Glen Helen & Gosse Bluff

Woke to a beautiful morning this morning in Glen Helen, very cold prior to sunrise though.  We drove further west today from GH about 70 km to an area known as Gosse Bluff.  The first pic is from a lookout about 20 km from the bluff, the second is a pic of an aerial photo of the bluff.  They believe it is a crater left after a meteorite crash.  Originally it had a crater about 20 km in diameter, but that has now eroded away and the inner crater of about 5 km diameter is what is now visible.   The road turns to dirt for about 20 km and then a 4wd track of 8 km into the centre.  Great day out though.  No pics from inside as just rugged hills, hard to get a pic that does it justice.   The road is currently being upgraded as it forms a loop from Alice Springs through the W MacDonnell Ranges around to Kings canyon. another 2-300 kms away.  The road is still quite corrugated , but will eventually all be sealed.  We will not be towing the van that way, but many do, especially with off-road vans.

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After the Bluff, it was back to GH for the remainder of the avo

Below are a couple of pics of Glen Helen Gorge, only 10 mins walk from the Van Pk.  You are unable to go through as the water is about 20 m deep, you can take tyre tubes, but it is cold.   Might do a helicopter flight over it later???? 

Glen Helen homestead is just a part of the caravan park buildings now as the land lease, cattle station part no longer exists, but when it started up one of the Breadens was the first manager of the station, there is a Breaden Creek around somewhere around too that runs into the Ormiston Creek, but maybe more about that tomorrow after a visit to Ormiston Gorge, just 8-10 km  away.

Thought I would show you a couple of new friends below, both new to us.   No 1 is a Splendid Fairy Wren, he and his females live in the grass area behind our van and flit in and out of the area frequently through the day.  Didn't get to see him often but when we did what a show he put on, came within a couple of metres of where we were sitting, magnificent colours.

No 2 we caught up the road a bit, but my pics not so good, so took this one from the inet.  He is a Varigated Fairy Wren, once again fantastic colours, but a bit harder to get a good look  at as they don't sit still for very long.