We felt the east side to not have as many options but is unique in its own way due to it being a lot less touristy than the west side. Me personally I like the less crowded spots and the harder they are to get there the better. Whilst it is easy to get to the east side there are a few hard tracks that really make it even more special once you get to them.
On the east side you have Emily’s Gap, Jessies Gap, Corroberee Rock, N’dhala Gorge, Trephina Gorge and Arltunga Historical reserve. These are all easy to get to with minimal fuss, and then there is our favourite Ruby’s gap, that is slightly more challenging and the most scenic one we found in both the east and west sides.
Ross River Resort
Ross River Resort is where we stayed when exploring the East side, to get there it is all on bitumen and is Basically at the end of Ross Hwy. This is a small old Resort with the nicest camp managers (Graham and Lee) that you would find, they are full of knowledge and happy to show you the history and hot spots around this great part of the country. The pub/ restaurant is actually built from the old Ghan Train tracks and bridges from when the line got shut down, even with 1st class seats in the fire area from the train.
The place is quiet, peaceful with lots of wild life around and just the right distance from all the attractions for day trips and I would highly recommend going to stay there for a night or two even if camping isn’t your thing they have you sorted for rooms too.
Emily gap
We never stopped in at this one as we were gorged out and figured we would get back to it once we hit Alice Springs as it is only 10km out, but it never happened. It has a short walk from the main road, so it is one of the easiest to see and do. There are some rock arts here to check out too that tell the story of how Alice Springs was formed.
Jessie’s Gap
Jessie’s Gap is situated 1 km or so up from Emily Gap and is also easy to access, there was no water here and the gap is like someone turning on the A/C as when you step into the middle of the dry river it was so windy it nearly blows you over. There was a few more paintings here to check out too that are very interesting.
N’Dhala Gorge
Was a cool little drive for us as we stayed at the Ross river resort, the drive went from basically the entrance to the campsites through a windy road crossing over the Ross river a number of times, this wasn’t boggy and a standard 4wd will get you there a normal car is not recommended.Along the way we seen a lot of wild horses, some digging a hole in a small gap in the rocks to gain access to a small water hole.
When you get there, there is a 1.5 km walk through a small track that takes you in and out of a small creek bed that is dried out. With a lot of petroglyphs (stone engravings) along the way it is really slow going as there is so much to see and with a small cave along the way that would of made a great spot for anyone back in the day to camp up for as long as they needed to.
There are some signs made up telling a story where the males can go and where the females are aloud to go in and around the gorge that is pretty interesting. The gorge it self is very beautiful and should be seen especially if there is water around, but the story and petroglyphs were the main attraction for us on this one.
Trephina Gorge
Unfortunately, we didn’t go to this gorge either as we lost track of time and couldn’t fit it in. There is a tree there that is apparently 300 years old. With a number of short walks when you get into the gorge it self stemming out from the river bed that is dried up, there
should be something that takes your fancy. There is also a ridge top rim walk with some amazing views, really wished we did stop in to this one to check it out, but maybe next time.
Arltunga Historical Reserve
Arltunga Historical reserve was very interesting, it has a deserted gold rush town and was the first major European settlement in Central Australia. Some of these buildings are still standing and would be great to be able to use similar to those in the Victorian high country if you needed a place to stay the night whilst out exploring, however I would rather they didn’t get destroyed by careless people and have them protected from these types of people we have in society. It is a good little walk and you can drive within a 100m or so of the buildings. It was very interesting to see how they did it back in 1887 and amazing that they are still in good condition.
Ruby’s Gap
Then there is my Favourite, Ruby’s Gap. Ruby’s Gap is a great day out for who ever visits, it has great views and even better, a medium level 4×4 track to get there, that kept everyone else away so we had it all to ourselves. You drive inside the riverbed to get there and along some tight tracks with a few pin stripes either side of your car, the sights along the way, I thought was the best looking and scenic we seen in both the western and eastern ranges.
When you get to the water at the end it is truly beautiful. We climbed around the water to check out the next 2 pools of water and it just seemed to go for ever. the whole way you are surrounded by walls of red rock towering over you with some spots having water falls that would fall with rain. Without a doubt I would do anything to get out to see this one especially when we had it all to ourselves, literally not 1 other person was at this Gap for the entire day. the wild life along the way was pretty cool too with donkeys, birds and a few lizards that we got to see. There is some free camping available along the way but it gets to a point where you wouldn’t take your trailers any further along the track.
Alice Springs is a great starting point to head out on both the West and East side it has everything you need to get going. Once out there you should stop in and stay at all the places you can to get the full experience. The Red Centre is truly an amazing place and should be on the list to see, there are some amazing events / world events that happen in and around Alice Springs like the Finke Desert Race. We happened to be there for it and would recommend that you get out there to see that too. It was a well run and amazing thing to see.
Last words on this one would be to get out here and see it for yourself.
Thanks Lapping the Island
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