After re-supplying in Alice Springs on food, water and fuel it was off to do all the gorges in the West Mac Donnell Ranges which the area is famous for but unlike in 1975 when here last, much of it is now tar roads and tourist buses. Just got to look a little harder to find the 4wd only areas which we did. One of the areas that is not visit by many because of the 4wd track in is Serpentine Chasm where we spent a day and a night exploring around hiking and scaling rock walls all on our own. But I wouldn't recommend swimming as we discovered that it was full of leaches! Ormiston Gorge is more civilized where you even have to pre-book the site when in season ( April until November ) but has a well established walking trail network. The swimming was also very good at the time.
Walking through Serpentine Chasm and Ormiston Gorge.
Redbank Gorge was the highlight of the area and has a nice self service 4wd camping area. Bring your wet suit as even though it was about 35*C or 90*F it was freezing in the gorge as it receives no sunlight as the walls are only a metre apart and solid rose quarts for most of it. We didn't have them with us on this trip and after an hour of swimming to try and get through the gorge we had to get out to warm up. We came back a few years later and it was fantastic to make it right out the other side with lots of swimming and climbing over rocks and ledges within the often only a metre wide gorge. Palm Valley was next and this is definitely a 4wd only place as the track runs up the dry ( or not so dry when we were there ) river bed. It has a very good bush camping area and once pass that the track becomes rock which will test out your suspension travel and clearance. Had a lot of fun laughing at the overseas tourists banging up the new Landcruiser hire vehicles. The palms and cycads only grow in this small area and no where else in the world and it is truly an Oasis.
Redbank Gorge and the oasis of Palm Valley.
Kings Canyon is the most impressive thing around and love it more than Ayres Rocks as it has a better atmosphere and the walls are so high it is hard to get a scale when your there until you hang over the past vertical walls ( no railings out here ). I have put a yellow arrow on the right photo below and you can just make out someone with a white top and blue shorts on to give you an idea. Along the rim walk that goes right along one side and back on the other which you have to do, there is the Garden of Eden which we sprung some German tourist skinny dipping ( swimming naked ) in and is beautiful spot.
The magnificent Kings Canyon with person arrowed for scale, ( white shirt ).
Further down it was a stop over at Ayres Rock where we first did the 10 km walk around the base as the climb was closed due to rain. It is well worth the hike as it gives you a different perspective with many caves and strange rock formations. I did find it rather sexist that you were not allowed to photograph the men's sacred areas but were the women's! It is also worth knowing ( according to the tribal elders there ) that it is not against their scared beliefs to climb the rock as the signs say as all the those areas are around the base and people are only discouraged to climb because it causes sadness every time a tourist dies from heart attack trying to. So the moral here is, if you are not fit don't climb it!
Ayres Rock and the ants are people climbing to the top.