Oh my, what a Chasm.



Jake and Dillon at Satndley Chasm

We had a wonderful week here in the Alice.  The weather had cooled off a little bit, but not for long as it will be over 100 everyday this week.  We were able to watch the Superbowl (Yeah Giants) but unfortunately there were only Australian commercials.  The boys started martial arts classes, they have really been enjoying that.  Over the weekend we headed out to the Ghan Train Museum on Saturday to find out it will be closed for the month of February, so I will save the post for a later date.  We were able to spend the rest of the weekend outside though, which was quite nice.

Emily Gap



Aboriginal painting on the rocks



Saturday evening we decided to head to Emily Gap for a picnic dinner.  The Gap is about 10 km east of Alice Springs, it is the first gap in the mountains in the East MacDonnell Ranges.  Emily Gap is situated on Aboriginal land, and is reportedly the most sacred areas in the Alice Springs region. According to legend this is the site where the giant Yeperenye Caterpillar emerged and created much of the local landscape.  There are paintings on the rocks to symbolize these caterpillars.  This was a beautiful spot.

After the picnic we headed back to feed the wallabies like we had done our first week here.  This time we saw a red kangaroo, an obvious male, so we kept our distance.  The Rock Wallabies were amazing; there were about 5 or 6 that had joeys in their pouch.  This time Jake and Dillon not only got to feed the moms, but they were actually petting the joeys as well.  They were thrilled!



Standley Chasm





On the trail to the Chasm



Sunday we headed off to Standley Chasm, this is about 40km west of Alice Springs. They offered three hikes, easy, medium and hard – we chose easy which was about a 20/25 minute walk each way.  As I was talking to the boys, a fly flew in my mouth – they thought that was hilarious!!  Standley Chasm has been gouged from tough sandstone by the floods that, over untold millions of years, have surged down a narrow tributary of the Finke River system. The result is a deep red cleft, with slopes on either side rising 80 meters above the floor. Regardless of the weather or time of day, the Chasm is at its most dramatic an hour either side of noon on a sunny day. It is at noon that the desert sun is perfectly aligned, drenching Standley Chasm in a shower of brilliant red light, the sheer walls glowing from the reflected sunlight to create a breath-taking display.





Simpson Gap



Simpson Gap



On the way back home we stopped at Simpson Gap, this is about 17 km west of Alice.  There is a bike trail that runs from Alice to Simpson Gap, it is supposed to be a very popular trail.  The Simpsons Gap area includes large areas of Mulga, as well as a stronghold for over 40 rare and relict plants. It is also an area that has important spiritual meaning for the Arrernte Aboriginal people, being where several dreaming trails and stories cross.  While walking towards the gap we spotted a kangaroo in the middle drinking water – from where we were positioned he had to hop by us to reach the safety of the mountain, he was only about 15 meters away.  This area was beautiful, I love the trees and rocks and this time we got water.  The boys walked across the rock path through the water, they thought that was fun.  This gap had great picnic areas so I know we will be back as the weather cools off.


The boys after crossing the water.