Ross River, Northern Territory: Travel guide and things to do

The small settlement of Ross River lies 87 km east of Alice Springs on the Ross Highway which is a very beautiful and dramatic drive with the East MacDonnells rising steeply and dramatically on either side of the road. It is some of the most beautiful scenery in the Centre.

Ross River and the Ross Highway were named after the explorer John Ross who was appointed by Charles Todd to lead an advance expedition through the centre to determine a route for the Overland Telegraph. Ross was a remarkable man. Born in Scotland he arrived in Australia in 1837 and soon became an accomplished bushman working for the wealthy South Australian station owner, Thomas Elder.

The area now known as Ross River was originally settled by Tennant and Love in 1876. Life in the area at that time was extraordinarily hard. The nearest railhead was at Oodnadatta which was 600 km away. With the discovery of gold at Arltunga the station owner, a man called Albert Wallis, started growing vegetables to feed the miners.

Things to see

Ross River Resort
Today Ross River is the site of a resort which specialises in simple, no frills holidays in log cabins with an emphasis on horse riding and bush walking. Its brochure even boasts: 'Ross River Homestead doesn't offer telephones in your room, or television or early morning papers'. For more information check out:http://www.rossriverresort.com.au/about.htm

N'Dhala Gorge Nature Park
15 km from the Ross River Resort is the very beautiful N'Dhala Gorge Nature Park. The Nature Park has two deep gorges which both have interesting flora as well as Aboriginal carvings and fossils. All the interesting sites can be inspected by an easy walk through the gorges.

The journey from the Ross Highway to N'dhala Gorge is for 4WD vehicles only. The route is a sandy, narrow road which runs along the bed of the Ross River. The surrounding scenery, particularly the dramatic cliffs which rise from the riverbed, is spectacular.

N'Dhala Gorge is important because of its Aboriginal rock carvings but they are not easy to locate. This problem is even acknowledged by the Conservation Commission of the Northern Territory on their sign at the base of the gorge: 'This park was declared to protect the hundreds of rock carvings that line N'Dhala Gorge. They are evidence of an Aboriginal presence that dates back many centuries. It isn't known what the carvings mean but they express Aboriginal cultural beliefs and have helped to pass these beliefs from one generation to the next. The area's oldest carvings are weather–worn and difficult to see, but the younger carvings - maybe 300 years old - are more easily seen... Take drinking water and strong ankle-supporting footwear...Please do not touch or stand on any of the carvings and do respect the area's continued significance for Aborigines.' For more information check out;http://www.nt.gov.au/nreta/parks/find/ndhalagorge.html