I love travelling by camperbus… or is it called a campervan, or even a motorhome?!
I’m not sure what the exact difference is?
(If you know do tell in the comments below!)
But the bit I love the most about travelling this way is when you feel a tad peckish, a tiny bit thirsty or even in need of an afternoon nap…
Pull over… and its all sorted 😉
Standley Chasm
After a magical few days visiting Uluru and Kata Tjuta), we picked up our 5 berth motor-home in Alice Springs, pulled out of town and at the first opportunity pulled over for breakfast!
Our ‘home’ for the week
Replenished, our first real stop for the day was to be Standley Chasm, just 50km to the west of Alice on Larapinta Drive.
The Way into Standley Chasm
It’s only a 20 minute walk into the chasm from the car park up a delightful path.
Starting out under classic eucalypts…
The Eucalyptus trunks are a tree-huggers’ dream (3 guesses what I am!)
While the tree trunks satisfy the eye-level-eye-candy, the rocks underfoot satisfy the textural-underfoot-tactile-foot-candy.
The Sheer Red Sides of Standley Chasm
After a little bit of clambering up a predominantly dry creek bed…
Standley Chasm opened out before us.
The Eucalypt helps to give it a little scale…
…and stunning colour contrasts.
It’s an artist’s paradise…
So we sit ourselves down with sketch pads in hand, to take in the ambience and breath in the atmosphere.
And this is what I saw and felt…
Red rugged rocky sides flaming up the perpendicular chasm walls…
…to the blue sky above
where the sun at midday penetrates the close chasm walls and simultaneously lights up both sides as it passes overhead.
Wild-flowers and grasses cling on perilously to survive in the dry craggy crevices.
Long-Nosed Dragon
Returning back down the path we see amongst the leaf litter a Long-Nosed Dragon
Also known as the ‘Ta-Taa’ lizard as when scurrying off they’ll often stop momentarily and lift a front leg, appearing to wave goodbye… ta-ta 😉
It’s particularly long nose, as well as a long tail, help it balance when running at high speed. (Official name: Lophognathus longirostris)
So first stop of the day in the West MacDonnell Ranges, Standley Chasm is plotted…
…& the route dotted on my pictorial map of Central Australia🙂
If you want one to record your trip to the Red centre you can buy a Central Australia Map Journal during your visit to Standley Chasm at the Kiosk there –
Don’t forget to ask!
Or, if you missed the opportunity ~
Next stop, 80 km (1.5 hours) to the Ochre Pits
Have you visited Standley Chasm? Or is it still on the ‘To Do’?
Do share in the comments below
That’s a lot of driving Linda, which must have been exciting. I love driving, particularly in the Aussie outback.
Great photo journal Linda, incredibly inspiring.
Thanks for this.
Catherine
Driving in the Australian outback where there’s such a huge landscape to admire (and very little traffic) I so agree Catherine, is wonderful 🙂
Good morning!!!! just looked on facebook and seen this amazing site, brilliant – why didn’t I get there when I visited?? Reason to visit again. Jen xxx
Australia is such a vast and varied land!
So much to see, but generally such huge distances to cover between ‘attractions’ –
One has to either flit like a butterfly between a few prominent spots, or focus on a region –
The Red Centre is a perfect area for ‘focus’ as there’re so many beautiful, and diverse, landscapes to enjoy –
Look forward to seeing you down under again so we can further explore 🙂
Yes, the Red Centre is such a great place to discover. You go there thinking that it’s a dry, empty place and when you’re back you just can’t stop telling everyone about it. But words are not enough to describe the greatness of the landscape and the bright colours that surround you. That’s why you need the pictures. And you’ve captured great ones, Linda.
We booked a hotel for a week in Alice Springs and travelled around, going down to Uluru, then Finke Gorge, Kalaranga lookout, Simpsons Gap, Standley Chasm, Ormiston Gorge. Every day was another revelation with so many stunning, incredible spots to explore.
The only thing we missed was the Kings’ Canyon. I think we missed it on purpose. To go back for more.
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Ooooo – You managed to cover quite a bit of ground… but funny that there’s still an elusive bit lurking 😉
Like you, I still have to return to see Kings Canyon!
HHHMMMmmm…. Maybe a ‘camperbus’ is a camper made from an actual bus?? Of course a ‘motorhome’ is a home on wheels!! I guess that clears THAT up then!!
I’ve got a pretty average shot of Standley Chasm – but it consistently gets WOW comments whenever I post it! It’s just that kind of place!!
Red Nomad OZ recently posted..Only in OZ #18 – Big Woolbales, Hamilton, Victoria
I’m beginning to think a camperbus is more like a VW van that’s been converted to do no more than cramp-ly camp in it, whereas a motor home is more designed, as you say, to be a home on wheels like a caravan, but with a motor? LOL
The Red Centre has some great photo opportunities. doesn’t it 😉
I love travel in camper, but in smaller one, as motorhomes are too big and slow 😀
With four of us, I have to say the size of the motorhome was great!
It was surprisingly easy to handle, but was a bit of a fuel guzzler ~ With such long gaps between stops in the Territory it became prudent to keep an eye on the fuel gauge 😉
yep..it is better to have spare tank with fuel.
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Wow! Looking at the blue sky from chasm walls is so cool.