It is an amazingly spectacular area in remote Australia, south of Alice
Springs, east of Stuart Highway in the outback Northern
Territory.
The sandstone cliffs formed by
erosion don’t only have some impressive shapes, they also have stunning
colours which change depending of the time of the day – during the
midday they are orange and as the sun sets they get deeper and deeper
red. Geology
But not all that rock is red - some of it
is white. Because red rocks are the result of the chemical weathering
of iron oxides,
the redder rocks are from times when
the climate in the area was wet. The sediments that turned into
the white rocks have been laid during the times when the climate was
dry. The red rocks are more resistant to erosion which is why the tops
of the rocks are red
– too hard to erode away, while the white parts of the rocks are more
eroded.
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Vegetation and Aboriginal Rock Painting
The area is on clay and sand
plains with Spinifex grasslands. There are also
some examples of Aboriginal
rock painting and engravings in the rocks,
and the area is a sacred site for Aboriginal
people.
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How to Get Here
You can get here by turning off Stuart Highway some 80km south of Alice
Springs. It is an unsealed road that first
takes you to the park entrance, and then to the camping area where
there is a car park, picnic tables, barbeques and toilets.
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Mushroom Rock and Grassland Birds
At the camping area, there is the start of a short walk to the
Mushroom Rock – a beautiful sandstone
formation with Fairy
Martin nests. There are other grassland birds
around too, and make sure you bring your camera, you’ll get some
impressive photos. Camping fees are payable at the camping site, and
you will have to bring your own food. Rainbow Valley is one of the real
secret spots in the Australia outback and well worth a visit.
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Here's a map of Rainbow Valley area, -
you can
double-click anywhere on the map to zoom it in and see the places
closer. Drag the map to move around, and if you want to see the
satellite image with Google Earth, click on "Sat" in the top right hand
corner.
Note:
This site uses
British English, which is the English we use in Australia. You will
find words like "traveller", "harbour" and "realise", and they are all
correct in the language used in Australia.
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