Enjoy a sunrise breakfast or a sunset champagne and watch the play of light across the colourful sandstone cliffs of Rainbow Valley Conservation Reserve. The incredible geology here is part of the James Range. The cliffs and their many colours were formed by water leeching minerals up to form a hard iron-rich crust and soft white sandstone base. Discover the indigenous carvings and rock paintings around the park.
The Rainbow Valley Conservation Reserve is located 97 kilometres (60 miles) south of Alice Springs. The scenic drive into the reserve is flanked by Desert Oaks. Within the park the spinifex plains and mulga woods provide habitat for much bird life.
Walking trails lead around claypans and the base of the cliffs to Mushroom Rock, a brilliant red-rock formation with a tunnel eroded through its base. Its white sandstone “stem” is protected by the harder iron-rich cap, making the natural sculpture resemble a toadstool. Look for the bottle-shaped mud nests of fairy martin swallows in the rock’s crevices and hollows.
Rainbow Valley has historic and spiritual significance for the indigenous Southern-Arrernte people. Ancient tools, paintings and rock carvings have been found in the James Range dating back as far as 30,000 years.
Visit the sacred sites of Rainbow Valley Conservation Park as part of a ticketed guided tour from Alice Springs. Indigenous guides give insight into the Southern-Arrernte people’s ongoing connection to this special place, their living culture, Dreaming stories and their uses of native plants and animals for food and medicine. If you visit on your own, make sure to stick to the marked paths. Visitors are asked to respect the importance of Rainbow Valley to the Aboriginal people.
Stay overnight to camp out beneath the stars in the Rainbow Valley campground. Rise at dawn to see the fantastic rings of colour on the cliffs. There are toilet, picnic and barbeque facilities within the campground but you will need to bring your own water.
The turn-off to Rainbow Valley Reserve is 75 kilometres (46.6 miles) south of Alice Springs along the Stuart Highway. The final leg of the drive is recommended for four-wheel drive vehicles only.
