describes it best. AMAZING ALICE
I am absolutely amazed by Alice Springs and the surrounding area. I was obviously completely ignorant of the general landscape here. I suppose, like most people, I had not consciously thought about what Alice would be like, but in the dim recesses of my mind I had an image of flat, dry, hot, red, dusty plains surrounding a somewhat tumble-down township. That was the visual. On top of that, we were told by innumerable people that the aboriginal people here were not friendly and that drunken and bad behaviour by the locals made visiting the town both unpleasant and dangerous. Goes to show that you should never really take anyone else’s opinion of a place – just go and find out for yourself! I don’t believe I have been sooooooooo totally wrong about anything for quite some time.
From the township perspective, the town is well ordered and has pretty much everything you would wish to find in a remote area town. The aboriginal people we have encountered here have been friendly and welcoming. We have not felt at risk at any time. Certainly alcohol abuse is still evident, but it is now very low key during daylight. We have not ventured out at night. The population here is very multi-cultural as people from all over the world have settled in this area.
Scenically, this is an outstandingly beautiful place. Alice is nestled into a basin within the MacDonnell Ranges. The ranges provide some amazing spectacles including gorges, chasms and spectacular red rocky mounts, hills and rocky outcrops. Thanks to the very wet season just finished, the area is also quite green. We have been very lucky to be here at this time. The Finke River still has quite a bit of water in it making visits to the gorges all the more rewarding.
The only thing I had right, was the red part. I still cannot get past just how red the soil and rocks are here. With the green foliage, bright blue skies and red soils and rocks, the overwhelming effect is one of unspeakable beauty. It almost hurts the eye at times, it is just so incredible! It seems just a bit too dramatic to call it opalesque and yet, that describes it best.
The only negative I can find is that I imagine in the summer, the experience would be totally different. At the moment we are experiencing very cold nights and comfortably sunny days. This means minimal dust and flies.
As far as things to do here, there are mobs..............., The Desert Park (a must), The Botanical Garden, all the Gorges and Chasms, any number of tours, Cultural Precinct, Museums etc, etc. Sadly, we really only skimmed the surface ourselves and we were here for 8 days. As you will probably deduce if you read the Palm Valley blog, I highly recommend the Palm Valley Tour, we used Alice Wanderer which appeared to be the cheapest and we were very impressed.
On a more practical note, I have been asked to give a brief run-down on the caravan parks we have stayed at. I have been a little reluctant to do this, as I think every experience is very different and coloured by personal preferences etc. On reflection tho’, I see no harm in giving a quick write up on the camps.
In future I will give that description at the end of the relevant blogs and to catch up I will do a special entry just touching on the parks we have stayed at so far. As for Alice, we are staying at the MacDonnell Ranges Holiday Resort. The park is just a little removed from the town and is a 4 star, Big 4 park. The prices are a little steep, especially during peak period, however the park itself is excellent. The bays are huge and most are grassed. There is a special free activity every day, generally at night., ie. Bush ballads, Star Gazing, 4wd talks, etc. If there is a negative at all, we find it a little sterile. It may well be because we are right at the edge of the park and not sitting in the middle of things. The amenities are huge, clean and well appointed. The park is also extremely quiet. Not dog friendly for the poochie people tho’. We would rate this park 8/10.
From here we are off to parts unknown, but generally in the direction of Darwin. Look after yourselves – Stephanie.
I am absolutely amazed by Alice Springs and the surrounding area. I was obviously completely ignorant of the general landscape here. I suppose, like most people, I had not consciously thought about what Alice would be like, but in the dim recesses of my mind I had an image of flat, dry, hot, red, dusty plains surrounding a somewhat tumble-down township. That was the visual. On top of that, we were told by innumerable people that the aboriginal people here were not friendly and that drunken and bad behaviour by the locals made visiting the town both unpleasant and dangerous. Goes to show that you should never really take anyone else’s opinion of a place – just go and find out for yourself! I don’t believe I have been sooooooooo totally wrong about anything for quite some time.
From the township perspective, the town is well ordered and has pretty much everything you would wish to find in a remote area town. The aboriginal people we have encountered here have been friendly and welcoming. We have not felt at risk at any time. Certainly alcohol abuse is still evident, but it is now very low key during daylight. We have not ventured out at night. The population here is very multi-cultural as people from all over the world have settled in this area.
Scenically, this is an outstandingly beautiful place. Alice is nestled into a basin within the MacDonnell Ranges. The ranges provide some amazing spectacles including gorges, chasms and spectacular red rocky mounts, hills and rocky outcrops. Thanks to the very wet season just finished, the area is also quite green. We have been very lucky to be here at this time. The Finke River still has quite a bit of water in it making visits to the gorges all the more rewarding.
The only thing I had right, was the red part. I still cannot get past just how red the soil and rocks are here. With the green foliage, bright blue skies and red soils and rocks, the overwhelming effect is one of unspeakable beauty. It almost hurts the eye at times, it is just so incredible! It seems just a bit too dramatic to call it opalesque and yet, that describes it best. AMAZING ALICE
I am absolutely amazed by Alice Springs and the surrounding area. I was obviously completely ignorant of the general landscape here. I suppose, like most people, I had not consciously thought about what Alice would be like, but in the dim recesses of my mind I had an image of flat, dry, hot, red, dusty plains surrounding a somewhat tumble-down township. That was the visual. On top of that, we were told by innumerable people that the aboriginal people here were not friendly and that drunken and bad behaviour by the locals made visiting the town both unpleasant and dangerous. Goes to show that you should never really take anyone else’s opinion of a place – just go and find out for yourself! I don’t believe I have been sooooooooo totally wrong about anything for quite some time.
From the township perspective, the town is well ordered and has pretty much everything you would wish to find in a remote area town. The aboriginal people we have encountered here have been friendly and welcoming. We have not felt at risk at any time. Certainly alcohol abuse is still evident, but it is now very low key during daylight. We have not ventured out at night. The population here is very multi-cultural as people from all over the world have settled in this area.
Scenically, this is an outstandingly beautiful place. Alice is nestled into a basin within the MacDonnell Ranges. The ranges provide some amazing spectacles including gorges, chasms and spectacular red rocky mounts, hills and rocky outcrops. Thanks to the very wet season just finished, the area is also quite green. We have been very lucky to be here at this time. The Finke River still has quite a bit of water in it making visits to the gorges all the more rewarding.
The only thing I had right, was the red part. I still cannot get past just how red the soil and rocks are here. With the green foliage, bright blue skies and red soils and rocks, the overwhelming effect is one of unspeakable beauty. It almost hurts the eye at times, it is just so incredible! It seems just a bit too dramatic to call it opalesque and yet, that describes it best.
The only negative I can find is that I imagine in the summer, the experience would be totally different. At the moment we are experiencing very cold nights and comfortably sunny days. This means minimal dust and flies.
As far as things to do here, there are mobs..............., The Desert Park (a must), The Botanical Garden, all the Gorges and Chasms, any number of tours, Cultural Precinct, Museums etc, etc. Sadly, we really only skimmed the surface ourselves and we were here for 8 days. As you will probably deduce if you read the Palm Valley blog, I highly recommend the Palm Valley Tour, we used Alice Wanderer which appeared to be the cheapest and we were very impressed.
On a more practical note, I have been asked to give a brief run-down on the caravan parks we have stayed at. I have been a little reluctant to do this, as I think every experience is very different and coloured by personal preferences etc. On reflection tho’, I see no harm in giving a quick write up on the camps.
In future I will give that description at the end of the relevant blogs and to catch up I will do a special entry just touching on the parks we have stayed at so far. As for Alice, we are staying at the MacDonnell Ranges Holiday Resort. The park is just a little removed from the town and is a 4 star, Big 4 park. The prices are a little steep, especially during peak period, however the park itself is excellent. The bays are huge and most are grassed. There is a special free activity every day, generally at night., ie. Bush ballads, Star Gazing, 4wd talks, etc. If there is a negative at all, we find it a little sterile. It may well be because we are right at the edge of the park and not sitting in the middle of things. The amenities are huge, clean and well appointed. The park is also extremely quiet. Not dog friendly for the poochie people tho’. We would rate this park 8/10.
From here we are off to parts unknown, but generally in the direction of Darwin. Look after yourselves – Stephanie.
1 comment:
Hi Steph,
Finally got through your wonderful descriptive 'Words' - really terrific and brought back so many memories!! (good & bad!!)
As I told you, I can't check very often just now but really appreciate your words & pictures.
Love,
Sue XX
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