22nd June – Monday
Such an exciting day, it is hard to know where to start! Another clear, warm day with a top of about 25 degrees – very pleasant.
Today we headed for the West McDonnell Ranges, with a short stop at the grave of John Flynn, before heading west. The road was very good, mainly flat except for rolling through numerous creek crossings. The scenery was simply stunning!
We continued past the turn-off to Glen Helen Gorge, travelling approximately another 20 kms before turning back. This is the true Albert Namatjira country, with Mt Sonder featuring in his watercolours. The Glen Helen Gorge contains not only a camping ground, but also a “resort” with a lovely dining room. We had a cut lunch with us, so headed for the 10 minute walk to the waterhole. The track headed along the bed of the Finke River, before he who can find his way anywhere in the bush, lost the track and decided we needed to walk through head-high, snake infested grass and reeds. Cat was not amused and kept very close! The waterhole in the gorge was just beautiful, complete with a heron and kestrel to keep us amused. There are supposedly black-footed rock wallabies at this waterhole, but they obviously decided to hide behind the rocks while we were there. The return to the resort was along the track, which quite clearly went along the middle of the river bed.
Then the big excitement of the day. As it will be our wedding anniversary, we decided to have a ride in a HELICOPTER instead of going out to dinner. After listening to the safety instructions, making sure Cat was securely belted in and Les moving his keys and change to his inside pocket, it was into the helicopter and on with the headphones. Unfortunately, there were no doors to shut. It was the most incredible flight over the ranges and surrounding countryside – the dinosaur ridges looked like they had been drawn with a ruler. We finished the flight by flying through the Glen Helen Gorge, the very place we had sat for lunch. Cat was so excited by his visit to Glen Helen Gorge, we had to give him a valium to calm down.
Then it was on to Ormiston Gorge and another waterhole, beautiful river red gums and dry river beds – and lots of flies! This was a fairly large gorge, with lots of sand in the river bed. We had a quick trip in to the ochre pits – the colours in the cliffs were amazing. Serpentine Gorge was another gorge and waterhole, and quite a rough walking track. The road into this gorge was very rough and Les was able to practice his 4 wheel driving. The final gorge and waterhole of the day was at Ellery Creek. This large waterhole is evidently very popular as a swimming hole, but I considered the water a bit cold for a dip.
When we returned to the caravan park, a didgeridoo concert was in progress.
Such an exciting day, it is hard to know where to start! Another clear, warm day with a top of about 25 degrees – very pleasant.
Today we headed for the West McDonnell Ranges, with a short stop at the grave of John Flynn, before heading west. The road was very good, mainly flat except for rolling through numerous creek crossings. The scenery was simply stunning!
We continued past the turn-off to Glen Helen Gorge, travelling approximately another 20 kms before turning back. This is the true Albert Namatjira country, with Mt Sonder featuring in his watercolours. The Glen Helen Gorge contains not only a camping ground, but also a “resort” with a lovely dining room. We had a cut lunch with us, so headed for the 10 minute walk to the waterhole. The track headed along the bed of the Finke River, before he who can find his way anywhere in the bush, lost the track and decided we needed to walk through head-high, snake infested grass and reeds. Cat was not amused and kept very close! The waterhole in the gorge was just beautiful, complete with a heron and kestrel to keep us amused. There are supposedly black-footed rock wallabies at this waterhole, but they obviously decided to hide behind the rocks while we were there. The return to the resort was along the track, which quite clearly went along the middle of the river bed.
Then the big excitement of the day. As it will be our wedding anniversary, we decided to have a ride in a HELICOPTER instead of going out to dinner. After listening to the safety instructions, making sure Cat was securely belted in and Les moving his keys and change to his inside pocket, it was into the helicopter and on with the headphones. Unfortunately, there were no doors to shut. It was the most incredible flight over the ranges and surrounding countryside – the dinosaur ridges looked like they had been drawn with a ruler. We finished the flight by flying through the Glen Helen Gorge, the very place we had sat for lunch. Cat was so excited by his visit to Glen Helen Gorge, we had to give him a valium to calm down.
Then it was on to Ormiston Gorge and another waterhole, beautiful river red gums and dry river beds – and lots of flies! This was a fairly large gorge, with lots of sand in the river bed. We had a quick trip in to the ochre pits – the colours in the cliffs were amazing. Serpentine Gorge was another gorge and waterhole, and quite a rough walking track. The road into this gorge was very rough and Les was able to practice his 4 wheel driving. The final gorge and waterhole of the day was at Ellery Creek. This large waterhole is evidently very popular as a swimming hole, but I considered the water a bit cold for a dip.
When we returned to the caravan park, a didgeridoo concert was in progress.
1 comment:
Happy anniversary. Glad you had someone to share it with!
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