Twin Ghost Gums (Simpson Gap) 1 June 2006

Set off in the morning for Standley (not Stanley) Chasm. Arrived in time for the advised “best time” - midday, when the light streams through the chasm. It is privately run by Aboriginal people, so unlike all the other gorges in this National Park, they charge for entry. It costs $7.50 each to get in. It was worth it however and we were pleased to see that all the people running it were Aboriginal - not like Uluru where we did not see any Aboriginal people working there. The Chasm was really special but because it is recommended to be there at 12 noon, there were 50 or more people crowded in. Forget photography! We stayed on when everyone had left and found some fantastic sections beyond the chasm. We are continually amazed at the different geological features we see in the same region. Sometimes we go to one with no expectations and are pleasantly surprised.Stopped at a rest area near Simpsons Gap for the night – very peaceful watching the sunset over the ranges. That night, we had some visitors who wanted to let off fire works for Territory Day at the rest area. You can buy fire works for 2 days at this time and old memories came flooding back! The 4 kids were 6 – 10 year olds and had a ball. Peter was delighted as he had missed out in the fireworks in Alice. The 2 packs cost $100 each and lasted 1 ½ hours.