Monday, August 22, 2005
When we planned to pass through Broken Hill on our drive back to Melbourne, we just wanted to see what it was like, maybe spend a couple of hours and then set off. We hadn't realised how much more there was to Broken Hill! As we went through the brochures it became apparent that there were many things to see and do, and so we decided to spend an entire day here and then carry on. Broken Hill belongs to New South Wales, but Sydney is much further away than either Melbourne or Adelaide. It is very isolated, but a thriving town, full of charm and character. The city is founded on mining. It is unbelievably rich in many ores and gemstones. Here there is silver, lead, zinc, copper, garnets, jade and many other gemstones. Its mining roots are hard to miss. On the south side of the city proper is enormous mound of tailings (the earth that is dug out during mining). Atop this mound sits a cafe and a memorial to miners who have lost their lives in the mines. Many of the buildings in the city are old, and have that colonial charm. The main street with the post office, council offices, courthouse and pub-hotels retains its character.
We took a tour from the Information centre in the city. This was a walking tour led by a volunteer. Our tour guide was a lady who had just turned 72 the previous day! She was very local, having been born and brought up in Broken Hill. She led us around the town stopping at various buildings and telling us stories about them, including some of her memories. (Her late husband was a miner). The group consisted of about 7-8 people, most of them really really old. We were the only young couple. But they were all friendly and we spent a pleasant two hours or so. The only shortcoming was the weather. It was freezing! And none of us had expected it, and we were all cold to the bone. (more to come....)
Saturday, August 20, 2005
The morning was back to normal, no wind and no rain, and the day looked good. we decided to go for a scenic drive through the ranges. The drive was about 90 km along 4WD-only track. (incomplete...)
Friday, August 19, 2005
Last night was pleasantly warmer than the previous nights, though there were many months. When we went to bed, though, the wind picked up and blew in great gusts, threatening to blow our tent away. When we woke up this morning it had quietened down, but the skies were grey and the clouds low. Just when we had hurriedly packed up the tent it started raining. Luckily the campground had an outdoor covered kitchen, and we cooked breakfast in the shelter. We had planned to do a long 12 km walk to the Blinman pools, but the rain put us off. Don't quite mind the rain if we are suitably dressed. But we didn't have shoes which would stay dry and so we decided not to walk. Instead we drove out towards the Gammon ranges, which are the northern Flinders Ranges, and supposedly more spectacular, although fewer people visit it, because it is more remote. The Gammon ranges are about 140 km from Angorichina, where we stayed last night, and around 200 km from Wilpena.
The first town on our way here, down a winding track, was Blinman, which used to be a copper mining town. There's no mining now. But there were a restaurant, a hotel, a general store, all catering to tourists. It was still very windy and so we didn't feel like wandering around town. The track snaked its was through hills and gorges and along creeks, and then suddenly left behind the ranges and was on the open plain. We were back in the flat outback. It was different from the outback to the west of the ranges in that the soil was less red and more white. But otherwise it was the same, flat, stony and with a few scrubby saltbushes. Now and then the road crossed a dry creekbed, with gum trees growing in it. We saw little else, although in the distance we could make out the dark shapes of the Gammon ranges.
We came upon a signpost to Mt. Chambers Gorge and since it was also marked on the map as a place of interest decided to go there and have a look. It was a corrugated track which, once it got to the creek, followed its course, often in the creekbed itself. After parking the car, we walked along the creekbed, which in places had enormous boulders. The gorge is at the foot of Mt Chambers, which is sacred to the Andymanthana, the local aboriginals. There were some rock engraving on the gorge wall. Further down, the gorge rose spectacularly,with the mountain overlooking it on one side. The mountain was of fine sedimentary rock which was crumbling and sliding down the sides, looking like avalanches. While we were in the gorge it started raining, and the wind picked up. Suddenly there was a clatter and we saw a piece of rock land with a thud. The mountain was breaking down even as we watched!
We drove on across the stony plains. In the distance we could see Lake Frome, which is another salt lake to the east. What we could see was actually a sliver of bright white, which would be the salt crust, against the dark grey clouds. When we got the Balcoona, which is where the office of the Gammon ranges national park is, it was still very windy. We weren't feeling to keen about camping in our tent if the weather continued the way it was. And the weather showed no signs of changing. We enquired about accommodation. There was accommodation at Grindell's Hut, a stone hut on a ridge in the park, which sounded delightful. But we were told that it was full. The only indoor accommodation that was available was the shearer's quarters in Balcoona. Balcoona used to be a sheep station, and there was a shearing shed (where the sheep were sheared for their wool) and the shearer's quarters. We decided to take a room in the shearer's quarters. Having confirmed a warm sheltered place for the night we went for a drive. First we drove to Italowie gorge. The short drive was pretty, more so because of the weather. The sun occasionally struggled through the clouds and lit up some of the ranges, which were set off well against the dark clouds. A thick heavy cloud pressed closed to a mountain peak, and there the ranges looked dark and mysterious.
From Italowie gorge we backtracked and drove to Arkaroola, about 30 km from Balcoona. Arkaroola is a privately owned wildlife sanctuary adjoining the Gammon ranges NP. It was once a sheep station, but was then bought in 1968 by Reg Spriggs, who was a geologist and worked in an oil exploration company. He converted the sheep station into a wildlife sanctuary. It is a spectacular place. As we drove in we could see the road snaking through a valley, between mountains. The road led to Arkarool village which is where all the tourist facilities are. There is accommodation, a restaurant, a general store which also sells fuel, and even an observatory. After buying some fuel, we went in and browsed. The bar and cafe adjoined the store. The walls were filled with pictures of the family, certificates of various natures, and from various people including the Australian Government, the City of London, awarded to Reg Spriggs. He seemed like a really interesting person, from what we gathered. There is even an asteroid named after him (he must have discovered it from the observatory). The dining room was a traditional wood building, with tree trunks as posts, and strong beams and a wooden ceiling. The wooden beams were adorned with all kinds of oddities of a rural Australian flavour– horse shoes, shears, blacksmith tools, lanterns, bottle openers etc. You could spend hours examining them. Arkaroola looks like a wonderful place to spend a week or two in. There are plenty of walking tracks and 4WD tracks. We'll have to go back sometime. But this time we don't have the time. We're about 1300 km from Melbourne and have to be back in 5 days. So we're going to spend 2 days in the Gammon ranges and then drive back via Broken Hill, another famous outback town.
Back at the shearers' quarters we had the whole place to ourselves. It is a simple building. A verandah runs round on all four sides and there are rooms all along the verandah. Splitting it down the middle is a big kitchen and a common room with a TV, lounge etc. Not sure if the shearers had these facilities too. But I guess they would have been too tired at the end of a backbreaking day's work to want to watch TV. It's a hard life, a shearer's job, and people still do it today. There hasn't been a machine invented that can do the job. And there's a school in Tasmania for those who want to learn the trade.
Well, the wind is still howling around outside and we're glad to be nice and warm inside.
Thursday, August 18, 2005
We had to hang around in Hawker because I was expecting a call on my mobile. Mobile coverage in these areas is very limited and Hawker was the only town in that area that had coverage. The call came early and so by 10.00 we were free to go where we wanted. While we were having breakfast we met Beth,a sprightly retiree, whom we had met when we were at the same caravan park a few days ago. She was with a walking group. The night we met her, one chap had fallen and injured his head. We asked how he was. It turned out that he needed nineteen stitches on his scalp to close the gash, and he'd also broken two fingers in the bargain. Their group seemed to be having an eventful week. the day after the chap fell, another lady injured her knee on the second day of walking. Beth had hurt her thigh on the same day that the chap fell. So on the third day most of them decided to do a small and simple walk. Two of the men wanted to do a more challenging one. They were dropped off at the starting point by one of their wives, who was also to pick them up at the finish. She waited there at the agreed time, and they didn't turn up. It got dark and time went by and she got worried and raised an alarm. The SES (State Emergency Services, volunteers who go out and so searches if somebody is missing, besides doing a host of other things) was all ready to launch a search for them when news that they had been found was received. They had not planned properly and had underestimated the amount of time they needed. They had neither torch nor compass. When it got dark they missed the trail and got lost. After stumbling around the bush for some time they found a vehicle track and followed it. It led to a homestead. the farmer, seeing two men walking in the dark came out with a gun! They were given a good talking-to.
Our chit-chat turned to India, where Beth had recently travelled. she'd been there many times. We talked about the traffic in big cities, and the lack of any order in traffic, of public transport, or the lack of it, and of travelling long distance on trains. She recalled one incident where she and a friend were on the lower berths, on an overnight journey, while the upper berths were occupied by and Indian family with four children of various ages. Somewhere in the middle of the night she felt some spray from above. the little boy had passed water! “Don't they use nappies?” she asked.
The daughter of one her walking companions was going to India for a few months and he was very worried as she was going alone, and was only 17. “I'm sire he'd love to meet you” she said and so we went to where they were sitting in the sun outside their cabin. Introductions were conducted. One gentleman raised his beanie on being introduced and we could see a row of neat stitches on his scalp. Anyway, we sat down, exchanged pleasantries and chatted casually. They said that they'd seen a chap with three camels in Hawker 2 days ago. He had travelled all the way from Broome in Australia's northwest on the camels and was headed for Adelaide. He didn't carry provisions, living off the land entirely! Between Broome and Adelaide was the vast outback and deserts like the Tanami and the Simpson.
Talking of camels, one of our party said his wife had just bought two camels. He said it so casually that we almost didn't believe him.
“And where does she keep it? In your back yard in Adelaide?” we asked increduously.
“No. She just bought them at Williams Creek, and they're still there. She'll have to find somewhere to keep them.” he replied.
Apparently, every year there is a round-up of feral camels. Most of them are culled and end up either on the table or in pet food. But before that, some which show potential to be trained and domesticated are sold to interested people. We wondered how they were identified. There must be a camel psychologist, who interviewed them and picked the suitable candidates. He would be the St. Peter of camels. Anyway, and so there was our new friend's wife with two camels, which she was going to train to ride. The people you meet in the outback!!
Later we stopped at the Hawker post office to send off some postcards. We'd dropped in there a few weeks earlier, on our way up to Alice Springs. The lady remembered us and we got chatting. She and her English husband had moved there from Adelaide less than a year ago, and were loving it. We learnt that more than 50% of Hawker's population were retired people, living independently, in retirement villages or in a nursing home. There were about 40 kids in the school, from kindergarten to year twelve. And in the lower grades, children from 2-3 classes were put together. Students in the higher classes worked more independently, with distance learning techniques, and supervision and tutoring support from the teachers. We also got chatting about tourists. Most of the local tourists visited in spring and autumn. Those who came in summer were often European tourists who most likely had no idea how hot it got. Temperatures around 40 C are common and its just too hot to do anything much outdoors. Sometimes people get into trouble because they are not prepared or just don't know what to do. In the past year alone at least two people had died. One fell off a cliff. His companion went to get help, but by the time help arrived, he was dead. The other had gone for a drive on a 4WD track and got bogged. He left his vehicle and set off on foot to get help and died in the heat. His car had rations enough for at least a week. He should have just waited with his vehicle until somebody came by. As it was, the incident was discovered when another car noticed his empty vehicle and informed the station owners about it. It was also observed that if he had just reversed his can and backed up he would have been able to get out, and could have driven back! Most tourist literature addressing four-wheel-driving always advice that in the event of breakdown to stay with the vehicle. It is easier to spot a vehicle than to spot a person on the ground, especially from the air. There are better chances of surviving in the shelter of the vehicle even though it might get hot. And if one has enough supplies one can wait. But it is much harder to carry enough water to get to help in the outback, where the distances are great, and there is little shade or water in between. There was a tourist couple who went for a drive on Lake Eyre and the car got bogged. They set of on foot to get help. The man started feeling ill, and couldn't go on and returned to the vehicle, while the lady pressed on. He was found alive, with the vehicle, and she didn't make it. Stories abound.
After finishing up at the post office we headed towards Parachilna, which was on the way to Leigh Creek. We planned to turn off the main road there and head down to Angorichina through the Parachilna gorge. We were quite hungry when we got to Parachilna and decided to stop and have lunch at the pub there. The pub is famous for giving people a "taste of the outback" very literally. They serve many Australian animals on a plate! You can have roo burgers, emu patties, camel steak, feral goat cutlets and so on. Those who cannot decide just which one they want should order FMG - feral mixed grill! The pub was lovely inside. The front room was the bar counter. But inside were fine-dining rooms with neat tables covered in chequered tablecloths, and fine oil paintings of teh outback by a local artist adorning the walls. On first entering the pub, it looked like a small one room affair. But going through it, it seemed like a house had been converted. The dining rooms led on to other dining rooms. An extension had been built, and here there were rooms to be had for the night, and all the facilities that go with it.
We ordered our meal and browsed through souvenirs, books, newspaper articles on walls etc. until our food arrived. We decided to eat in the front room,rather than the fine-dining area in the back. We were well rewarded for our choice. A group of people cam through. All were in good spirits and dressed in white. They ordered drinks at the counter and hung around htere chatting. Then we saw that a lady was dressed in a nurses uniform. We thought they might be from the Royal Flying Doctors, or something like that. A little while later, more people came in. Their faces were painted green and they had stuufed pillows under their shirts to look pot-bellied. They wore headbands with ears on them. They were all dressed to look like Shrek! It turned out that there was some kind of a car rally that was passing through from Adelaide. They'd gone through Port Augusta, and Coober Pedy, and were now on their way back home thorugh the Flinders Ranges. As we sat there eatling lunch more people came through the door. There were prisoners, and priests, and Vikings and even Elvis. And they were all having fun. When we'd had lunch and stepped outside we were greeted by more funny sights. Many of their cars were old and beat-up, and painted really whacky. We'd learnt that there were 100 cars and 300 people in the group. Don't quite knwo what they were all about, but any excuse to have a good time. And they were having a grand time!!
After lunch we drove through the gorge. The road followed the creekbed, winding one one side or the other of the creek, and frequently crossing it. There was no water, which would have made teh crossings more exciting. But it was a nice drive. We go to Angorichina and pitched tent, and then just sat and read and chilled out in the shade there.
Tuesday, August 16, 2005
It was cold last night and hard to get up in the morning. But we were all packed up, had breakfast and ready to start by 9.00, which included a chat with our friend from last night, Chris. We decided to do a scenic drive today, and a long walk, to St. Mary's peak, the highest peak in the Flinder's ranges tomorrow. The scenic drive passed on the east side of the pound and then through the Bunyeroo valley, past the Bunyeroo gorge and then through Brachina gorge. The weather had cleared and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. The ranges were a pretty sight, their orange exposed rock contrasting with the lush green of the grass, and the blue sky. The whole setting was like a park. There were very few shrubs. Mainly grass with scattered gum trees and native pines (cypress pines), which enhanced the park-like feeling. The scenic drive was a dirt road. There were a few lookout points from where we could see the road curving its way into the valley, and the ranges rising majestically in front. We stopped at Bunyeroo gorge and set out on the walking trail there. It was along the creek, lined with massive gum trees. I've never seen gum trees with the girth of these giants. It must be because of the higher water availability along these creeks in the ranges, or maybe they're a different species altogether. have to find out more about them. Spring flowers have just begum to bloom and there were some bright yellow ones. Actually they were a few different varieties, but they were all a cheerful yellow. Then there was another kind of flowering bush with orange or red flowers, a bit like begonias. The first time we encountered them there was a gentle perfume in the air. It was so faint and delicate, that it was hard to decide if there really was a fragrance in the air. but we came across the bush a few other times today and each time the perfume wafted through. Smelling the flowers close-up didn't help confirm that the flowers were responsible for it. But later when we gently rubbed our fingertips against the flowers the perfume carried on our hands. It was lovely.
After challenging walks the last few days, the gentle walk along the creek made us a bit restless so we cut it short and continued along the drive. At Brachina gorge there were explanations about the geology of the ranges. They have been formed when sedimentary rock was pushed up to form mountains, about 500 million years ago. These softer layers of rock have eroded away, leaving the harder layers projecting in the folds and layers that were formed when they became mountains. Of course, with all that erosion they are much smaller. But they are still on a really grand scale. The ancient mountains would have been really high.
The road from Brachina gorge joined the sealed road between Hawker and Leigh Creek. Outside the ranges the land was dry, and stony with a few shrubs, just like it had been along the Oodnadatta track. It had the feel of the outback, and it beckoned to us. We were tempted to do another outback track, like the Birdsville track or the Strezlecki track. But we didn't quite have the time to do it. It would have been rushed. So we regretfully dropped the idea, and turned south onto another dirt track, the Moralana scenic drive that we had taken when we passed through the ranges on our way to Maree. It was as charming as we found it earlier. It is private property there is bush camping area marked and we decided to stay there/ There's nobody else here. There's half a moon throwing plenty of light and it would be great if we could sit out and enjoy the tranquility. But it's quite cold once the sun set and so after dinner we're sitting in the car. Tomorrow we have a long day of walking ahead of us, but we're looking forward to it.
Monday, August 15, 2005
Went to an auto electrician first thing in the morning, and he immediately fixed the headlights. It was a problem in the relay, and a part had to be replaced. It was a five minute, fifty buck job! But atleast that's sorted. After that we went to the the old water tower in Port Augusta, which is now a lookout. It rained all night last night, but by morning the rain had stopped and the dust had settled. So the view from the lookout was quite good. We couldn't see much of the ranges though, because a low cloud was hanging over them. But we could see the Gulf of Spencer, and the mangrove forests on the shores.
After taking in the views from the lookout we set off for the Flinders Ranges. From Quorn we turned off the main road onto a dirt track, which was an alternative scenic route to Hawker. A few kilometers down the track was Dutchman's Stern, a rocky peak, with exposed rock cliffs on one side and a vegetated slope on the other side. A trail led to the peak, and we decided to do the walk. It was a 10.5 km walk which started on the plains, and wound its way gently up the slope. The vegetation changed as we climbed higher. At the bottom the slopes were grassy and had many large gum trees. Further up there were bushes and a different variety of gum trees, and mosses and ferns. It was obvious that this was a wetter region. There were also many grass trees which are iconic of the ranges. At the very top we were walking close to the cliff edge although we couldn't tell it, until we reached the peak and looked back to see the trail. It was grand view from the top. We could see all the way to Port Augusta, 40 km away, and the ranges to the north, east and south. On the west was the head of the gulf, salt pans and the salt bed of lake Torrens. There were clouds and their shadows across the landscape made it look like a patchwork quilt. We had lunch at the peak and then started on our way down. Along the way we saw two groups of feral goats. We had passed a trap for them on our way up. It was a fenced dam, with a ramp sloping from the outside to the top op the fence. The idea was that the goats would climb the ramp and jump into the fence to access the water, but wouldn't be able to jump to the top of the ramp to get out. It wasn't being used however, as the gate had been left open. Anyway, the feral goats, about 6-7 in each group were quite scared and bolted when we came upon them. On the other hand we saw many kangaroos, some with joeys in their pouches, and they weren't scared at all. One roo mum was lounging with the joey grazing nearby. When we approached he got scared and bounded away, while she just lay there calmly. He returned but was ill at ease. The mum sat up and was alert but not disturbed. He hid behind her, and peeped from behind her a few times. He grew more nervous. He was too big to fit in her pouch, but that's where he wanted to be. So he buried his head and front paws in her pouch instead. He would extricate himself now and then, but on seeing us, would quickly plunge his head into her pouch again. We left him alone and moved on. Some other roo mums were completely unfazed, even when we were very close to them. They carried on grazing. The joeys were in their pouches. They would peep out and nibble a few blades of grass which were within reach. But sometimes their nerves would desert them, and they would withdraw into the pouch. it was lovely to be able to observe them from so close. There were also many birds, mainly rosellas, which are an Australian parrot, some other parrots. When we were at the peak we saw a couple of wedge-tailed eagles. At one time they were very close to the cliff and we could see them in flight from close. It was an awesome sight to see these magnificent birds spread their wings and soar majestically.
After returning to the car we continued to drive down the dirt track. We passed the grave of Hugh Proby's, who had started the Kanyaka homestead in 1851, and tragically drowned in the Willochra Creek nearby. we also passed the ruins of Simmonston, the town that never was. There were the ruins of a hotel and general store. They were built and the surrounding land allotments sold in a feverish pitch in the belief that the Ghan was going to pass through here. When the Ghan was aligned and passed further east of the town it was abandoned, there being nothing to sustain it.
The drive was quite scenic. But the sum was setting and we couldn't linger. We got to Hawker and decided to stay there for the night. At the caravan park while we were cooking dinner we got chatting with another traveller, Chris, who had been to India many times and was a follower of Sai Baba and Ma Amritanandamayi. Had a long interesting chat with her.
Saturday, August 13, 2005
Day 27,28 - 12,13/08/05, Marla, Port Augusta, SA.
In the morning, we backtracked the 150 km we'd already travelled out of Alice and returned to Alice Springs, from where we made a few phone calls and had lunch before hitting the road again, hoping to get to Coober Pedy. Just as we turned onto the Stuart Highway, we saw a man with a big red suitcase trying to hitch a ride. There was no readily available place in the car, but we stopped and asked him where he was headed. “To Sydney” he said. We said we were going to Port Augusta. “That's fine. There are many trucks that come thorugh there and maybe I can get a ride on a truck from there” he said. So we cleared the back seat and managed to get his suitcase in the back, and when he was settled in set off. He said he'd come to visit some friends in Brisbane and Darwin, travelling with friends. One dropped him off at Alice, from where he'd tried the previous day to get a ride towards Sydney. Hardly anybody stopped. One that did was going to Ayer's Rock. He'd spent the night at a Salvation Army house and been standing at the roadside again from 9.00 am. It was past 1.00 pm when we picked him up. He must have been around 50 and spoke with a drawl, and seemed a bit slow to respond. He reminded us of our friend Jennifer in Melbourne, who has a hearing problem and speaks and responds very slowly, but her mind is as sharp as can be. Jim, as his name turned out to be, used to work in the Sydney railways, but now lived on a disability pension. He'd travelled around a fair bit, living in various cities, when he felt he needed a change. He also seemed to have done a considerable bit of hitchhiking to get to these cities, when he moved around. We didn't speak a lot. He sat there quietly, coughing gently occassionally, or offering a comment, now and then, like “ There's not a lot to see out here, is there” or “It looks very different here”.
We stopped for a stretch at Erldunda, where the Lassiter highway turns off to Uluru. We sked Jim if he'd had lunch. “A piece of cake and some water” he said, and hungrily ate the sandwiches and banana we offered him. We drove continuously, because Port Augusta was a long way off from Alice Springs, and there wasn't much in between to stop and see. It was 7.00 pm when we turned into the roadhouse at Marla, the first town in South Australia. We decided to stop there for the night.
We'd discovered, that night at Marla that our headlights weren't working. They'd worked fine until then, but after we switched them off at Marla they wouldn't come on. This was a bit of a worry, and we didn't want to take any chances driving in the evening, and wanted to get to Port Augusta during daylight. So we started at 7.20 the next morning and kept going. We stopped a few times to stretch, change drivers or have a quick bite, for breakfast and lunch. We also stopped to take some pictures of wedge-tailed eagles, feeding on the carcasses of roadkill. These birds are the largest birds of prey in the country. We hadn't seen any until now. But saw plenty on the drive to Port Augusta. many of them were in pairs, while in some places there were many birds. They were often accompanied by crows, waiting for the leftover morsels. On one occasion we saw that an eagle had been the victim of a roadhit, probably while he was feeding on another roadkill.
Twice in the morning we stopped for some aboriginal people. We'd heard about incidents of a single person flagging down a vehicle, and when the vehicle stopped many people swarming out of the bushes and getting into the vehicle to hitch a ride. the first person we stopped for was alone, beside his car with its bonnet open. We stopped some distance away and he came up to us and peered inside the car. We asked him what the matter was, and he mumbled that the engine was stuck. As he was talking a woman came out of the bushes and towards us. We were going in the opposite direction to where they're car was pointing, and observed that to them. Then the man asked uncertainly for some water. We gave him a big bottle we had. He asked if we had any cigarettes, we didn't. It dodn't look like there was anything else we could do for them, and so we started to turn the car round to continue on our way, when a third person started yelling out and calling to us from the bushes. We just carried on.
The second person we stopped for was also heading in the opposite direction. We stopped to ask what was wrong. He said he was coming from Port Augusta and ran out of fuel. We said we couldn't help because ours ran on diesel. he said “That's alright, then. I'll just wait for my mate to come back with the fuel”. Then he asked us if we had some cigarettes, and we told him we didn't. He waved us on. It seemed quite weird that someone would drive from Port Augusta, and run out of fuel in the middle of nowhere, in a land where there's nothing at all and the towns are really far between. But that's the way things are around here, I guess.
The drive passed through landscape which varied a little, subtly. There were sometimes sand dunes, later stony arid land with short bushes. We did see cattle, and camels and horses too. Then we passed a large area where there wasn't a tree in site for as far as the eye could see. And the land was so flat, and featureless and you could see all the way to horizon on all sides and it all looked exactly the same. This must be where the flat earth society, if there is one, would be based.
We also passed beside some large lakes. Of course there was no water at all there, only a dazzling white crust of salt. And some hills which were completely bare, beside the lake, which gave us the feeling that we were on some other planet! At some points, where the road went over a low hill we could see the road ahead stretching into the distance in front, like a purple ribbon, through the barren land. (Though the land looks barren, we know that there is a lot of life, Many species of insects, birds, reptiles and plants inhabit these areas. Each one of them has specific tactics and skills to survive in this harsh landscape.) Much as we wanted to we couldn't stop to take pictures at any of these places. We pushed on and made it into Port Augusta just as the sun was setting.
Jim wanted to head off immediately and so we dropped him at a roadhouse where trucks stopped, and he could hitch a ride. We then went off and pitched tent in a caravan park on the shores of the Gulf of Spencer.
Thursday, August 11, 2005
Day 26 – 11/08/05, Aileron, NT.
We'd meant to go to the Alice Springs Desert park this morning and spend time there until 2 o'clock when our car was due to be given in for a service. We stayed at a backpacker's last night and got all our things charged – laptop, camera batteries, HDD etc. But we were very late starting off this morning and weren't out until past 10.00. So we skipped the desert park and instead went to an internet cafe and updated the blog site. Then did a quick shopping trip to buy a Namatjira print. That left just enough time to buy lunch and then take the car down to the garage.
Soon after picking up the car and filling up the tanks we headed north towards Tennent Creek and Darwin. Stopped at 6.30 in Aileron, at a campground here.
We made some calculations that evening and found out that it would take us about 5-6 weeks to travel the Kimberleys and get back to Melbourne. We only had about 3 weeks at the most, since we had to get to India by the end of the month at the latest! So we had to change plans on the fly and decided to turn back and spend more time in the Flinders Ranges in South Australia. This was disappointing since the Kimberleys were to be the highlight of the trip. But on the positive side, we could save that for a later trip, and that would be something to look forward to.
Wednesday, August 10, 2005
Mt.Saunders, Western MacDonnell Ranges,
the 4th tallest peak in Central Australia.
A Rock Wallaby and Joey in pouch, warming themselves in the morning sun. We came upon them when on a long walk in the morning in Ormiston Pound. They are a rare and elusive creature, usually seen only in the morning and late evening, when they descend from the hills.
Sheriff George surveying the Ormiston Pound, a crater-like landscape
From the top of Serpentine Gorge, another magnificent view in the Western MacDonnell Range. The view is a reward after a very steep climb to the top.When you have to go, you have to go! A drive-by toilet?
