Leigh Goldsmith first visit to the pillar was on a sight seeing tour in 1981, it was love at first sight and over the past 20 odd years he has helped many people understand and feel for this part of Central Australia. Leigh settled in Alice Springs and in 1983 established The Outback Experience Tours.
Over 20 years on and Leigh is still as eager to show and explain the area to people as he was in 1983. He welcomes questions and offers as many photo stops as is required, being an owner driver, specializing in small groups, makes for a friendly enjoyable true outback experience. Whilst driving with Leigh in purpose built vehicles for your comfort, it is hard to understand what the early explorers and cameleers went through as they traversed this area in the 1860s. But as Leigh talks of the history it is easy to become mesmerized by the desert wilderness, following along some of the original Ghan railway line, crossing the Hugh River, hearing the dreamtime stories of the area as you stop at Ewaninga Rock Carvings and Charlotte Range where you will look for ancient marine fossils, before heading down and across sand dunes into the edge of the desert where you see the historical sandstone Chambers Pillar standing out like a chimney stack.
Sandra is Leighs partner in crime as they say. In the early 1990’s Sandra decided to retire from training racehorses and after a short holiday through the Red Centre was offered a job in Tourism in Alice Springs driving day tours to the East and West MacDonnell Ranges and Palm Valley, she also did many trips to Chambers Pillar with Leigh when two vehicles were required. Leighs love is the Pillar but mine is the Eastern MacDonnell's (particularly in the winter when driving into the warmth of the early morning sun with more chances of seeing dingoes and kangroos), so we decided the Outback Experience Tours would return to the East.
We consider ourselves both very lucky to be able to introduce to you these parts of Central Australia, and never tire of explaining the history that is so well hidden.
