0033 Perth to the Gold Coast - Week 2
12th July 2021
Gorges, sand dunes, and lots of nothing !
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| Sunrise ar Hargrave Lookout |
over the valley below us – But very cold fingers while packing up ! After breakfast we drove down from the Neil Hargrave Lookout and on to Serpentine Gorge where we were one of the first there for a walk. After the short but scenic walk up to the lake (ie non-flowing river) at the end of the gorge, we then climbed the stairs up the side of the gorge to the lookout (They weren’t quite so extreme as those in Kings Canyon a couple of days ago) which allowed us to gaze down into the gorge below. An excellent hike, and it was then back to the
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| Serpentine Gorge |
car and an hour or so further up the road to Standley Chasm, which is only some 45 kms outside of Alice Springs and therefore gets a lot of day tourists who have flown in to The Alice. We got there early enough to avoid a lot of the crowds, and had a delicious BLT sandwich….with egg, and a coffee. Just what we needed after our cold and early start. We then paid our fee (this gorge is more commercial and part of the local Aboriginal lands) and set off up through the
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| Standley Chasm |
gorge – A very pleasant walk. When we reached the narrow chasm it was 10 minutes to noon, and Jamie had mentioned earlier that the sun would be directly overhead (and thus lighting up the chasm) at precisely noon - Yet again the Tourist Guide had nailed it ! There was only one other family in the chasm at that time, and together we waited for the sun to be overhead so we could take our photos – All very pleasant. And as we left the chasm, it seemed that 15 coach loads arrived, and we exited gratefully and quickly. An excellent morning. By the time we got back to the car park there was hardly room to move, so we quickly pulled out and drove into Alice Springs – Ah, a blissful smooth tarmac road with no saucepans rattling in the back of the car !
