West Macdonnell Ranges - Glen Helen

RB--  its been nice just to have a couple of days of  "not a lot"  to slow down a bit, but now back into it.  The West MacDonnell ranges and a couple of nights at Glen Helen Resort, about 130 km W of Alice.  Good access, asphalt all the way.  We made a couple of stops on the way to check out a few of the spots.  The ochre pits (sample pics below) is a creek bank where the aboriginal people did/do get their ochres for body painting etc.   The colours in the bank are beautiful.  

Next stop was Redbank Gorge.  But it was a bit of a dissapointment as all we could do is get to the start of it as it is still very wet and the path through is filled with water, but you get the idea of how amazing it would be if you could walk through the narrow path.

There is a small lookout just near Glen Helen and the afternoon sun gives an great pic over the hills to the north.  Thats the Finke river in the foreground, beautiful pic hey???

This is basically our view from the caravan, over the Finke river to the cliffs to the south of Glen Helen. Hopefully have some more pics tomorrow if I can get internet access again, its a bit dodgy from the Resort, and no mobile access, but I was surprised as I did get a little mobile access in areas I did not expect.

Palm Valley

from Jeanette - we are hearing from people that our photos are really good.  I'm glad you like them and yes Ross is a good photographer that's for sure.  He loves taking photos so he loves to share them on this blog.  Today was a great day to take photos.  We started off very early (7.00am) and went on an organised tour with a company called Alice Wanderer with 15 other people to Palm Valley.  Getting in there was very very rough so we are glad we went in the right kind of BIG fourwheel drive  truck.  First of all we called in to Hermansberg and checked out the Heritage buildings there.  Hermansberg was named after German Lutheran Missionaries who came to start Mission work amongst the aborigines in the 1800s.  A very interesting place.  We travelled on to a campground near Palm Valley and had some morning tea.  It took another 20 minutes to actually get into Palm Valley and after a short walk we were there experiencing an amazing beauty.  Palms everywhere and I'll let Ross put up some photos of this amazing place.  After the walk we went to a fantastic lookout over the whole escarpment, amazing.  We travelled on to Hermansberg where we had lunch (this was provided) at the heritage buildings and then on home.  All in all a great day but very very tiring. 


RB --  Wow what a big day.   Palm Valley south west of Alice Springs.  But I confess we did cheat a bit!    We had heard the road into the valley was really bad with lots of rocks and sand and rock ledges to climb etc, also more corrugations!!  sooo we decided to take a tour in there and let them belt their vehicle around and not ours.  Plus we were told that we needed a high clearance vehicle as the road after the floods this last year were needy of a lot of repair,  Our Sorento is good but I wouldn't say high clearance.  The tour option was really good, good commentary along the way, stopping at John Flynns grave, and a quick stop in Hermansberg for a loo stop and to put in our lunch orders.  Then  into the campsite for morning tea before heading into the Valley.  As per usual it was beautiful, perfect day, and outstanding views as Jeanette has talked about.  See a sample of pics below.    By the way the road was rough and corrugated in sections but not as rough as we had been told and we could have done it comfortably, but still glad we didn't.

Hermansberg isn't very exciting and not allowed to take pics in the town but we went to the Heritage village which was the original Lutheran Mission

Hermansberg is also the birth place of Albert Namatjira, the famous Aboriginal artist, and where he lived most of his life, I believe.

Mission Church building in Hermansberg

Picked up a NT paper today as saw this on the front page, much to Jeanette's disgust.  If you cant read it, it says a lady was bitten in the Nature Park pool in Berry Springs by a salt water croc.  We swam in that pool and  Jeanette is quick to remind me she didn't want to, but she did for a short time, who would have thought, my wife the thrill seeker, living on the edge!!!!!!

East McDonnell Ranges

from Jeanette - We took some time to explore the East McDonnell Ranges.  First off we came to Emily Gap and Jesse Gap.  These two gorges were beautiful and of course Ross will need to put up some photos to show just how lovely they were.  After these gorges we came to a place called Corroboree Rock.  An unusual rock formation that you could actually walk around.  We got there fairly early and discovered a wonderful array of birds flitting around the trees having a wonderful time and so it took us a while to get around the rock because of this distraction.  Next off were Trephina Gorge and John Hayes Waterhole.  You needed a 4WD to get into the Waterhole.  Our car made it in and it was a lovely stop.  We walked up to the top of a rocky ledge and was able to see back down to the Waterholes.  We stopped here for lunch and then headed off to a Resort called the Ross River Resort on the Ross River.  A beautiful old homestead that now is used as a camp site.  We stopped here for an icecream and made our way back to Alice.  I was asked today which has been my favourite thing so far on this trip?  We have been away nearly 7 weeks and I can honestly say I don't really have a favourite cos everything we have done so far has been fantastic and each thing we have seen has had it's own beauty.  We've seen so much amazing scenery, structures, colours, animals, birds and still marvel and God's greatness, majesty and His wonderful creation.  We are so in awe of His creation of this most beautiful and diverse country we live in.

RB  It has been nice to have a bit of a break now and not be rushing around,  but there is still so much to see.  One of the problems out here is that once you are a little way out of town you loose mobile and internet connection.  However while we get the chance now with internet for the evening I can get things sorted.     We really enjoyed these E Mac ranges, the diverity was great.

Emily Gap

Jessie Gap

Corroborree Rock

Trephina River

Trephina Gorge

Spinifex Pigeon in the Gorge                                                                                                                                                                    This was out first sighting of these pigeons, they were great, loads of them in the Gorge amongst the rocks

Part of John Hayes Waterhole Gorge area.  The road in was very rocky with a few kms driving up the rocky creek bed, and much to my wifes disgust a few tree branch scratches on the side of the car,  and I was so careful too???  We had lunch in the camp area here and gpt our first close up view and pic of a Hooded Robin, so it was worth it!

We survived the road and made it to the top of the road into the East Macdonnell ranges, over Ross river into N'Dahla Gorge, once again another very pretty spot.   I think we had about 6 river crossings to get in here, but most very shallow and a few rocky strips to negotiate.  I think we passed three artists in this section along Ross River recording their views onto canvass.  After this it was back to the Homestead for an icecream before making our way back to our camp.  Hopefully if we have reception we will be able to give you tomorrows pic tomorrow night.

Started off with Pancakes

from Jeanette - It was a very cold night minus one degrees.  I am actually sleeping really well all cosy and warm.  It has been lovely sunny days though.  We got up this morning to go to a free Pancake breakfast the park puts on every Sunday morning.  They were scrumtious and we actually caught up again with Stephen and Jeanette Young travelling home.  We decided to see some of the East McDonnell range highlights today.  First off was Emily Gap and Jessie Gap.  We didn't need to walk in very far to see them which was good.  After that there was Corroboree Rock.  An interesting Ceremonial site for the Indigenous people here.  Lots of birds there too.  After that we headed on to Trephina Gorge and Jone Hayes Waterhole.  We had lunch here and then the last thing to view was N'dala Gorge.  It has been a very big day but well worth the effort.  At the moment we have a Didgeridoo playing in the background.  There is a talk tonight in the Camp Kitchen on how to play one.  Better go and find out.  Ross will put up some pics later.  Thanks for reading our blog.

Alice Springs

RB ---  Last night in Alice is the coldest we have had since leaving home, off with the light blanket, on with the doona!  Today was a lovely day but the breeze was fresh.  A bit of a lazy day, some washing and shopping and visit to  the visitor centre to work on out itinerary.   Also got the chance to find Breaden St and, for the family, find some info behind the naming of the street, some of it already known???

After lunch we headed west into the beginning of the West Mcdonnell Range area to visit Simpsons Gap and Standley Chasm, both very beautiful.  Looking forward to checking out some of the East Mcdonnell area and Palm Valley over the next couple of days

Standley Chasm

Simpsons gap

Hello from Alice Springs

from Jeanette - It has been a big two days since we wrote.  Lots of driving and travelling.  We left Lake Argyle on Wednesday headed for Katherine.  When we got to Timber Creek we had a message from Anne Ball to say they had left Katherine and were now in Timber Creek.  I also had phone reception so I called her and we were able to join them in Timber Creek and actually stay there with them for the night.  It was great catching up with them, we had a lovely time.  We left for Katherine the next day and they went on towards Kununurra.  Stayed the night in Katherine and then the next day went on towards Tennant Creek and made it to a little place called Banka Banka it had been a long day and we were both pretty tired.  This morning we got up early ready for another long day and made it to Alice Springs around 5.30pm.  We are happy to be here and are looking forward to spending a few days here and checking out the place.  I'll let Ross write and put up some photos too.

RB--We really enjoyed our time at Lake Argyle,  weather great, park was good.  The tour of the lake excellent.  Near the end of the cruise we stopped to watch the sunset and have a swim, water was beautiful, actually warmer than the parl pool.  So I have had a swim in lake Argyle, just me, 25,000 crocs (freshies) and 1 salty??? (reportedly). 

As the lake is so  high at the moment many islands exist that dont normally, a few of the islands to the south had a large number of bird life, like a billabong wetlands, also lots of wallabies that have been stranded.   This lapwing not so happy about  the sea eagle being so close to its territory.

Senset over the Lake

There is a great swimming pool at the caravan park, elevated near the edge that makes it look like it overflows into the lake.    The park has lots of birds including lots of Great Bower birds, in fact there lots of them everywhere.  The pic below is a bower belonging to one of the males in a small garden beside one of the accomodation units.

It was great catching up with Ian and Anne Ball (son-in-laws parents) in Timber Creek and spending the evening/night together. 

Our stop over in Katherine was the last of the warm nights.  Last night in Banka Banka started off OK but was very cold this morning.  Anyway we made it to Alice Springs OK today with a stop over at The Devils Marbles.  They are a bit "random" really, kms of nothing but scrub and suddenly a patch of very large boulders?  This is just a sample pic as they cover quite a large area, may be 40 acres at a guess.      I dont know why people say they are going down to Alice as its quite high.  We left Katherine which is about 140 metres above sea level and near Alice we got to 740 metres before arriving in Alice, about 580 metres above sea level, much higher than I would have thought, might help to explain the cold nights in this area?  We are looking forward to having a good look around here before heading to the West Macdonnell Ranges.          

 

Kununurra and El Questro

From Jeanette – Thursday we stored our van, got our tenting gear together and headed into Emma Gorge and El Questro.  To get there you travel on the Gibb River Road.  This road was extremely rough with heavy corrugations and of course most of it is dirt road.  Our little car didn’t like much of it as we broke one light because of the rough surface of the road and broke our CB Radio aerial.  We were so worried about blowing a tyre as we had heard that a tyre place in Kununurra had repaired 40 punctured tyres that week from people going into El Questro.  Thankfully our tyres held up and we firstly explored Emma Gorge.  Emma Gorge was beautiful.  It took one hour to walk in a fairly hard walk for me but eventually we made it to the end to the most beautiful waterfall and swimming hole.  After coming out of Emma Gorge we headed on up to El Questro.  This is a privately owned Wilderness Park area where you can camp out and explore many of the Gorges and Springs in the area.  It was crowded and you had to fight for the showers.  We went into El Questro Gorge first and I slipped over again and hurt my leg.  We only went in half way where there was a beautiful swimming hole so we thought that would be quite far enough especially for Jeanette who falls over all the time!! The second half of this walk is very tough, so not recommended for many.  I was happy to have walked in though a big achievement.  The next day on the way out of El Questro we stopped at some Thermal Springs called Zebedee Springs.  The water is 32 degrees all year round and it was so nice just sit back and relax for about 20 mins.  The place also was absolutely crowded with people so we didn’t stay long.  All in all a great experience.  The only thing we didn’t like was all the dust. 

We got back to Kununurra and went to another Caravan Park along Lake Kununurra.  This was such a lovely spot we decided to stay another night.  I caught up on some washing and Ross got his light and aerial fixed.  Sunday morning we got up at 4.30am and went on an aeroplane flight across Lake Argyle, the Argyle Diamond Mine and the Bungle Bungles.  It was a two hour flight which included a cooked breakfast afterwards and well worth it.  From the air the Bungle Bungles looked amazing and Ross has some photos to share.

After the flight we packed up and are now having two night in Lake Argyle Resort.  A beautiful spot, very picturesque and we are just enjoyed some relaxation.  More to follow…..

RB ---Its been some time since we have had mobile coverage, but will try to get a few pics online.  Jeanette has given a run down since last blog, so I wont add much this time.  Below some pice of our time in Kununurra etc.  We have been to Lake Argyle over the past 2-3 days but will include in the next entry.  We have left Lake Argyle now and heading towards Katherine.  We met Ian and Anne Ball at Timber Creek today and decided to stay the night in a small park just off the road.  

The pics below are a bit out of order unfortunately but I cant take the time to sort at the moment, sorry

In El Questro we went to Emma Gorge and El Questro Gorge,  Some of the hikes in can be a bit of a challenge 

This is camp in El Questro

Emma Gorge is a beautiful gorge, water was great

The zebra rock gallery was a great place to visit and the items for sale were amazing, this is just a basic sample  

The Gallery is on the Ord River and you can go to the river with some bread and feed the fish, hundreds of them.

One of the residents at the Gallery is this rare bird, the Buff sided Robin,  

On the way out of El Questro we stopped at Zebedee Springs, a series of small water holes  in the rock with the thermal water flowing out of the rocks.  The water is a therapeutic 28-32 deg all year round

Zebedee Springs a great place to relax, and show case the Victorian suntan.

Right on the Edge of Kununurra is a National park called  Mirimu, or known as the "Mini Bungle Bungles"  a very pleasant and easy park to visit, and literally  3-4 mins from centre of town

On Sunday Morning the 17th at 6 am, we did a fly over the Bungle Bungles and Lake Argyle and the Argyle diamond mine .  What a great flight , and very popular,  Alligator Airways had 5 planes take off for this flight this day.  Our pilot was David Ball and the planes were the Gippsland Aeronautical planes made at Latrobe Valley Airport,  an 8 seater plane, so everyone gets a window seat.

Sunrise over Lake Argyle from the air.

After our flight we all had a complimentary breakfast  at the Ivanhoe Cafe near the airport before being dropped back at the van park.   We left the park as soon as we got back and headed for Lake Argyle caravan park for the next couple of nights.  This pic is of the water gushing down the spillway on the way to the caravan park.  The lake is still 3.5 metres over the spillway, it got to 9 m over the spillway with the big wet they had this season,  they had , believe it or not 10 metres of rain up here this year.
Next entry will be of our stay at lake Argyle.  Loved it there too.  We have now left and staying in Katherine tonight before starting our journey south