Don't go home without seeing Central Australia's Unique Oasis! Finke Gorge National Park covers an area of 461 square kilometres and lies approximately 138 km west of Alice Springs. The National Park has 460 documented species of plants including the red cabbage palm (Livistona mariae), MacDonnell Ranges cycads (Macrozamia macdonnelli) various species of daisies, grevilleas and the beautiful Sturt desert rose. The park is home to a variety of reptiles including goannas, bearded dragons, geckos and skinks. Eucalypts flank the wide sandy Finke River bed, including river red gums and bloodwood trees, their hollows providing homes for the many species of birdlife including mulga parrots, Port Lincoln parrots, rainbow bee-eaters and yellow throated minors.

The Finke River is more than 250 million years old, one of the world’s oldest rivers. The river has followed its present course for approximately 100 million years, emerging through the West Macdonnell Ranges from the Davenport and Ormiston Creeks. The usually dry riverbed meanders through the park between the Krichauff and James Ranges, continuing south to the Macumba River and Lake Eyre. The Finke River bed was the route taken by early inland explorers such as Ernest Giles who, in 1872, discovered Palm Creek.

Palm Valley (click on image for a larger photo)

Amphitheatre (click on image for a larger photo)

An area within the park known as Kalarranga Lookout provides breathtaking views of both Palm Valley and the ancient sandstone escarpments and valley floor, known as the Amphitheatre. Continuing along the riverbed we enter Cycad Gorge, part of Palm Creek, the entry point to Palm Valley. Ochre coloured gorges with their rugged escarpments border Palm valley. The valley contains approximately 1,200 mature and 12,000 immature red cabbage palms (unique in the world). Rock pools and white sands are part of this lush oasis surrounded by the harsh desert, a reminder of Central Australia’s past when tropical rainforests covered this part of the continent. This significant area is of particular interest to naturalists and photographers. Several species of inland fish are found in the waterholes.