Next stop on our tour of the West MacDonnells was Standley Chasm, with the 'ch' in chasm pronounced disconcertingly by many like the 'ch' in chap, rather than the 'ch' in charisma. Not sure what that's about.
I'd been there 38 years ago, on my fabled $49 all inclusive two day bus tour from Alice Springs to Ayers Rock and back, and remembered well the terrific light show put on every day at noon precisely, when the rays of the sun shine directly into the narrow vertical gap.
It didn't let us down, and the throngs who comprised the day's 'Standley Chasm ensemble' duly assembled and watched in awe.
We'd arrived a little early, so took the opportunity to walk a bit of the Larapinta Trail, the 223km walking track from Mt Sonder to Alice Springs. At this point it goes up and over the range, and you can sit up there and look down on the narrow gap below.
I was as ever curious to see how much the place had changed since 1974, so dug out my slide from back then. Uncannily, even the trees seem identical, and haven't grown perceptably. The pilgrims had longer hair in those days and slightly different fashions maybe. Compare the two pics.
