Driving the Outback: A Tour from Alice Springs to Ross River Resort

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Driving the Outback: A Tour from Alice Springs to Ross River Resort

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Alice Springs audio tour: Driving the Outback: A Tour from Alice Springs to Ross River Resort
This is a 64.7mi driving tour
It takes an average of 120 mins to complete.
Alice Springs
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$9.99
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About the Tour

There’s far more to Australia’s outback than its wild beauty, as you’ll soon discover on this driving tour from Alice Springs to the Ross River Resort. As you cruise beside the Todd and the Ross rivers in the shadow of the East MacDonnell (or ‘East Mac’) mountain ranges, I’ll bring aboriginal creation stories, local legends and the history of Arltunga’s gold rush era to life.

Along the way, you’ll hear about Corroboree Rock, a sacred aboriginal meeting place, and Ross River’s mysterious black horses, which locals call ‘the Three Amigos’. I’ll tell you about the great creation battle between giant stink bugs and caterpillars which, legend has it, shaped the stunning landscape you’ll drive past. I’ll also point out a few great spots where you can get out and stretch your legs on short hiking trails.

On this Outback tour, you’ll also have a chance to:

  • Take a short stroll around Emily Gap to see stunning rock art depicting the caterpillars that feature in the aboriginal creation story
  • Explore Jesse Gap and its brilliant photo ops
  • Enjoy a short bush walk around Corroboree Rock, a sacred site filled with amazing geology
  • Hear about local whip-cracking legend, Alec Ross, who experienced the bombing of Darwin in WW2
  • Find out about the Arltunga Gold Rush that brought thousands of hopeful miners to the area in search of their fortune
  • Experience Ross River Resort, known locally as the ’Oasis in the Desert,’ with its restaurant of Outback proportions

Having been a tour guide in Central Australia for over 15 years, I can’t wait to share all these quirky and interesting East Mac nuggets with you, so please join me for an adventurous and fact-filled day. Allow four hours for this driving tour, which includes lingering at several stops along the way. Morning tea and lunch can be purchased at the Ross River Resort at the end of the drive.

Music

Travel Light by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license.

Redwood Trail by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license.

Redwood Highway by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license.

Front Porch Sitter by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license.

Plantation by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license.

Categories
Modern History Fine Art Music And Performance

Tour Producer

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Clive Gregory

4 tours

I am an accredited Tour Guide with over thirty years experience exploring both the Australian outback and cities alike. I have worked for many tour companies of varying sizes that have given me the capacity to work with and cater for the needs of many different types of personalities and tour groups.

I enjoy the interaction between visitors and guests alike by showing them the many fascinating places and sharing their local stories. The depth of this knowledge and understanding was gleaned over many years of guiding.

My tours are a great insight into the local culture, history, geology, architecture and biodiversity of the areas that I have toured.

I hope you will enjoy the apps as much as I did making them.

See you on tour...

Clive Gregory

Preview Location

Location 3

Billy Goat Hill

When you reach the intersection, turn right at the traffic lights into Telegraph Terrace & the town site of Alice Springs is to your left and Billy Goat hill is on the right.

Billy Goat Hill is named after the Billy Goats that were herded by an Arabunna Woman Topsy Smith wh... Read More
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Major Landmarks

  • Alice Springs Airport

  • Alice Springs

  • Araluen Cultural Precinct

  • Central Australian Aviation Museum

  • Billy Goat Hill

  • Telegraph Terrace

  • Heavitree Gap

  • Todd River

  • Ross Highway

  • Alice Springs Brewing Co

  • Emily Gap

  • Undoolya Station

  • Corroboree Rock Conservation Reserve

  • Trephina Gorge Nature Park

  • Arltunga Road

  • Ross River Resort

  • Mercure Alice Springs Resort

  • Stay at Alice Springs Hotel

  • Desert Palms Alice Springs

  • DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Alice Springs

  • Crowne Plaza Alice Springs Lasseters

  • Alice on Todd Apartments

  • Diplomat Hotel Alice Springs

  • Discovery Parks - Alice Springs

  • G'Day Mate Tourist Park

  • Heritage Caravan Park

  • Alice Springs Visitor Information Centre

  • Elkira Court Motel

  • Alice Motor Inn

  • Wintersun Cabin & Caravan Park

  • Thrifty Car Rental Alice Springs Downtown

  • Hertz Car Rental - Alice Springs

  • Budget Car & Truck Rental Alice Springs Airport

  • Wicked Campers Alice Springs

  • Europcar Alice Springs Airport

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Getting There

Route Overview

VoiceMap tours follow a route from a set starting point. It’s how we give turn-by-turn directions and tell a story greater than the sum of its parts.
  1. Start location
    70 Larapinta Dr, Araluen NT 0870, Australia
  2. Total distance
    104km
  3. Final location
    7829 Ross Hwy, Hale NT 0872, Australia
  4. Distance back to start location
    65km

Directions to Starting Point

The Araluen Cultural Centre is about 3km (1.8 miles) out of Alice Springs heading west along Larapinta Drive. It is on the left hand side as you head out of town. Turn left into the main car park, find a suitable space to start your tour, park up and press play.

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Tips

Places to stop along the way

Emily & Jesse Gaps are good places to get out of the car and stretch the legs. They have examples of Indigenous rock art that illustrate the caterpillar creation being or Yeperinye.

Coroboree Rock is also an opportunity to stretch the legs and use the facilities. Here visitors can take a short walk around the sacred site and admire the amazing geological formations.

Trephina Gorge provides the traveller with a choice of a couple of bush walks with varying degrees of difficultly around and through the gorge itself. The photographic opportunities are awesome.

Ross River Resort has an outback restaurant that presents the travel - weary tourist with a smorgasbord of delightfull mouthwatering delicacacies to slake the dusty palate. Morning and afteroon tea(s) are a speciality.

Best time of day

During daylight hours is the best time to complete this tour. This tour is best suited for the cooler months of April to September. Be aware that kangaroos are most active in the early morning and late afternoon especially in the warmer summer months and a kangaroo impact at high speed will really ruin your day, not to mention the kangaroo's.

Precautions

Take care when bush-walking in the warmer months September – April. Temperatures can be quite hot. Take plenty of water with a hat, long sleeves and good walking shoes and tell someone else where you are going and what time you expect to return.

Please be advised to fill up with fuel before you leave Alice Springs as there is only one other place to purchase fuel in the East Macs. This is at Ross River Resort however, this supply cannot always be guaranteed.

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