{"id":56065,"date":"2023-07-07T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-07-07T00:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.snowys.com.au\/blog\/?p=56065"},"modified":"2023-07-06T16:19:32","modified_gmt":"2023-07-06T06:49:32","slug":"day-trips-in-alice-springs-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.snowys.com.au\/blog\/day-trips-in-alice-springs-3\/","title":{"rendered":"Day Trips in Mparntwe (Alice Springs): Part 3"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Chambers Pillar<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Duration:<\/strong> 2hr 54 min (163.8 km) from Alice Springs via Maryvale Road and Maryvale<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Total Distance:<\/strong> 300km return from Alice Springs<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chambers Pillar was formed from sandstone deposited and worn down over 350 million years. It was an important landmark guiding the region\u2019s earliest pioneers on their way from Adelaide to Alice Springs. John MacDouall Stuart first recorded the pillar in 1860 and named it after one of the South Australian benefactors of his expedition, James Chambers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Some testing road conditions along Maryvale Road.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is the option to loop a visit to Chambers Pillar in on the same day trip or tour to Rainbow Valley<\/a>. If you\u2019d prefer to visit the historical reserve on its own, then you\u2019re looking at a three-hour journey following Maryvale Road. You\u2019ll also see some of the Finke Desert Race track. The 50-metre-high pillar is unmissable, and there is a viewing platform at its base. Tour operators include Outback Elite Tours and Spirit Safaris.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Access to Chambers Pillar Historical Reserve lies 160km south of Alice Springs, along the Maryvale Road on a turnoff to the west of Maryvale Station. The road is unsealed and may be closed after rain. After the Maryvale turnoff, a 4WD is required to negotiate the deep sand drifts and steep jump ups. Use extreme caution when driving over single lane sand dunes. It is advisable to have someone check for oncoming traffic, or attach a flag to warn other motorists of your approach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Vivid<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Approaching Maryvale Road.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Vivid<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Approaching Maryvale Road.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The History of Chambers Pillar<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The main feature of this 340 hectare Reserve is the pillar of sandstone which towers 50 metres above the surrounding plain. Sandstone sediments were laid down in the area 350 Million years ago. Since then, wind and rain have eroded away the softer material, leaving this solitary sandstone column.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stuart described the Pillar as a beacon. Layers of sand, silt, and clay were deposited on the sea shores over time. The entire area was much higher in altitude than it is today, part of a vast plain that experienced seasonal heavy rains. This was during his third attempt to cross the continent from south to north and find a route for the overland telegraph line, connecting Australia with Europe, Java, and India. Following Stuart (who did not leave his initials in the Pillar), other early explorers, the builders of the Overland Telegraph Line, and travellers to Central Australia used Chambers Pillar as a navigational landmark.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Violet<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

There’s nothing plain about this vast plain!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Violet<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The colours of the plain and the Pillar.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Until the coming of the railway in the 1920s, the Pillar was a landmark in the desert on the long overland journey from Adelaide to Alice Springs. Many of those early travellers have left a record of their visit in the soft, white sandstone, including John Ross and Alfred Giles both in 1870. More recently, visitors have added their names or graffitied the rock face. This is illegal and lessens the historical significance of the Reserve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Chambers Pillar Historical Reserve is also the site of Aboriginal significance in the Dreamtime. It is said the Gecko ancestor Iterrkewarre (pronounced it-turk-kar-wara<\/em>) left the Finke River and journeyed north-eastward. As he travelled, he grew into a huge and powerfully built man of super human strength and extreme violence of temper. Read how the Dreamtime story unfolds here<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"'JRoss'<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

John Ross recorded his name in 1870.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Carvings<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Man-made marks from the past.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Red<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Napwerte (Ewaninga Rock Carvings)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Red<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Napwerte (Ewaninga Rock Carvings)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Few Considerations:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n