Riverbeds & Rocky Retreats


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Published: June 4th 2013
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Cycad GorgeCycad GorgeCycad Gorge

Palm Valley
Easter saw us head off for 4 days of 4WD adventures, north up the highway, then right (or East) of Alice. To make the most of the little holiday we sped off (after dropping the boys into their favourite concentration camp!) on Thursday after work, setting up our first camp off the side of the road into Gemtree, about 40km from Gemtree itself. It was actually the first night we had felt cold since arriving back from Melb, so promptly set up a raging fire, had a few bevvies to celebrate 4 days of freedom, and then, as nanna-luck would have it felt tired & crawled into bed by about 9.30pm – must have been all that fresh air & starry skies!

Up early the next day, we refuelled at Gemtree, drove alongside the spectacular Harts Range, then off in search of ‘Box Hole Meteorite Crater’ which from looking at the map is located on Dneiper cattle station. We found the station alright, but the massive gate was locked up, didn’t look like too much encouragement to come & marvel at a crater anyway! Think maybe we should have phoned in advance….

Onwards & upwards to Dulcie National Park where we took a drive among some of the most amazing rocky outcrops, you could seriously get lost among this beautiful country for days. Although the road we took in was well marked, it was practically just rocks, like driving on a million square golf-balls, so the going was slow and after a couple of hours of sight-seeing we decided to head out again to find a decent spot to camp the night as the day wore on. We would love to have stayed in Dulcie, but no way to set up a tent on the rocky landscape – not a bed of sand or grassy knoll to be seen!

After some deliberation we headed west off the Dulcie NP road, towards a camp called Tower Rock. It wasn’t to be found on any of the maps we had, just a sign pointing that way off the main road….why not? An hour or so over good station roads saw us turn left into another patch of amazing, rocky country. Tower Rock was just that…a large rock with a tower on it – who would have guessed!! It was so much warmer north of Gemtree, so we set up camp
Garden GurusGarden GurusGarden Gurus

Note site manager Oscar
in the shade, set up the fly-tent (flies horrendous) and spent a relaxing afternoon enjoying cold beers & reading. Once the sun, and therefore flies, went down for the night was when we could emerge from our tent & walk around without a million of the little bastards trying to get inside your head via any opening. This was a night to remember……once the full moon came out, the flies came back!!! Yes, that’s right, flies at NIGHT!! Welcome to NT people! We did however get serenaded by a huge pack of dingoes a few times that night, with their cries bouncing off the rocky landscape & the full moon it was just awesome.

The next day we headed back into Gemtree to grab a little more fuel & ice, then headed south following Binns Track. This popular track was totally deserted, we didn’t pass a single car, bonus! Set up the next night’s camp along a riverbed on our way east to Arltunga, it was just getting a bit late in the day to keep going. With rain threatening, we set up a decent cover & enjoyed slow-cooked lamb shanks while the cows in the paddock we camped
Birthday BoyBirthday BoyBirthday Boy

A pre-dinner sip at home before a steak-fest
in kept themselves amused watching us ALL afternoon.

On the next day to Arltunga, where we turned left heading out to Ruby Gap. It took us almost 3 hours to drive about 40km, the track was pretty rough! Once again the flies kept us contained in our cocoon until after the sun went down, and then we enjoyed watching dickheads getting bogged in the riverbed well after dark. This moron drove down the Ruby Gap Road (yes, the one that took hours in a 4 wheel drive) in a standard Camry, then proceeded to drive across the river (100% deep sand), getting his car stuck in the middle. He thought we were his mates’ camp, but we had seen them go much further on down the river about an hour earlier, so off he went for a jog to find them! Next thing we know a ute (4WD) comes belting past from the other way with people hanging out the back down the middle of the riverbed & him & his stranded friends are rescued for the night! By the time we left the next morning the car was still well and truly axle deep in the river sand and we hadn’t seen a soul from their camp, out of sight out of mind I guess! At least his mates had 3 other 4WD cars with them so he had plenty of help for when the time came to getting it out. Thanks for the entertainment fellas.

Into Arltunga itself, which is a ghost gold mining town full of old ruins, cemetery’s & equipment from it’s’ heydays as a fully functioning town. While a little spooky, it was easy to see how the lure of so much gold kept people living in this rocky, dry, dusty place. From there, we continued south into Ross River, for a burger & a beer at the pub. Then we hit the road north-west again into Alice, 4 days gone just like a flash. We picked up the rangas & unpacked all our gear, ready for work again the next day. Boo hoo!

The next big events in the calendar were our 11 year wedding anniversary on 11th May (quiet night in) & Jeff’s 37th birthday 15th May where we went out to Overlanders Steakhouse for a feed. It too ended up being a quiet night, the restaurant perhaps tailored to international tourists, rather than Aussies! We did enjoy a couple of glasses of red in front of their beautiful open fire though…while listening (or trying to block out!) such classics as “Tie me kangaroo down sport” & “Home among the gumtrees”. See what we mean?

A few weekends ago we did head off on yet another 4WD adventure, this time straight West of Alice, out to Palm Valley & the Finke River NP. The first night we camped at Palm Valley, heading off in the afternoon for a walk through the gorge & back via the rim, amazing views. After a beaut (and late!) night in front of the campfire, we then went on a lookout walk in the morning, then back into Hermannsburg for some fuel & ice. Saw a heap of wild horses out this way, they are stunning creatures.

From there, we had to decide to go south via Finke Gorge or North via Glen Helen, choosing the Gorge as a more challenging adventure! Pretty much straight away after turning out of Hermannsburg the road turned to shit & stayed that way for the next 100km! Although one of the roughest roads we’ve been on to date, the scenery was the most gorgeous. Basically you drive straight down the middle of the Finke River, occasionally hugging the banks, but mostly right in the middle, through the highest gorge walls, past gigantic river gums, sandy swimming holes & endless opportunities for camp-spots. Eventually we settled on a sand bank in the centre of the riverbed past Boggy Hole & Running Waters, where the serenity was indescribable. The only sound the crackling of our camp fire & a pack of dingoes a couple of times during the night. Cooked up a roast in the camp oven & sat around yacking about how lucky we are well into the night!

We didn’t want to leave the next day, but we still had a long way to go before we hit the main road back into Alice. On the way East back to the Hwy, we stopped at Henbury Meteorite Craters, a set of about 12 craters varying in size, with a neat little walk around & through them. There was also a camp here, with shelter & fireplaces so will have to keep this in mind on our way south next time! With a wall of rain following us out, we hit the Hwy about half-way down to Erldunda, so had to head north to get back home. Once again, a beautiful trip but just not bloody long enough!

Other than these trips, we have been doing heaps of gardening at Molly/Phil’s place, harvesting endless amounts of capsicums, chillies & basil. Tab spent last weekend making copious amounts of red & green curry paste, yum! The cats have well and truly donned their winter coats and when they are not both trying to squeeze onto their favourite chair, they are heat-seeking a sunny spot in the back yard – what a life!

With our time in Alice slowly drawing to a close, Jeff has been doing lots of mechanical prep & improvements to Boris (he’s 25 y.o. now you know!!) so we can hit the road with confidence for the next leg of our journey. At this stage we think we will take off around Mid-late July, providing we can get all the parts we need for Boris fairly quickly. We are expecting some visitors later this month, and of course we have Finke Race coming up this weekend, so stay tuned for our next
SNAKE!!!SNAKE!!!SNAKE!!!

Tab almost stepped on this, thought it was a snake, then we realised it's a trail of centipedes...weird
blog-ventures!


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Bush camp stare-bearsBush camp stare-bears
Bush camp stare-bears

literally stood like this all afternoon, watching
Driving out of palm valley to campDriving out of palm valley to camp
Driving out of palm valley to camp

Just like it's been painted by hand...amazing


7th June 2013

Wine cellar electric grid
Excellent idea guys! I'll see if I can bring back a Tazzer from the US this month and rig that up for those pesky late night intruders. Cheers!!!

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