Chambers Pillar
Duration: 2hr 54 min (163.8 km) from Alice Springs via Maryvale Road and Maryvale
Total Distance: 300km return from Alice Springs
Chambers Pillar was formed from sandstone deposited and worn down over 350 million years. It was an important landmark guiding the region’s earliest pioneers on their way from Adelaide to Alice Springs. John MacDouall Stuart first recorded the pillar in 1860 and named it after one of the South Australian benefactors of his expedition, James Chambers.
Some testing road conditions along Maryvale Road.
There is the option to loop a visit to Chambers Pillar in on the same day trip or tour to Rainbow Valley. If you’d prefer to visit the historical reserve on its own, then you’re looking at a three-hour journey following Maryvale Road. You’ll also see some of the Finke Desert Race track. The 50-metre-high pillar is unmissable, and there is a viewing platform at its base. Tour operators include Outback Elite Tours and Spirit Safaris.
Access to Chambers Pillar Historical Reserve lies 160km south of Alice Springs, along the Maryvale Road on a turnoff to the west of Maryvale Station. The road is unsealed and may be closed after rain. After the Maryvale turnoff, a 4WD is required to negotiate the deep sand drifts and steep jump ups. Use extreme caution when driving over single lane sand dunes. It is advisable to have someone check for oncoming traffic, or attach a flag to warn other motorists of your approach.
Approaching Maryvale Road.
Approaching Maryvale Road.
The History of Chambers Pillar
The main feature of this 340 hectare Reserve is the pillar of sandstone which towers 50 metres above the surrounding plain. Sandstone sediments were laid down in the area 350 Million years ago. Since then, wind and rain have eroded away the softer material, leaving this solitary sandstone column.
Stuart described the Pillar as a beacon. Layers of sand, silt, and clay were deposited on the sea shores over time. The entire area was much higher in altitude than it is today, part of a vast plain that experienced seasonal heavy rains. This was during his third attempt to cross the continent from south to north and find a route for the overland telegraph line, connecting Australia with Europe, Java, and India. Following Stuart (who did not leave his initials in the Pillar), other early explorers, the builders of the Overland Telegraph Line, and travellers to Central Australia used Chambers Pillar as a navigational landmark.
There’s nothing plain about this vast plain!
The colours of the plain and the Pillar.
Until the coming of the railway in the 1920s, the Pillar was a landmark in the desert on the long overland journey from Adelaide to Alice Springs. Many of those early travellers have left a record of their visit in the soft, white sandstone, including John Ross and Alfred Giles both in 1870. More recently, visitors have added their names or graffitied the rock face. This is illegal and lessens the historical significance of the Reserve.
The Chambers Pillar Historical Reserve is also the site of Aboriginal significance in the Dreamtime. It is said the Gecko ancestor Iterrkewarre (pronounced it-turk-kar-wara) left the Finke River and journeyed north-eastward. As he travelled, he grew into a huge and powerfully built man of super human strength and extreme violence of temper. Read how the Dreamtime story unfolds here.
John Ross recorded his name in 1870.
Man-made marks from the past.
Napwerte (Ewaninga Rock Carvings)
Napwerte (Ewaninga Rock Carvings)
A Few Considerations:
- The 50m high sandstone pillar is the main feature of the Chambers Pillar Historical Reserve
- The pillar is impressive and towers over the plains below
- It’s best seen at sunset when it reflects the light to bring out the strong red and orange colours
- Explore the reserve on foot and don’t forget your camera
- The local Aboriginal people believe that the pillar is the Gecko ancestor Iterrkewarre
- Get the Chambers Pillar Historical Reserve fact sheet and map
Camping
There are two designated campgrounds provided, both have wood firepits and pit toilets. Camping fees apply and campsites must be booked online before you arrive.
Walking
Two easy walking tracks explore the prominent features of Chamber Pillar and the surrounding area. At sunrise and sunset, the Pillar glows like a burning ember as the rays of the sun strike its walls.
The viewing platform at the base of the Pillar is to protect the fragile sandstone from erosion
Explore the reserve on foot and don’t forget your camera!
Varying approaches to the Pillar.
Interesting from every angle.
The Pillar platform and walkway.
Safety and Comfort
- Observe park safety signs.
- Carry and drink plenty of water
- Wear a shady hat, sunscreen, insect repellent, suitable clothing, and footwear
- Avoid strenuous activity during the heat of the day
- Consider your health and fitness when choosing a walk
Please Remember:
- Keep to designated roads and tracks
- Access is via four-wheel drive tracks
- Recommended only for off-road camper trailers; off-road caravans are NOT recommended
- Corrugations, bulldust, and erosion gullies are common
- Camp only in your pre-booked site in designated camping areas
- All historic, cultural items and wildlife are protected
- Bins are not provided, please take your rubbish with you
Not Permitted:
- Firewood collection in the Reserve
- Fires, unless in designated firepits
- Pets
- Generators
- Drones
Entry to the Reserve.
There’s more to see than rocks!
Explore the reserve on foot, and don’t forget your camera. The two other striking formations, Window and Castle Rocks, are equally worthy of your camera’s lens. Follow one of the marked walking tracks to the viewing platform or past the prominent features of Chambers Pillar. Photographers should time their visit for either sunrise or sunset when the pillar glows as the rays of the sun strike its face. Its also a mecca for astrophotographers.
If you haven’t already, check out Part 1 and Part 2 of Emma’s day trips in Mparntwe (Alice Springs).
Have you ever visited Chambers Pillar? What did you think? If you haven’t, would you visit?
Based in Victoria’s High Country, Emma and her husband have been enjoying touring with an off-road camper for the past 15 years. An award-winning exhibiting photographer Emma is never far from her camera and is inspired by Australian landscape and fauna. Her images can be seen on Instagram @emcamproductions.