Wednesday was the day to explore the gorges of the East MacDonnell Ranges. But first we drove up to Anzac Hill for a panoramic view of the Alice.

A fitting place for a war memorial.

Then it was back down the hill and off to explore the East MacDonnells driving up the Ross Highway.

We drove past Jessie Gap though we did not stop.

Our first stop in the East MacDonnell Ranges was Trephina Gorge with it's lovely John Hayes Rockhole. There was not alot of water but then it had been a while since the area had seen rain.

 John Hayes Rockhole

After walking to the rockhole ,we drove to the start of the walk at the gorge itself. With my sore knee, I walked up through the gorge on the dry sandy river bed. The others did part of the panorama walk before scrambling down cliffs to join me.

 There were a number of birds enjoying water dripping from the tap. I believe the lizard is a long nosed dragon.We saw alot of them throughout the ranges and they run on their hind-legs when startled.. Very amusing to watch.

 It was very peaceful and,as usual, I took too many photos.

The two photos above are photos that Mark took from above the gorge.These two are as well..






This gorge was one of my favorites. in the East Macdonnells alongside Emily Gap.

This magnificent ghost gum, seen on the way out, is estimated to be over 500 years old.

And then on our way to Ross River and N'dhala Gorge, we had to give way to horses crossing the road.

The Ross River Homestead is now a  tourist facility formed around the original Loves Creek Homestead built in 1898 by the pioneering Bloomfield family as a working cattle station.
(http://www.macdonnellranges.com/Ross-River-Resort-visitors-information-guide.htm)

We had a long chat to the lady at the reception desk . She described the homestead as similar to Doctor Who's Tardis, "bigger on the inside than it's looks from the outside". And she was right as rooms seemed to keep opening up from each other. I would love to come back and stay here. They have rooms as well as a camping ground.

We were also shown the scenic 4wd only track to N'dhala Gorge. There was even a small water crossing, exciting when you haven't seen any for a while.

We turned onto Binns Track before reaching the gorge. We had been on part this track last week from Mt Dare until we turned off for the Lambert Centre.

This was another beautiful place to walk through though we didn't stay long enough.

We kept on Binns Track until we reached the Ross Highway again.

The track brought us out not far from Jessie Gap.

Emily Gap was a pleasant surprise with it's rock art.
The others chose not to stop here as Chris had discovered an oil leak and wanted to get to the mechanics before they closed for the day.

This is a must see if you ever do the East MacDonnell Ranges. Well worth the stop.

So then it was back to town for us. Tea was out this night to celebrate Chris' birthday,followed by some window shopping in Todd Mall.