Day 13 – Alice
Springs Rest Day
Another rest day. After our last long holiday, we knew that
we need rest days so we can properly enjoy the tourist days. Being on holidays
can be tiring work!
We had a late breakfast, outside on the little table. It was
cool, but still clear and sunny, so very pleasant. The day warmed up nicely,
which meant Joy could sit outside at that same little table to do her
cross-stitch. Originally she was on the bench seat, but it was in the sun, and
she got a bit hot there, so had to move. Apart from having lunch and afternoon
tea, that was basically where she stayed the whole day.
Les didn’t move much the whole day either – he spent it at
the computer, downloading and renaming photos, stitching the necessary ones
into panoramas, writing TripAdvisor reviews, and writing the diary.
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Les and Ollie relaxing, Cottage at Alice Springs
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As it got close to sunset, we took a walk to the top of the
hill behind our accommodation – it backs onto a busy hill. From up there we had
a lovely view across to the MacDonnell Range. Of course some more photos were
taken.
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Heavitree Gap, Alice Springs
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Day 14 – East
MacDonnell Range
Woke to another clear and sunny day, but it was decidedly
cool – 9C according to the car when we left our accommodation just before
9:00am. Since the forecast was for 26C we were dressed in shorts, so we felt
that chill on our bare legs.
First stop was at Emily Gap. This was our first real look at
the gaps in the range, and it was very pretty. The rocks are such a lovely
colour, and very dramatic in their formation. The sand in the creek bed (the
creek is mostly dry) was quite cool, and felt like it would be damp under the
top little bit, probably remaining after the rain last week.
As we were looking at the rocks we noticed a couple of rock
wallabies sitting way up, taking in the sun. I think we were quite lucky, as
they are notoriously shy.
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Emily Gap, Eastern MacDonnell Ranges
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The next gap was Jessie Gap. Emily and Jessie Gaps were
thought to be named after the daughters of Todd, but that has been found to be
untrue, and there is no known reason for their naming.
Jessie Gap is very similar to Emily Gap – dry(ish) creek
bed, dramatic rocks, beautiful river red gums. The two gaps are also sacred to
the Aboriginal culture, and both have rock paintings. Joy wondered if the
paintings are maintained in any way, because they are in excellent condition.
(Ed. – Found out later that they do not touch up the art work.)
Our next stop wasn’t a gap in the range, but Corroboree
Rock, which is a formation within the range. Again, dramatic rock formations,
and colours in the rock. Before doing anything, though, we had morning tea.
After that, our little walk was around the rock.
By now the temperature had climbed to 22C, so we were
feeling a bit more comfortable in our shorts! The walk around the rock showed
that it was more like a wall in formation – quite narrow from side-on.
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Corroboree Rock, Eastern MacDonnell Ranges
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Next stop – Trephina Gorge, another gap in the range. We
chose to do the Loop Walk, which was advertised as being 1.5hrs, and we are
finding that the NT parks are pretty accurate in their time estimates. We chose
to do the loop going up to the top of the gorge first, and come back via the
creek. From the top, you can clearly see the way the rocks have been uplifted
and the gorge formed. Dramatic and
colourful rocks, beautiful white gum trees, lots of shrubs and bushes, and even
some wildlife! We were lucky enough to see a perentie, who was sunning itself
on a rock right on the side of the track. Les commented that perhaps it was a
statue, because it didn’t move at all, but Joy saw it blink, so we know it was
real.
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| Trephina
Gorge, Eastern MacDonnell Ranges |
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| Trephina
Gorge, Eastern MacDonnell Ranges |
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Which Way??
Trephina
Gorge, Eastern MacDonnell Ranges |
We just hope the couple we passed going the other way kept their pit bull
dog under control as they went by – we couldn’t understand why they had brought
their dog on a walk in a national park, and yes, there are signs saying pets
are not permitted.
We had lunch in the camping area, because the picnic area
had been taken over by a group playing football – we must be grumpy old people,
as we can’t understand why you would come to a national park to play football.
After lunch we did the Creek Bed Ramble at Trephina Gorge –
more beautiful trees, lovely scenery, and birds that refuse to stay still long
enough for us to take their photo. But the walk back along the creek bed got
the leg muscles working!
The final bit of sightseeing for the day was the Ghost Gum –
a magnificent specimen of River Red Gum. It is much larger than all the others
in the area, so it is special.
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| Trephina
Gorge, Eastern MacDonnell Ranges |
After today’s outing we can add to our roadkill list –
rabbits.
Did some more grocery shopping, for sunscreen (we’ve decided
that the 50+ stuff we have is awful, and must be 50+ because it creates a
permanent layer on top of the skin, kind of like the old Zinc cream used to),
and a few bits and pieces.
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View from Cottage, Alice Springs
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Day 15 – West
MacDonnell Range
Today was a long day – left at 8:00am and didn’t get home
until after 6:00pm, and we didn’t even get everything done that we planned.
Note to anyone thinking of visiting here – it takes longer than you think, and
there is heaps to see, maybe no need to take 5 days like one couple we spoke to
did, but one day was not quite enough.
Again it was cool when we left (10C), but during the day
warmed up to 29C at its warmest.
We drove all the way out to the furthest point we wanted to
go to, and then worked out way back to Alice Springs. We did a couple of short
stops along the way to take photos when we saw something (never say “I’ll get a
photo of that when we come back” because more often than not, it won’t happen).
First stop was Mt Sonder lookout – a lookout to view
Mt Sonder, not a lookout on Mt Sonder. This was a short stop – a photo
opportunity really.
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Mt Sonder, Western MacDonnell Ranges
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Finke River, Western MacDonnell Ranges
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Next was Ormiston Gorge – beautiful! We did the Ghost Gum
Loop. The start of the walk is the same as the Larapinta Trail, and the sign
says that “wading through cold water is required” – we weren’t sure at first
which trail that was meant for, but then there was another sign that showed us
we would be getting our feet (at least) wet.
We are definitely getting to be grumpy old people. There was
a woman who had 5 children with her – 3 boys aged around 6, and a couple of
younger girls – and she had absolutely no control over those children. The boys
were running up ahead, yelling and screaming, running off the track to hide in
the bush. Apart from being obnoxious (well, we thought so), it was dangerous,
as the track was quite steep, and they could have fallen. At the point in the
walk where the water has to be crossed, and there are lots of rocks to be
scrambled over, they could easily have come a cropper.
Anyway, apart from that, the walk was lovely. And yes, we
did get our feet wet. Les just went through the water in his shoes and socks,
but Joy took her shoes and socks off first. There were quite a few people
swimming in the waterhole. It was a warm day (27C according to the car when we
left Ormiston Gorge), but the water was quite cold, and anyway, we didn’t have
time to go swimming!
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Ormiston Gorge, Western MacDonnell Ranges
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Ormiston Gorge, Western MacDonnell Ranges
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Sturt Desert Rose, Floral Emblem of NT, Ormiston Gorge, Western MacDonnell Ranges
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Ormiston Gorge, Western MacDonnell Ranges
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Ormiston Gorge, Western MacDonnell Ranges
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Ormiston Gorge, Western MacDonnell Ranges
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Ormiston Gorge, Western MacDonnell Ranges
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Zebra Finch, Ormiston Gorge, Western MacDonnell Ranges
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Next stop, the Ochre Pits. This is where the Aborigines of
the area got the ochre for painting and for body decoration. The ochre was
quite sought after, and they used to trade with it. After the short walk to see
the Ochre Pits, we had lunch before going to the next stop – Ellery Creek Big
Hole – because that stop is a very popular one, and we thought a picnic table
in the hand (at the Ochre Pits) is better than two in the bush (at Ellery
Creek).
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Western MacDonnell Ranges
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When we got to Ellery Creek Big Hole, it was in fact quite
busy. Still, it was lovely and peaceful. We just did the short walk to the
water hole, as we didn’t have time to do the longer walk we had planned. There
were a few people having picnics around the water hole, and some swimming.
And still we had more stops to do – can’t miss Standley
Chasm! This stop is not in the national park, and is owned privately by an
organisation of Indigenous people. Les remembers it from when he was here
before, and it has changed quite a bit. There is still quite a bit of work
being done, to improve the facilities and the walk to the chasm.
The chasm itself hasn’t changed (of course!), and it is
quite spectacular. Because we were there quite late in the afternoon, we didn’t
see it with the sun on the rock walls, but the colour is still beautiful. We
were also lucky because there weren’t that many people around, so we could take
photos without getting people in them – wonderful!
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Les is an Experienced Walker, her has been doing it for
almost 55 years!!
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Stanley Chasm, Western MacDonnell Ranges
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Stanley Chasm, Western MacDonnell Ranges
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There is a café and a gift shop there, so we treated
ourselves to an ice-cream and stamps (so we do not have to find a Post Office)
– the day had been a long one, it was very warm, and we deserved it!
One more stop to go – Simpson’s Gap. We didn’t get there
until 5pm, but the plan was to be there late, and watch the colours change on
the rocks as the sun set, and hopefully see some rock wallabies, as they often
come out at dusk. There weren’t many people in the gap, so it was lovely and
peaceful to sit and take it all in. Unfortunately no rock wallabies made an
appearance, but we did see a couple of wedge-tailed eagles soaring above.
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Simpsons Gap, Western MacDonnell Ranges
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Simpsons Gap, Western MacDonnell Ranges
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On the way out of Simpson’s Gap, we saw some red-tailed
black cockatoos. Of course, being typical birds, they didn’t co-operate and we
didn’t get any photos.
Another item to add to the roadkill list – cars. On the
Namatjira Way today were quite a few dead cars on the side of the road – may it
is the place cars are taken to be burnt out.
Back to our accommodation, weary but having had a good day.
Day 16 – Alice
Springs – Desert Park, Olive Pink Botanic Gardens, Transport Museum
Yet another clear and sunny day, cool to start with (11C
when we left “home”) becoming warm (30C by late morning, and basically for the
rest of the day).
We decided we would start at the Desert Park early, and
since it opens at 7:30am, we were there by 8am. Luckily it was only 5 minutes
down the road from our accommodation. The plan was to wander around the Park,
watch the bird show at 10am, then have morning tea at the café there before
heading off to our next place to see. But, the Desert Park turned out to be so much
more interesting than we thought, with lots of plants to look at, and lots of
aviaries to wander through, that we hadn’t made it all the way around before we
had to hurry to get to the bird show on time.
The bird show itself was very good. It’s kind of like the
one at Taronga Zoo in Sydney, but in a much smaller amphitheatre. The birds
involved were a magpie, a barn owl, a buzzard, a black kite, a whistling kite,
and a heron. The birds fly around doing their stuff, and in the process get so
close to the audience you just can’t help but duck! Les took a photo of the
barn owl that is all blurry because she was so close!
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| Some birds just do not like getting their photos taken!! |
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| Alice Springs Desert Park |
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| Alice Springs Desert Park |
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| Alice Springs Desert Park, Note worm in beak!! |
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Alice Springs Desert Park.
This bird is only learning and was supposed to stop of the branch but toppled over!! |
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| Alice Springs Desert Park |
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| Alice Springs Desert Park |
After the bird show we had morning tea at the café (only
average), then went back out to the Park to see the rest of it. There were more
aviaries to see, plus a large nocturnal house – it was kind of like the Tardis,
in that it didn’t seem all that big from the outside but went on and on and on
once you got inside.
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| Alice Springs Desert Park |
We didn’t finish at the Desert Park until 12:45, so we went
straight to the Olive Pink Botanic Gardens for lunch. The café is in the middle
of the gardens, which are all native plants. Lunch was OK – very limited menu,
but what we had was nice. The gardens themselves were a bit disappointing but
the only cost is a $5 donation if you take a copy of the plant booklet. We did
a ramble through the gardens, but then climbed to the top of a hill, which gave
a view across Alice Springs, so that was worthwhile. We had a bit of
excitement, though, when we saw a snake – it was a whip snake, and apparently,
whilst venomous, is not considered dangerous. We found this out later, so that
didn’t help at the time. We also saw that the Ghan was in town – arrived at
2pm.
Next stop was the Transport Museum. This is actually two
different museums – the Old Ghan Museum (ie trains) and the Trucks museum. It
was interesting finding out about the Old Ghan, and there is an old engine and
a few carriages there. The carriages are the seating, Bar and Dining carriages.
They didn’t look too different to some of the trains still in use! Although I’m
sure the new Ghan is much more luxurious.
Les went through the truck museum on his own, as Joy wasn’t
really all that interested – certainly not interested enough to pay $15 to go
in. Les enjoyed it though. There are several old trucks including the No 1
truck from Lindsay Brothers. There are also old cars and bikes. Lots of photos
and bios of truck drivers all over the walls. There is also a Kenworth Dealers
Museum which has many Kenworth trucks including the first Australian designed
and built Kenworth, a Kenworth cab cut in half so you can see the inside of the
cab and sleeper cab and No 404 truck of Lindsay Brothers!!
By the time we finished there, we were in need of afternoon
tea (McDonald’s, as nothing much else is open in Alice Springs after 3pm, as
far as food is concerned), and then it was time to head up to ANZAC Hill – we
had good views across Alice Springs, in all directions.
Whilst we had a full day, we didn’t fit in everything we had
planned – missed the School of the Air, the Royal Flying Doctor, CBD Historic
Walk, Telegraph Station and Women’s Hall of Fame.
Day 17 – Alice
Springs to Wauchope
Well it is back on the road today but with a planned 410 km
it is not a big day. We got away at 8:40 and headed into town to get bread
rolls, post a postcard to Mum (as she has no internet to see the Blog) and
refuel. Left Alice Springs at 9:10 heading north. Just north of Alice Springs
we arrived at the “highest point marker” which is the highest point (altitude
wise) between Adelaide and Darwin, so should be downhill from here!!!! Also
just 10 km north of Alice Springs we hit the “Open Speed Limit” which is
exactly that – no speed limit, do what you want!!! When we came to roadhouses,
etc there would be road signs stating “Reduce Speed Now”, “130 (speed limit) 2
km ahead”, etc. We still stuck to about 95 to 100 kmph as we are comfortable
with that speed and some of the road is not suitable for much faster, but we
did have a few cars rush past. The caravans and road trains do between 90 and
100 kmph. Quick stop at Aileron where they have the “Big Man” which is a very
large statue of an aboriginal on the hill and one of an aboriginal lady and
girl probably about 15 metres high. You can do the “Big Man Walk” if you are so
inclined (we weren’t), walking from the road up the hill to the “Big Man”.
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Big Man, Aileron
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We stopped at Barrow Creek Roadhouse (probably the worst one
we have seen!) and had lunch in the car under the shade of one of the few trees
big enough to throw a shadow that the car could fit under.
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Barrow Creek Roadhouse lunch stop
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We spotted our first
4 trailer road train today. Arrived at Devil’s Marbles Hotel, Wauchope
(pronounced “walk up”) at 3:05 and the temperature is up to 33 degrees. Booked
in and unpacked into a small cabin, afternoon tea and a bit of relaxing. The
cabins and caravan park is behind the pub and has a fence around it and you
have to keep the gate closed to stop the cows wandering into the caravan park! At
5:10 we headed 10 km up the road to Devil’s Marbles for sunset photos. Stayed
until about 6:15 and then headed back to the cabin at the hotel. Had tea in the
dining room and while the meals are like pub meals (Chicken Parma and Lasagne)
they came out on fancy square plates.
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Devil’s Marbles
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Devil’s Marbles
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Devil’s Marbles
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Not a crack in the road but a line of ants
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Day 18 – Wauchope
to Daly Waters
Another sunny day and a lot of driving with 525 km planned. First
stop was Tennant Creek and we stopped at Nyinkka Nyunyu Cultural Centre. We did
the audio tour after seeing some of the locals doing painting. Some of the
painting is on tobacco tins which are sold in the shop. The audio tour takes
you through 5 stations inside and then 20 stations outside and covers the history
of the local indigenous tribes and also what some of the plants are used for in
their culture. A quick drive to the local lookout and Joy rang Sue as we have
tried ringing mum but she is always “out and about”.
Stopped at Attack Creek Rest Area for lunch and the
temperature has reached 34 degrees. Had lunch at a picnic table which we shared
with a couple from Parkes (in fact from a street just up the hill from where
Joy used to live in Parkes). They were doing Parkes – Coffs Harbour – Darwin –
Port Augusta – Parkes, all in 2 weeks!!
We have notice the vegetation has changed and there are many
more trees and green grass along the road. In fact, we passed 2 tractors mowing
the grass on the side of the road!!
We had to have afternoon tea in the car after having a wasp
harassing us while trying to have it at the picnic table. Temperature peaked at
36 degrees.
Stayed at Daly Waters Hotel in a cabin. This is a typical
outback pub (if you exclude the cabins). There are things everywhere. Stuff
hanging from the ceiling, business cards all over the walls, etc. They have a
“Beef and Bara” night but we ordered from the normal menu both having
Barramundi Bites and chips. The caravan park next to (part of) the pub is very
popular with grey nomads and the dining area was full of grey nomads with Beef
and Barra meals. Also had live music –
country and western and 50/60s songs. Only 1 channel on the TV which makes it
the least number after Kings Canyon (but last night we had no TV at all so that
probably wins the prize for least channels!)
Day 19 – Daly
Waters to Mataranka
Today is another clear and sunny day but only a short
distance planned, 200 km. Even though it is only a short day we headed off at
8:30 and a balmy 24 degrees! Headed north with a quick morning tea break by the
side of the highway. Have passed several vintage cars this morning both towing
trailers. We think there must be something on in Darwin so will have to
investigate this.
Stopped at the Elsey Cemetery which has the graves of many of
the people from the “We of the Never Never” book by Jeannie Gunn.
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Australia’s Next Super Model?
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Les had read
the book and seen the movie several times.
Next stop was a walk at Elsey National Park called Botanical
Walk and there were masses of butterflies but am sure they will not show very
well in the photos.
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So…. 4 miles is 3.1 km??? Not when we went to School!!
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A quick walk to “The Sheep Dip”. They found out that sheep
farming in the tropics does not work! Back to Mataranka Homestead for lunch and
a dip in the Thermal Pool near the Resort.
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Replica Mataranka Homestead
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This is another place Les had been
before and he said it has not changed much (both resort and pool) other than
the bats have gone (well at 2:00 in the afternoon there were no bats). The
temperature has hit 35 degrees so the swim was great.
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| Mataranka Thermal Pool |
Left the springs and drove to Mataranka for groceries for
tea. Not much choice in the small supermarket. Booked into Bitter Springs
Caravan Park and a very nice spacious cabin. Did some washing and had afternoon
tea. At 4:10 headed to Bitter Springs. Where Mataranka Thermal Pool is just one
pool about 50 metres long and lined with rocks and seats, Bitter Springs is all
natural other than 2 sets of steps into the creek and a bridge and step where
you get out. From the start to the finish is about 150-200 metres. What you do
is use your noodle (the foam flotation noodles that is) and drift down the
creek. To walk to the start, drift/swim to the bridge, walk back and do a 2nd
lap and back to the car took about 1 hour. We were lucky as the cabin came with
the use of noodles!!! By now it is up to 37 degrees!!!
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Bitter Springs
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Bitter Springs
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Tea on the deck of the cabin, where we had 4 geckos and a
green tree frog join us.
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Visitors at cabin at Bitter Springs Resort
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Day 20 – Mataranka
to Pine Creek
Another beautiful day and again a shortish driving day but a
long actual day planned. Had breakfast on the deck and saw several “Pretty
Faced Wallabies”. Left at 8:00 and drove straight through to Katherine.
Road Kill Tally – add pig and fish (yes, we saw a dead fish,
quite a big one, in the middle of the road!)
Refuelled and headed to Katherine Gorge. After morning tea
at the café walked down to the boat ramp to board a boat for a 2-hour cruise
(we could make a TV series about a 2-hour cruise!!). The cruise took us up the
first 2 gorges of Katherine Gorge with a 400 metre walk to get from the 1st
to the 2nd gorge. The further up we went the steeper the walls of
the gorge got. Saw several fresh water crocodiles. As there were only 23 on the
cruise we could move from side to side to see things and move out of the sun.
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Katherine Gorge
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Katherine Gorge
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Katherine Gorge
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Katherine Gorge
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Katherine Gorge
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Katherine Gorge
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Katherine Gorge
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Katherine Gorge
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The boat has a lean as most wanted the shady side!! Katherine Gorge
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We had booked a buffet lunch but it was cancelled so they
refunded the cost of that. Had lunch at the café. Les had Gnocchi Carbonara
with Chicken and it was very rich and over cooked. Joy had a huge hamburger
which was nice but way too big. Had to sit outside in the shade and by now the
temperature was 36 degrees. Decided to skip the planned 1 hour walk as we had
seen the number of stairs needed to get to the lookout, and didn’t think it was
a good idea in the heat. Stopped in Katherine for groceries for the next few
days and headed to Pine Creek. Passed several bush fires along the side of the
road. Seem to be common in this area and no one seemed to care of try to put
them out. (Found out later that the fires are set in the early dry season, to
clear out undergrowth and promote new growth in the plants. All done by Parks
and Wildlife, using methods advised by the local indigenous people.)
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Drying the washing!!!
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Saw regular fire by the side of the road once north of
Katherine.
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Got to Pine Creek at 4:30 and booked in and had afternoon
tea. Checked emails and found one from the café at Katherine Gorge sent this
morning at 6:48 saying the buffet was cancelled due to low numbers.
