Beyond Alice

All roads lead to Alice but which one do we leave on? This dilemma took us a few days deliberation. Russ asked the locals, who gave us their opinion, but suggested we ask the local constabulary. We did and they gave Russ the phone number for “travelling safe” which was actually the Child Protection Service hotline…???? Oh well. We decided the Old Ghan track could be interesting, Old South Road it was, as they had recently graded it for the “Finke Desert Challenge”, a rally car race through the desert. We stopped in at Titjikala  community for lunch and to view their art gallery. Whilst in Alice we had visited the art gallery for their Desert Mob exhibition and had seen some amazing work, so were keen to see it first hand. We were lucky enough to meet many of the artists who were there for a meeting. The road from here was excellent, as long as you watched out for the old spikes on the road, huge rusted nails off the Old Ghan (It was my turn to drive during this interesting segment!). We followed this through to Mt Dare and then on to Dalhousie Springs. The road from Mt Dare deteriorated, with a 35km drive taking us 3 hours! The corrugations rough enough to shake your teeth loose! We stayed at Dalhousie Springs for a couple of nights. The springs are on the edge of the Simpson Desert. They are the size of about 3 olympic pools and sit at a constant temperature of 34-38 degrees. We loved having our baths each day, but looked forward to getting out and letting the breeze cool us down, as the water was the same temperature as outside. It was from here that the flies became increasingly horrendous, and just as they left for the night, the mozzies descended. Luckily we had stocked up on fly nets and iser in Alice. We were going through buckets of moisturiser and lip balm. We discovered that flies don’t like blue fly nets but were oblivious to black ones. So our advice….if you are in the market for a fly net is …buy blue! We drove out a little to the edge of the Simpson. We spoke to some guys heading out for the Simpson Desert Bike Challenge, a 10 day bike race through the Simpson. They use specialist “fat” bikes designed for riding over snow, like mountain bikes but with thicker tyres. Dalhousie appears to be a bit of a staging post for people either setting out or returning from their Simpson Desert adventure. From Dalhousie we headed down the Oodnadatta track, via Coward Springs and Lake Eyre. Dalhousie to the Oodnadatta track was again very rough going, but the Oodnadatta was recently graded and more like a high way than a track. From here we head to the Gammon Ranges.

Ewaninga Rock Art

The old Telegraph Line from Alice to Adelaide

Camels in the outback

Having a "bath" at Dalhousie

see note about flies and lip balm!

Dalhousie ruins...an Oasis in the desert

Old Ghan bridge

The Bubbler, one of many springs along the Oodnadatta

Swimming at Lake Eyre

Lake Eyre

Desert Art

Desert humour

West MacDonnells

Heading north, we left Kings Canyon along the Mereenie Loop, a dirt road through protected Aboriginal Land, requiring a permit to travel. The road loops around Watarrka National Park. Desert plains give way to steep, stark Mesa’s and Ranges of reds and oranges with tufts of green Spinifex  everywhere. We headed to Hermannsburg, and had lunch at the old mission. It was here that a visionary missionary first started recording the local Arrernte Aboriginal language and using it in psalm books and in the school. It is also here that Albert Namatjira lived and painted. We camped in Finke Gorge National Park, at Palm Valley. This is another oasis in the desert, a lush gorge with rare Cabbage Palms and Cycads growing along the water holes deep within the red walls of the canyon. The palms closest cousins grow at Lawn Hill, some 800kms away.  The drive in to the camp ground was along a sometimes sandy, sometimes rocky creek bed. It was my shift to drive, and the sign at the beginning of the road into the National Park caused some internal concern and some mirth from the passengers, but onwards and upwards I say!  After setting up camp we drove up to Cycad Valley for a 3 hour walk. The road to the valley was over bedrock and Russ was in charge of this section of the drive. “Warning: Extreme 4WD!!!” Girls had fun watching their mother hanging on for dear life. The campground was on the banks of a creek, under shady trees, so nice we decided to stay a couple of nights. From Finke Gorge we headed around to Ormiston Gorge, further north, along the Red Centre Way,  past Tnorala (Gosse Bluff). The local Arrernte people believe that the Bluff was created when a baby basket fell from the sky during a women’s dance ceremony. The scientific explanation is that the bluff was created when an comet fell from the sky, forming a giant crater. Amazing to think how close the explantions are,given the Aboriginal people had no satellite images to help them see the entirety of the crater! We camped at Ormiston and enjoyed swimming in the waterhole. We stopped and walked into Serpentine Gorge and had a swim at Ellery Creek big hole before heading into Alice. A few days respite from the road, swimming, shopping, visiting art galleries, natural history museums and the Old Telegraph Station. Next stop Dalhousie Springs!

The Church at Hermannsburg Mission

Bush bananas

Looking down into the "palm paddock" 

Red Cabbage Palms

Inspired by Albert Namatjira

a dingo in camp

A Full Moon rises

A reflective moon

Ormiston Gorge pool

Ellery's Big Hole

 

The Red Centre

The Red Centre, red socks, red clothes, a sprinkle of red dust with every meal! Our day to Kata Tjuta involved a 4 hour walk through the Valley of the Winds, a beautiful walk through the “heads”. This is a traditional Anangu men’s site. Kata Tjuta is different from Uluru, made from conglomerate not sandstone. Afternoon swims in the pool back at the camp ground help us to cool down from walking in 30+ degrees. Moving on to Kings Canyon, a 3 hour drive west, we meet the West MacDonnell Ranges. Todays walk involved a 3.5 hour walk around the rim of Kings Canyon, climbing up the sheer side of a cliff and then through the beautiful domes of the Watarrka National Park. The walls of the domes are crisscrossed with 2 different sandstones, creating beautiful patterns of colours ranging from black, red, yellow, orange to white. You can see where the Luritja people collected ochre for their ceremonies. We pass ancient and rare cycads, gnarled cypress pines growing amongst the rocks in the harsh environment. As we walk we descend into the “Garden of Eden”, a pocket of lush vegetation growing along a creek, and ending in a small pool. This permanent water source hidden in the gorge is a welcome respite from the hot day’s walking. Each night we have had dingoes wander through the camp and can hear their howling calls off in the distance, a weirdly welcoming sound. There are also huge feral cats wandering around, who are very evasive despite the girls attempts to call them over “here puss puss” doesn’t seem to work with these giant felines!!  

                                         Looking east at the beginning of our walk through Kata Tjuta.

                                                     After 2 hours we reached the top of the lookout

                                       A family of Zebra Finches

                                        Looking back at Kata Tjuta

                                              Desert flowers

                                          desert life...a red dragonfly
                                     

                                          Desert Moon over Watarrka National Park

                                                   Going up....at Kings Canyon rim walk

                                           Looking out from the top....

                                         Up and over....

                                             Looking back over the rim.

                                                     Maeve doing "The Lion King"

                                      The Garden of Eden pool, 2 hours into the walk.

                                        Looking back over the Bee Hives of Kings Canyon

More desert life.

Driving into the Northern Territory through the desert, with huge Mesa's to the East and the West, surprised by wildflowers and unusual flora. Bright yellow grevilleas, tall spindly desert oaks appear in groves and a carpet of purple parakeelya. We mistook the huge Mt Connor Mesa for Uluru. Our campsite is perfect, on soft red sand, backing onto the dunes with few neighbours. Uluru is a seductive monolith, ever changing. She is the Kingfisher woman, looking over her people, with scars from battles with giant dogs, spear marks from wars between the Woma python and the poisonous snake, she is a powerful entity.

At sunset

Sunrise over the desert

A Thorny Devil

Uluru rock art

One rock,  4 mammoth days of driving to get here and 3.5 hours to walk around her.

driving in to the  NT

Strike a pose!

Nellie surfing the rock