Another cold night & a frosty start to the day, you’d think we were still in Canberra.  First up we found out that the shock absorber was dispatched from Melbourne by air & should be here today & we are booked in for tomorrow afternoon to have it fitted.  We checked a few camping stores to see if we could find a windshield for our gas wok burner but all sold out. They had too many wet windy days recently and Alice Springs is a city of caravans/campers transiting through. Everyone is amazed about the big freeze that is happening here.

We headed out to the West MacDonnell Ranges, our first stop being Standley Chasm.  A lovely walk up a stony creek bed, wildflowers out in bloom & the most amazing display of river red gums clinging precariously to life, no matter what nature had thrown at them.  We were in luck when we reached the chasm as one wall was bathed in sunlight, this only happens for about half an hour a day as the walls are so steep & the chasm is so narrow.  A beautiful show with all the deep reds & oranges.  We took our time walking back & enjoyed the stunning scenery and trees.  Next we headed off on the southern loop track at Standley Chasm, climbing the range, then descending into another creek before walking back down it to the road, about an hour of absolutely stunning visions, again the camera cannot do any justice to how magnificent the scenery is.  The amazing thing was that we were by ourselves, the vast majority of people only walk up to the chasm.

Next stop was Simpson’s Gap, another very pretty creek & gorge, but it doesn’t come close to Standley Chasm.  It was only a short walk up & back.

Back to Alice Springs & into mobile reception, we had a message that the shock absorber has arrived & we can have it fitted first thing in the morning – great.  We will have an early start tomorrow, we will have to be packed and take the Karavan with us & leave for the crossing of the Tanami Desert as soon as the mechanics finish.  The delay may have been a blessing in disguise, the roads should have dried out more.

Coffee & cake for afternoon tea as we started to clean up, wash clothes & pack for our departure.  Another nice dinner with Sue & John washed down by a red.