Rainbow Valley Conservation Reserve

Rainbow Valley Conservation Reserve is a protected area located south of Alice Springs, Northern Territory in Australia. The reserve was established in 1990 to protect the unique sandstone formations and the Aboriginal art, artifacts and sacred natural objects within an area of 24.83sqkm around a large sandstone bluff. The sandstone layers in the main formation resemble the colored stripes of a rainbow, with the red-orange hues of sandstone that is rich with iron creating a strong contrast with the lighter shaded sandstone that turns pale yellow or gold in the late day sun as it shines on the northwest-facing cliffs.Rainbow Valley's main sandstone formation is known as Wurre by the local Aboriginals, the Twertentyeye group of Upper Southern Arrernte people, and is a significant part of their homeland which they call Imarnte. Since 2008, the area has been jointly managed by the Twertentyeye and the Parks and Wildlife Commission of the Northern Territory (PWCNT) and is the first conservation reserve to have a joint management plan.GeographyThe Rainbow Valley access road is located 75km south of Alice Springs as a branch off the Stuart Highway. The unsealed dirt access road heads east then southeast for 22km to a parking lot situated on the west side of a claypan that extends northwest from the base of the main sandstone formation. Since there are some sandy sections along the access road, the official park site declares the road as "recommended for 4WD vehicles only." The joint management plan's official document, however, refers to the access road as "suitable for conventional vehicles driven with care" but still recommends 4WD for the final 1.4km around the claypan. A plan to re-align and improve the final section was in place as of June 2008.