Frommer's Australia from $50 a Day 13th Edition - To Parent Directory

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CHAPTER 7 . THE RED CENTRE
in the summer. You can camp here for A$6.60 (US$4.30) 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 further on is Glen Helen Gorge, where the Finke River cuts through
the ranges, with more gorge swimming, a walking trail, guided hikes, and helicopter
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 serving
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 coffee
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)
per child for a guided gallery tour, which departs every hour. The precinct is
closed from December 24 to January 2 or 3, and on Good Friday.
FINKE GORGE NATIONAL PARK Just west of Hermannsburg is the
turnoff to the 46,000-hectare (113,620-acre) Finke Gorge National Park,
16km (10 miles) to the south on an unpaved road. The park is most famous for
Palm Valley, where groves of rare Livistona mariae cabbage palms have survived
since central Australia was a jungle millions of years ago. You will need a 4WD
to explore this park. Four walking trails between 1.5km (1 mile) and 5km (3
miles) take you among the palms or up to a lookout over cliffs; one is a signposted
trail exploring Aboriginal culture. There is a campsite about 4km (2 1 ⁄2
miles) from the palms; it has showers, toilets, and free barbecues. Collect your
firewood outside the park. Camping is A$6.60 (US$4.30) for adults, A$3.30
(US$2.10) for kids 5 to 15. For information, call the CATIA Visitor Information
Centre in Alice Springs before you leave, because there is no visitor center
in the park. The ranger station (& 08/8956 7401) is for emergencies only.
THE EAST MACDONNELL RANGES
Not as many tourists tread the path on the Ross Highway into the East Macs,
but if you do, you’ll be rewarded with lush walking trails, fewer crowds, and
traces of Aboriginal history. I even spotted wild camels on my visit. At the end
of the drive, 86km (53 miles) from Alice, is the Ross River Resort (see “Where
to Stay” below), where day-trippers are welcome. The homestead stages a
boomerang-throwing and whip-cracking experience over billy tea and damper
from 10am to noon daily for A$5.50 (US$3.60) per person, so consider heading
there first, then dropping in on the attractions below as you return.
The first points of interest are Emily Gap, 10km (6 miles) from Alice, and
Jessie Gap, 7km (4 1 ⁄2 miles) on, a pretty picnic spot. You can cool off in the
Emily Gap swimming hole if there is any water. Don’t miss the “Caterpillar
Dreaming” Aboriginal art on the wall, on your right as you walk through.