Western Desert Art 4WD Explorer

Arrival day in Alice Springs. In the afternoon enjoy a town tour visiting Tjanpi Desert Weavers, Many Hands Gallery and the Tangentyere Artists. In the evening spend time getting to know your fellow travellers and guide at a local restaurant, Alice Springs.

After a hearty breakfast it is time to travel west, first visiting iconic Simpsons Gap. Featuring the towering cliffs of Simpsons Range, a permanent waterhole and opportunities to spot resident wildlife. Simpsons Gap was the mythological home of a group of giant goanna ancestors. Several dreaming trails and stories cross at this important spiritual site. In the heat of the day we stop off at Standley Chasm & Ormiston Gorge. Ormiston Gorge is a great place for a cool dip, to see the towering red walls of the gorge and pound, and local plants and wildlife. You will end up at the Woodland Campground at Redbank Gorge enjoying a lovely dinner under the stars.

Today we head further west and visit Papunya, the home of modern day Central Australian Aboriginal art. The artists of Papunya Tjupi have established their own unique identity based on the legacy of their forefathers. The Art Centre supports emerging artists and some of Australia’s leading contemporary painters who are renowned for their strong line-work and for continuously developing new ways to tell the old stories. From here we head to Ikuntji (Haasts Bluff) to visit another iconic art gallery. Ikuntji Artists was the first art centre established for women of the Western Desert art movement. Return via Roma Gorge, one of the best examples of petroglyphs in Central Australia, before settling into our camp at Redbank Gorge.

After a delicious breakfast, travel to Tnorala (Gosse’s Bluff) to explore a 140 million year old comet crater. We continue to our bush camp at Rodna on the Finke River where we are privileged to have exclusive access to this site in a spectacular setting where we will spend 1 night. Enjoy an afternoon walk to Glen Helen Gorge.

After packing up camp we visit the Hermannsburg Historic Precinct where the Lutherans set up a mission in 1877. It was also home to Albert Namatjira. You will be guided through the site by a Traditional Owner of the area. We will also visit the Hermannsburg Potters. Then it’s on to Palm Valley to visit these ancient relics left over from a much wetter time. From here we head back to Alice Springs. Accommodation: Mercure Hotel

This morning is at your leisure until your departing flight.