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Published: April 30th 2011
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Kings Canyon
The sheer rock face dropped 100m to the river bed below and the Garden of Eden where Dom and Kevin enjoyed a refreshing dip. The following day took us north to Watarraka National Park and Kings Canyon where we rose early to walk the 6kms loop, Kings Canyon Rim Walk and to avoid the heat of the day. The initial steep climb took us to the start of the rim walk passing buttressed domes of the Lost City and the sheltered Garden of Eden with permanent waterholes and lush vegetation offering a welcome swimming opportunity to cool down half way round the walk. From the sheer cliff edge we could see more than 100 metres over the palm forest below and watched the changing colours of the rock face as the sun cast different shades onto the canyon. It was a fantastic walk and although quite demanding well worth every step, the views from the top were truly spectacular. A very special day.
Heading north along the Mereenie Loop Red Centre Road took us 200kms to Hermannsburg home of the early Lutheran Missionaries, where a church and school were established. Now a run down town and Aboriginal settlement in much need of some TLC.It was also the home of the famous Aboriginal artist Albert Namatjira who was inspired by the landscape of the area
View from the top
White Ghost Gums silhouetted in the view along the rim walk. and drew and painted in watercolours, many of his work was displayed in the museum.
A short drive out of town lead us to the unsealed 4 wheel drive route to Palm Valley, through the dried up Finke River bed and across steep rocky river banks where in places the road required rebuilding to fill in large holes and worn away road. We drove cautiously for over an hour following spectacular rock formations to an oasis of rock pools and palm trees and fully expected to meet other travellers a long the way, only to arrive at the campsite to discover we were the only people there. We pitched our tents alongside the river and watched birds swim in and out of the reed beds. Cieran chose to set up his swag on the roof of the jeep and sleep under the dark blue sky, we enjoyed a night under the net cover of the tent and marvelled at the Milky Way above us, it was a truly magical experience being so far away from everyone.
Our trek in the morning took us along the river bed among unique ancient cycads and Red Cabbage Palms. It was extremely hot
On the Rim
After a steep climb we managed to reach the rim of the gorge and we had wonderful panoramic views. and with little shade along the return ridge walk we were glad to return to the jeep and the shade of the canyon’s walls. We then drove back through the river bank to Hermannsburg and onto Ormiston Gorge in the West MacDonnell Range.
This vast and spectacular section of the MacDonnell Ranges is located west of Alice Springs and stretches for 161 kms along the Larapinta Drive comprising of scenic gorges and flora and fauna only found growing here amongst the stories of Western Arrernte Aboriginal culture which have existed for thousands of years.
Ormiston Gorge was nestled within the ranges and welcomed us with a cool refreshing dip in the waterhole at the end of a long drive, we also enjoyed a 20 minute walk to the Ghost Gum Lookout which offered us views of the gorge below. We experienced some wet weather in the evening and ended up driving the jeep under the large picnic canopies in the deserted car park and setting up our camp kitchen in the drive, all very resourceful! We also watched two beautiful blue Bee-eaters fly around the campsite and watch us from a distance.
Further east we visited Ellery
The Mereenie Loop Road
We drove for 3 hours on this deserted road from Kings Canyon to Hermannsburg Creek Big Hole and enjoyed another swim in the gorge and swam to the opposite side of the gorge and sat on a rocky outcrop in the shade, all rather special. Standley Chasm was another stop which had to be timed between the hours of 11.00 am and 2pm in order to appreciate the red sandstone colours of the sheer cliff sides as the sun rose to its midday heights to appreciate it in all its glory. Our final stop was at Simpson Gap where the waterhole was almost dried up and the famous Black-footed Rock Wallabies were no where to be seen. The beautiful gum trees situated in the sandy river bed cast huge shaded areas where we ate our lunch and we prepared our return trip to Alice Springs before the grey clouds looming threatened us with an electrical storm. By the time we had arrived in the town we all decided that we did no want to spend our last night under canvas as the river had burst its banks and certain roads were flooding, such a contrast to the heat wave we had been experiencing. As it happened it was the best decision we could have
A Poignant Message
Driving into Hermannsburg where there is a large Aboriginal settlement. made as by the morning the weather had turned and record rainfall was predicted.
This unexpected extra day in Alice gave us the opportunity to visit the Flying Doctors Museum to learn about the history of the organisation and the importance it plays in serving so many communities thousands of miles away from any hospital and doctor services. We also went to the Outback School Services to find out about how children receive their schooling in the Outback and how technology has changed over the years making education more accessible for everyone. We even bought some books to donate to their library services with labels inside saying who had provided them, one in particular was a bird book which we signed in Hilary’s fathers name in acknowledgement for his love of birds. I wonder who is reading that now?
A trip to Alice would not be complete without a tour of some of the Art Galleries and some retail therapy. We found some wonderful work with various price tags but did find a set of three paintings by a painter called Lena Pwerle titled Soakage. A series of coloured circles in oranges, yellows and greens, reminiscent of the
Hermannsburg
The Lutheran Missionary Church in the compound surrounded by derelict buildings and wrecked cars. dried river beds and soil in the Red Centre. A wonderful memento of a fantastic adventure and experience in a truly wonderful part of Australia.
More pictures below.
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