Redbank Gorge (West MacDonnell Ranges) / Palm Valley (Finke Gorge NP), N.T.

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26 - 30 May 2011

Speechless! What can I say...

This part of the trip has been right up there as one of the major highlights. The extraordinary beauty of the West McaDonnell Ranges kept us in awe each day we were there. We were lucky enough to camp at the Ridgetop Campground at Redbank Gorge - the view was breathtaking to say the least. I guess the mice also liked the view! I had one small but bold furry fellow make it all the way onto my lap one night whilst I was trying to eat dinner..

Once based at Redbank we were able to backtrack and see all the wondrous sites of the "West Macs". Standley Chasm, a natural "slice" through the quartzite rock, which stands very tall and very narrow was amazing. Then there were all the gorges - Serpentine, Ormiston, Glen Helen and Redbank and Ellery Creek Big Hole and the Ochre Pits. Due to a good drink from the heavens last season, we were lucky enough to see all the gorges full of water and a healthy amount in the Finke River which meanders a long way through this part of the country. Although all the gorges are fairly close (by Outback standards), they were all so different and the rock colours and textures were so different. When you find yourself at these places, you get a strong feeling that you are somewhere very, very special. Even though we are in the Red Centre at the peak period, there are still times and places when there is not another soul around, so you can really appreciate the serenity of these special places - that's if the kids keep quite for a few seconds!..

Following this, we headed down and around to Palm Valley in the Finke Gorge National Park, via Hermannsburg. Palm Valley is accessible only by 4WD with numerous river crossings and soft sandy areas - the drive itself to the campground was very pretty. We did the circuit walk which incorporated a short guided tour at the beginning and took ourselves a picnic lunch. Palm Valley is an oasis in the middle of the desert and it was interesting to learn how this little pocket of paradise has been preserved over millions and millions of years. The drive from the campground to Palm Creek was fun but very sketchy in areas and I was glad Alex was driving when we had to navigate the troopy up large rock boulders which saw the car in all sorts of weird and wonderful angles. Again, we were lucky to see water in Palm Creek as it has been dry for many many years.

This stop also gave us our first close up dingo encounter... We were riding our bikes one afternoon when Alex went off ahead to see if we could get through one of the river crossings on our bikes. This left me with the two boys - Oscar on his balance bike behind me. A few metres away, a dingo popped out of the bush onto the track and looked us over. I didn't feel threatened but it's interesting to watch them close up as they really study you with their eyes. It darted off back into the bush then popped out again in the distance for a moment. We kept a close watch on the boys after that.

Before hitting the bichumen again, we stopped in at Hermannsburg to see the historial precinct that Bernie helped to build when he was a teenager. It's strange being somewhere so isolated that someone close to you has been so many years before.

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