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Published: September 10th 2009
Gemtree
Campfire scene at gemtree caravan park... Grady cooked for the third time in a week!Alice to Katherine
After a week’s rest in Alice Springs our exploration of the MacDonnell Ranges had rekindled our desire for touring. We packed up and head off to Gemtree, 140kms from Alice Springs.
We had read about Gemtree Caravan Park in an old issue of “On the Road” magazine. It is on the “gem trail” from Queensland along the outback on the Plenty Highway and is one of many places in Australia where you can fossick for gems. Gemtree caravan park is unique in that it offers tours, providing all equipment and instruction. There are basic facilities with great fire pits and barbecues over the pits. However, I would not stay at Gemtree unless fossicking as the park’s appearance is not much more than your average roadside stop.
We chose to look for zircons, which have the appearance of a diamond; in fact some gem cutters are of the opinion that zircon can look just as good and sometimes better than a diamond. They are more difficult to find than the garnets in the same area, which is a challenge with children, but when one finds a good zircon, it is worth it. By the way, zircon (I have
Devils marbles
Nothing like female adoration to make a man feel like a man! now learned) is a gem of its own right, not zirconia. Zirconia is a created gem.
The tour began at 8am and continued until 2.30pm. We were provided with two 20L containers of water, three sieves, two large buckets and a pick and shovel. We first had to pick into the rocky layer which is under the top earth. Next, we shoveled the rock into a bucket to be dry sieved, then washed twice before inspection on a board for zircon. It is quite a bit of work and takes a bit to “get your eye in” so that spotting gems is easier.
The fossicking area itself looks like the surface of the moon: holes and mounds of dirt and rock everywhere and filled with campers, converted buses, tents and retirees. We got to speak to some people there; one man was 85 and very impressive with his technique. He told us that the small gems are called “Thai cutters” because people send them off to Thailand to be cut for $1 each (compared to Gemtree’s $48 per gem). A sizable gem is cut in Australia though, because the job gets done better. It bears noting that the quality of
Gemtree
Sunset at Gemtree. Beautiful. the final product is more to do with the person cutting than the gem itself.
Can you believe that Grady (the legend on legs) managed to find a 6mm zircon suitable for cutting. This is the second biggest size for a ring and wasn’t I a happy camper! At present, the people at Gemtree are cutting Grady’s zircon and having it set into a ring for me! Not only will it replace my engagement ring (whose stone fell out this year), but it will represent this trip, which is the culmination of many years of dreaming, praying and planning. This sentiment alone makes it priceless to me.
We returned home sweaty, smelly and dusty. It is interesting to note it was this day that for the first time the kids referred to “home” as the caravan, not back in Geelong.
My hair needed a good wash and not only was my nose sunburnt but I had goggle marks around my eyes from sunglasses. Work was not over with tea still to cook, and so I continued to get sweatier, smellier and pretty revolting. We had struck a friendship with the couple next door in the park (she is a
New friends
Shirley (National gem cutting champion) and Garry. Top people. National champion of gem cutting) and were all sitting around the fire chatting, when we were approached by a photographer from “RM Williams: Outback” magazine. He had watched our scene and wanted it in the next issue of the magazine. We willingly obliged, so watch the newsstands in October for our photo! In all the excitement, I had forgotten about my general appearance until I showered before bed. What a sight! You know the days when you rush out to the shops looking pretty ordinary and run into someone you REALLY didn’t want to run into… multiply that feeling by a thousand when I realized I had been photographed for a magazine! Enough said.
Our new gem cutting friends were so kind to us and gave us a bag of garnets suitable for cutting. We have decided to seek out a club when we return home and get a garnet cut for my original engagement ring.
DEVILS MARBLES
It was a long drive to the Devils Marbles from Gemtree, and our 85km/hr pace made it dull. We pulled into the Devils Marbles campground in time for tea and a few snapshots at sunset. The area is aptly named, with
Beau and the gecko
Beau adopted this gecko and fed it ants for a couple of days before he let him go. a real appearance of huge marbles at times, and is truly beautiful. The beauty of the structures are made more apparent by the nothingness that surrounds them, and leaves the viewer with the question of just how did these balls come to be in the middle of the desert? After a sunrise walk the next day appreciating their appearance even more, I have come to a personal conclusion that they are a sculpture placed there for people to admire, and that by acknowledging the fine work in our wonderment, we bring glory to the One who formed them.
MATARANKA
Our next stopover was at the Daly Waters pub, complete with a huge brown python wrapped around the base of a tree in the campsite. This was exciting for the kids to see their first snake in the wild, and reminded us of the need to carry a torch wherever we go.
From Daly Waters the aim was to travel to Mataranka thermal pools and stay there in time for Chloe’s birthday, which was also on Father’s Day. When we arrived however, we were disappointed to find that the flying foxes had migrated to the area only 6 days before.
Cody
The boys got a hold of the camera... The result is not only the overpowering smell of bat poo in the area, but the constant threat of a flying fox pooing on you when you walk to and from the pool. Add to this the foxes that fly over your head when swimming in the thermal pool and our unease of leaving towels and the like under the fox’s trees, and you can understand that I didn’t really enjoy Mataranka like I did 18 years ago!
We left Mataranka to swim in Bitter Springs, which is much nicer than the former because it retains the feeling of an oasis. Mataranka has lost this natural beauty for me through the concreting and paving of the pool area. It was a hot day though and we weren’t keen to stay at the Bitter Springs caravan park since we were sweating in the water from the high temperature, so continued on to Katherine.
KATHERINE
Katherine was the first major town after Alice Springs for us, and it was good to be able to shop in a supermarket before heading out to our camping area at Katherine Gorge. The day was a hot 42 degrees and was still over 30 degrees
Devils marbles
Kids had a great time. at midnight. It was an exhausting reminder of what we will face over the next few months. The weather continued over the next few days to be an average of 37 degrees with no breeze. Our caravan fridge wasn’t working properly in the extreme heat and ants had managed to get into pretty much everything. In addition to this, the workers at the campground couldn’t get the pool clean enough for swimming, and it remained permanently closed from our first morning until 3 days later. For two days we swam in the Gorge with its freshwater crocs and directly across from a trap for Saltwater Crocs who occasionally get in through the wet season. We were told it is perfectly safe to swim there, but workers change the bait every two weeks, and have caught two crocs this year, so how perfectly safe can it be? Our third day with no pool we swam in the Katherine Hot Springs, which were lovely and something we enjoyed more than even our time at Bitter Springs.
It’s hard not to be impressed by the resilience of the ants who worked their way into our van. They chewed through plastic to get to
Devils marbles
View at sunrise... very red at this time! our crackers and wrap bread. They climbed into air tight containers to get into the powdered milk. They climbed up the drain hose and made their way through nearly every cupboard and even onto poor Chloe’s bed (although she won’t be taking food slyly into bed again). Grady has been faced with a new challenge: beat the ants. In my attempt to keep ants out of the breakfast cereals, spreads and milk powder, I submerged them in a shallow moat of water. This has worked but the ants are definitely trying to get in - I found a heap of them floating today.
We booked a cruise around the Gorge with our friends the Sheltons and thoroughly enjoyed the whole 4 hours. We needed to change boats twice to get around three gorges; this broke the ride up for the kids with a bit of walking and an hour swim in between in a pool formed between two gorges. We didn’t spot any crocodiles but enjoyed taking in the scenery in such a relaxing way.
Coming back to the caravan expecting to pack up, we discovered the pool was open! Hooray! So we decided to stay one more night
to give the kids a chance to enjoy the pool. We are so glad we did because a large group of Aboriginals came into the camp to stay in tents and the kids all had fun playing in the pool together. The Aboriginal kids were drawn to Grady, who was throwing them around the pool and playing ball games. It was incredible to see their agility in performing flips into the pool, which Beau enjoyed copying, and their natural affinity for the water. It was a lovely time and great for the kids. We have taken a leaf from our new friends’ books and don’t bother taking a towel to the pool or shower anymore. The boys made friends with a boy named Corey who lives 800kms away in remote outback Australia.
I’ve seen some evidence of the “school of life” being of benefit to the kids and us. I can point to a map of Australia and the kids can tell me the names of places. They have a perspective of the country because they have traveled through different areas. Their understanding of Australian fauna has increased. They have been forced to make friends with a variety of
Devils marbles
What a view from the bedroom! children and learned to appreciate that they are happy without all the trimmings of life (they won’t be giving up the DVDs and the DS anytime soon though). They have been well behaved in public situations more so than back home - perhaps because we have been spending a lot of time together. Six weeks on the road so far and we can already see big changes.
For Grady and I, there are changes too. Most evident is our weight loss, because we can’t afford to buy luxuries anymore! We are more patient with the kids and focused on teaching them what we know to be important in life. That’s not to say we don’t go mental at times, but all of us are growing together.
From Katherine we are hoping to reach Darwin soon. The cash is getting low and I have my resume printed ready to hand over. Hopefully the result will be positive!
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Adam
non-member comment
I love reading these Em, keep at it. Maybe you could try sending them into some caravan or travel magazines? A bit of sponsorship might get you a few more weeks on the road. Good luck in finding a job.