tour company​
EAST & WEST MACDONNELL RANGES
Day tours, camping trips, hiking & private charters
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Stuff you may need to know...
Are tours suitable for children?
For safety reasons, only children over 7 years old are allowed on all tours, and must be supervised by parents at all times, especially around the waterholes.
The East Mac's Adventure is a very sloooooooow day tour. After seeing a few poor young souls suffer their way through the day with all the tree hugging, bird watching, and stopping repeatedly to chat about adult stuff, it has become clear to me that this tour is better suited to an older crowd.
What is the distance / how long is the drive for each trip?
From Alice Springs, it's around 140km to Ormiston Gorge in the West MacDonnell Ranges, which is currently the furthest destination on our day trips. If you drove directly there it would take approximately 1.5 hours at 110kpm, but we stop multiple times along the way and never exceed 100kph. The scenery is so lovely, you barely notice the distance anyway.
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It's 83km from Alice Springs to Ross River Resort, which is the end point of our East MacDonnell Ranges tour, but again we stop repeatedly along the way, so time flies! Our awesome tour bus is speed limited to 100kph, but usually dawdles along at 90 as there's no hurry, plus the scenery along the way is so pretty you won't be bothering to look at your watch!
Is it safe to swim?
Swimming in the permanent waterholes in Central Australia is safe provided you are aware of the risks and adhere to some basic guidelines. Children must be closely supervised by parents at all times. The water is extremely cold (around 8 degrees in winter), so hypothermia is possible if time in the water is exceeded. Some waterholes are extremely deep, and all potentially have submerged branches and rocks below the surface, so diving is firmly banned. There are no crocodiles in Central Australia, and no other dangerous animals that may harm you in the water. Snakes have very rarely been seen swimming across the surface of the water, but pose a very minor risk for harm as they strive to stay afloat and make it to their destination without sinking! Remember, they are always more scared of you than you are of them.