Alice Camp 'N' Drive
76 Hartley Street, Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia
Ph 08 8952 0098
Rainbow Valley is situated about 100 kilometres south of Alice Springs. 75 kilometres south along the Stuart Hwy and 22 kilometres east along a graded unsealed road to the eastern edge of the James Ranges. Remnants of a time when the ranges were one, Rainbow Valley is separated in a stand alone ### that is best seen at sunset when the western sun, shines on its sandstone bluffs.
The coloured bands of sandstone in the free-standing cliffs radiate light that spills over the desert oor which, after rain, can be covered in wild owers. Weathering and erosion have shaped the valley, and sandstone blocks have been sculpted into angular rock faces and squared towers. The coloured rock bands in the sandstone cliffs were created when the environment was wetter than today - iron was dissolved and drawn to the surface to form a dark surface layer, leaving leached white layers below.
At the base is a large flat salt lake that can fill after good rains. Walk around and behind the cliffs to mushroom rock and shelter from the hot desert sun.
Camping ground with limited amenities.
