Simpsons Gap
Simpsons Gap is a water-carved rock cleft in the Macdonnell Range near Alice Springs. The gorge features red and brown rock walls with a permanent waterhole at its base.
The area has been shaped by the Arrente people for thousands of years, who connected it to hunting, gathering, and sacred stories. Water from Roe Creek carved the landscape and made it a center of human activity.
The place is known as Rungutjirpa to the Arrente people, a name reflecting deep connections to their stories and traditions. Visitors can sense the significance of this location in the landscape itself, where water and rock meet and create space for connection with the land.
The site is easy to reach by car on sealed roads, or you can cycle on a bike path from Flynn's Grave. Visitors should go early morning or late afternoon to avoid the heat and always bring water and sun protection.
Black-footed rock wallabies are hard to spot because they blend perfectly with the rocks, but patient watchers sometimes see them hopping in the rocky crevices. Their presence signals that you have found a place wild enough for these shy animals to thrive.
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