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!!!!!!