What is MacDonnell Ranges?
[[File:West MacDonnell National Park.JPG|thumb|220px|Western MacDonnell Ranges]] [[File:Standley Chasm.jpg|thumb|220px|Standley Chasm]] The '''MacDonnell Ranges''' are a long narrow range of mountains in the [[Northern Territory]] of [[Australia]]. They run in an almost straight line from east to west for hundreds of kilometres, on either side of [[Alice Springs, Northern Territory|Alice Springs]].<ref name=mdr/> The Western MacDonnell Ranges have some spectacular gaps right through the range. Some of these such as [[Simpsons Gap]], and [[Standley Chasm]] are major tourist attractions. The [[Heavitree Gap]] allows road and rail access to Alice Springs right through the mountains. They were named by the explorer [[John McDouall Stuart]] after Sir [[Richard MacDonnell]], the [[Governor of South Australia]]. The ranges are protected by the [[West MacDonnell National Park]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nt.gov.au/nreta/parks/find/westmacdonnell.html |title=West MacDonnell National Park |first= |last= |work=nt.gov.au |year=2011 |accessdate=31 May 2011 |archive-date=8 May 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060508182905/http://www.nt.gov.au/nreta/parks/find/westmacdonnell.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> There is a long walking trail along the ranges called the [[Larapinta Trail]]. The [[Arrente]] people, the [[indigenous Australian]] people who live in the area, believe the mountains were once giant [[caterpillar]]s, called ''Yerrenye''.<ref name=mdr>{{cite web |url=http://en.travelnt.com/explore/alice-springs/macdonnell-ranges.aspx |title=MacDonnell Ranges, Northern Territory Official Travel Site |first= |last= |work=en.travelnt.com |year=2011 |accessdate=31 May 2011 |archive-date=22 June 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110622215639/http://en.travelnt.com/explore/alice-springs/macdonnell-ranges.aspx |url-status=dead }}</ref> ==References== {{reflist}} {{geo-stub}} [[Category:Mountain ranges of Australia]] [[Category:Mountains of the Northern Territory]]