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

KINGS CANYON 385
At Corroboree Rock, 37km (23 miles) farther on, you can make a short climb
up this outcrop that was important to local Aborigines. The polished rock “seat” at
the hole high up in it means Aboriginal people must have used this rock for eons.
Twenty-two kilometers (14 miles) on is the turnoff to Trephina Gorge Nature
Park, an 18-sq.-km (7-sq.-mile) beauty spot with peaceful walking trails ranging
from 45 minutes to 4 1 ⁄2 hours. The last 5km (3 miles) of the 9km (5 1 ⁄2-mile) road
into the park are unpaved, but you can make it in a 2WD car.
N’Dhala Gorge Nature Park, 10km (6 miles) past Trephina Gorge Nature
Park, just before you reach Ross River Resort, houses an “open-air art gallery” of
rock carvings, or petroglyphs, left by the Eastern Arrernte Aboriginal people. An
interesting 1.5km (1-mile) signposted trail explains the Dreamtime meanings of
a few of the 6,000 rock carvings, hundreds or thousands of years old, that are
thought to be in this eerily quiet gorge. A 4WD vehicle is a must to traverse the
11km (7-mile) access road.
The Ross Highway is paved all the way to Ross River Resort.
ACCOMMODATIONS YOU CAN AFFORD
Ross River Resort This dinky-di (that’s Australian for “authentic”—as is fair
dinkum), 100-year-old station offers both day visitors and overnight guests a
condensed taste of Outback life. Overnight accommodations are rustic, roomy
log cabins; there are also basic quad-share bunkhouses, with shared bathrooms,
and shady campgrounds with a general store.
The whitewashed original homestead has been converted to a restaurant with
Edwardian furniture, open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner at moderate prices.
Entry to the homestead, its rustic restaurant and bar, the barbecue, four bushwalking
trails, and kangaroo enclosure is free (get feed for them from the stables);
so are the pool and Jacuzzi if you patronize the bar or restaurant. The
resort ended up being closed for most of 2003—it was rented out to a “private
guest”—but it should re-open sometime in 2004.
Ross Hwy., 86km (53 miles) east of Alice Springs (P.O. Box 3271), Alice Springs, NT 0871. & 1800/241 711
in Australia, or 08/8956 9711. Fax 08/8956 9823. www.rossriverresort.com.au. 48 units, 30 with bathroom
(shower only). A$125 (US$81) double; A$150 (US$98) family of 4; A$33 (US$21) bunkhouse quad-share with
linen, A$22 (US$14) without linen. Extra person A$30 (US$20). Unpowered campsite A$10 (US$6.50) per
adult; powered campsite A$15 (US$9.75) per adult. Lower rates for kids in bunkhouses and campgrounds.
AE, DC, MC,V. Coach transfers from Alice Springs A$110 (US$72) per person, round-trip. Pets are not accepted
except in campground if they are kept on a leash at all times. Amenities: Restaurant; bar; small outdoor pool;
Jacuzzi. In room: A/C, fridge, tea and coffeemaker, no phone.
4 Kings Canyon ¡
Anyone who saw the movie The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert will
remember the stony plateau the transvestites climb to gaze over the plain below.
You can stand on that same spot (wearing sequined underpants is optional) at
Kings Canyon in Watarrka National Park (& 08/8956 7460 for park
headquarters). As the crow flies, it is 320km (198 miles) southwest of Alice
Springs. The sandstone walls of the canyon drop about 100m (330 ft.) to rock
pools and centuries-old gum trees. There is little to do except walk the dramatic
canyon rim for a sense of the peaceful emptiness of the Australian Outback.
GETTING THERE No regular flights operate, but Ayers Rock Scenic Flights
(& 08/8956 2345) does an aerial day trip from Ayers Rock Resort that incorporates
a guided canyon walk at A$425 (US$276) per adult, A$390 (US$254) per
child 3 to 12.