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?
We set off towards Uluru in the morning. On the way we dropped in at the Henbury Meteorite craters. The 4-5 craters were formed by a meteorite which broke into a few pieces before it hit the earth. They are ancient and some had trees growing in them. One of them was like a lovely garden. A creek drains into it and the bottom is wet and supports plenty of vegetation. They could be mistaken for extinct volcanoes. We'd read that many iron rich stones were found in the vicinity. At the Natural History museum in Alice we'd seen some of these stones sliced and polished. They were almost entirely of metal, and very shiny. Some of them had a pattern, because of the way the metal had crystallised.
From the craters we decided to take the dirt road to Uluru, which ran for about 100km before joining a paved road. This was shorter than the highway. Bu the road was very heavily corrugated and sandy. The sand didn't bother us, but the corrugations took their toll on the vehicle. The welding job in Alice that had fixed the muffler gave up and we're back to having the muffler rattle around.
One often thinks of Alice Springs and Uluru
being close to each other. Looks quite close on the maps too. We just found out how far apart they were! There's about 450 km of road between the two and it took us most of the day to get there, including stops at the craters and for lunch. On the way was Mt. Conner, a mesa, which is very large and often mistaken for Uluru. It had a flat top, and the top half of the sides were vertical, and the bottom half sloping outwards. It was a dramatic sight in its own right, but I guess not afforded much attention because of Uluru nearby. We kept a watch for Uluru, and our first sight of it was only of its top. It was very late afternoon by then and we decide to go straight to the rock and watch sunset there. Hundreds of people visit the rock every day. But the entry fee is really steep at $25 per person to see a rock! Of course this allows you access for three days, but that was small consolation.
There is a car park from which sunset can be watched.
We were early and got good spots to watch from. It filled up later. The rock which was purple when we first spotted it from a distance was orange brown when we got to it. As the sun sank low towards the horizon the colour kept changing, to a glowing orange, a fiery red, and then a dull glowing red, like an ember. Finally, when the sun sank below the horizon, it dramatically became a dull brown, like the life had gone out of it.
There is no camping in the national park within which is Uluru and the Olgas. The nearest camping is at the resort just outside the national park. The only other choice is Curtin Springs which is 85 km away. We thought we might not get any place at the resort. We did, and at $26, it was the most expensive campground we've been in. Moreover, there are no designated campsites, just lawns. When we got to the one assigned to us, there were already tents all over the place. we got a spot for ourselves, but it was pretty cramped camping. Anyway, hope to be up to watch sunrise tomorrow monring and then do a few walks around the base of Uluru and the Olgas.
Day 18 – 3/08/05 Rainbow Valley, NT
We'd checked into a backpackers' last night, mainly becaue we needed power to charge the photo storage device, laptop and camera batteries. Thought we'd start earlier because we didn't have to pack up the tent etc. But it was the usual time by the time we started. Took us an hour to update the blog site before setting off for Standley Chasm. Standley chasm is best viewed in the mid day sun when both sides of the gorge walls are lit for a few minutes when the sun is overhead. But it was past noon when we were finally ready to set off. So we changed plans and decided to head to Uluru first. We saw that Rainbow Valley was on the way and decided to take the detour. It was a 25 km dirt road, quite corrugated and sandy and very rough. It was early afternoon when we got to Rainbow Valley, which is a hill which has been eroded on one side. The rock is in layers of different colours, rich dark chocolate brown, lighter rusty orange brown, light brown, yellow and white. The darker
the colour the richer the iron content of the rock. The lighter coloured rocks are sandstone. The sandstone is at the bottom, with the dark brown rock forming the capping layer. Each of the rocks erodes at a different rate, and the colours have sort of run into each other. It was a gorgeous sight when we got to it and promised to get better as the evening wore on. So we decided to camp right there. There were no facilities, save a composting toilet. But the place was beautiful. We weren't the only ones who thought so. There were about 5 other tents set up by evening. Lots of groups visited and took short walks but did not stay. We took a short walk to Mushroom rock, which, you guessed it, was eroded into something which looked like a mushroom with some imagination. Then we returned and set up tent. When that was done, we took two chairs and went and sat in the large and dry claypan at the bottom of the hill and watched the sun set. It was very relaxing, and well worth staying for. The whole hill glowed like it was on fire, just before the sun set.
Tuesday, August 09, 2005
Wild horses on the way through the Western MacDonnell Ranges.
Red Bank Gorge with a permanent pool of ice-cold water (in the middle of a desert). Access deeper into the gorge is by wading through this pool or floating through on an inflatable thingy.Ormiston Gorge - with the dry Finke river bed. The Finke is supposedly a 100 million year old
river that flows into the sands of the Simpson Desert and never reaches the sea. There are a few rock pools of water even in dry seasons that sustains plant and animal life in these harsh regions.We set off from Palm valley to Hermannsburg, where there used to be a German Mission. This was also where Namatjira lived and there is an art gallery, exhibiting some of his work, and a cultural precinct that can be visited. We stopped at the petrol station which also doubled up as a take-away cafe. Next door was a building which served as a supermarket selling almost anything....bicycles, clothes, food etc. It also offered services like internet centre, bank and post office. There was a notice at the bank teller's window which contained, among others, instructions like: “Do not sign cheques for others; Bring your passbook if you want to withdraw money; and Don't give (an aboriginal word, which probably means teller) a hard time”.
But we learnt at the petrol station that the town was closed, for a funeral, and so none of the places we wanted to visit would be open. So we drove around a little taking in the brightly coloured houses, kids playing and dogs lazing around, and then headed towards Namatjira drive which is a scenic route along the West MacDonnells. featuring the country that is captured in many of Namatjira's paintings.
Monday, August 08, 2005
View of Palm Valley - relic of wetter climates, when most of the earth was covered by a rain forest. These Red Cabbage palm trees are found only here, in a 2 km stretch along the river bed.
Access to Palm Valley along a 4WD only path, using low range gears.
Morning drove to Finke gorge along Mereenie pass, require permit. Road a bit like Oodnadata...not too difficult, just some corrugations. Changing landscape. Climb the escarpment. There series of low ranges, like ridges. Eroded sandstone faces on one side, gentle vegetated slope on the other. Road kept crossing the ranges through passes. Then came to Finke Gorge, 4WD only.on the way quick stop at Albert Namtjira's house, who is a famous Aboriginal artist. Only two rooms, ten people lived there, but for a short time. When one child died, had to move out according to aboriginal custom. Track into Palm Valley was very sandy and stony and in low 4WD. Very rocky, sandy, along the Finke river bed. Palm valley – home to rare red cabbage palm tree. From when Oz was wetter and had tropical climate. Then became dry, palms survive only in the gorge, where sheltered from fires and sweeping floods. Only about 2000 left. Like coconut plantation, in valley floor. sandstone gorge walls on either side. Continues and then opens out into a wider valley. Palms present only in a 2 km stretch. Plenty of spinifex everywhere, and cypress pine. Walking track ascends gorge and then walk on the rim. Lovely walk, impressive place. Then returned and did short lookout walk.
Best campground ever. Few people, all quiet. Hot showers, beside river. Horses grazing on the other side, river with some water in front. Fantastic, serene place.
Sunday, August 07, 2005
View of Kings Canyon from the rim
'Lost City' at the top of the canyon. Eroded domes that look like the ruins of a city.
The early start to watch sunrise on two days at Uluru has done us good and we are now able to start our days earlier. Today we were up at 6.00 and were on the road before 7.00. We got to a lookout just as the sun was rising and watched sunrise over Mt Connor which wasn't very spectacular. Then hurried on to Kings Canyon. Here too, there is no camping in the national park. There is a resort within and that's where the campground is. Our first stop within the national park was at Kathleen springs. This is an interesting gorge, with a waterhole at one end. It was much used by aboriginals as the waterhole is permanent. So in times of drought they converged here. During good years they spread out and allowed the gorge to recover. Later when the Europeans came to the region and started their cattle farms they used the gorge to keep their stock, because of the reliable water supply.
Both the aboriginals and the Europeans made use of the gorge as a trap. The aboriginals allowed emus and kangaroos in to drink water and then formed a human barrier, blocking the escape route of the animal and hunted them for food. The Europeans used a similar technique to muster their cattle. A path lead from the mouth of the gorge to the waterhole at the end which is sacred to aboriginals. Along the way were the remnants of the stockyards and pens of the European cattle musterers. The aboriginals believe that the waterhole is guarded and preserved by the rainbow serpent, a mythical ancestor of the local tribe. They took care, respected and protected the waterhole, never camping near it, so that animals which came to drink water would not be frightened away.
After Kathleen Springs we went to the Kings Canyon Resort, which is run by the same company that runs the one at Yulara. Booked a campsite and pitched tent. This is also as expensive as Yulara, but nowhere near as crowded there. Once the tent was up we set off to Kings Canyon. There were two walks there. One which follows the creek bed into the canyon and the other which ascends the walls of the canyon and traces the rim. We took the short walk along the creek bed. The creek of course was dry. But there were magnificent gum trees along it. Kings Canyon too is sacred to the aboriginals. The walk went upto a point from where we could see what looked like the end of the canyon. On either side the walls towered above the valley floor. On the north the walls were orange and jagged and looked like they'd been constructed with blocks of stone, this pattern due to the weathering of the layers of sandstone. On the south side the wall, especially near the rim was a dark brown, the colour of chocolate, and even too. In fact it looked like a giant slab of chocolate had been broken, the edge looked sharp, and the sides smooth. Some trees were clinging to the sides tenuously, as were some cycads. There was birdsong in the air and we even managed to glimse one of the singers, who were quite hard to spot.
After retracing our steps to the mouth of the canyon we embarked on the longer rim walk. First we had to climb steep steps and ascend the walls of the canyon. Once we got to the top there was a good view of the canyon and the plains beyond it. We had lunch there before continuing. We saw that we were actually between two canyons. Aerial photos show that the canyon is actually like a tear or a crack in a sandstone plateau. There were few more of them. The top of the plateau wasn't flat though. Here ancient hills or mountains had once stood, but had eroded away leaving behind domes. The walking track went along the rim of the canyon, passed through some of these eroded domes. This part was referred to as the Lost City and it was easy to see why. The domes with the flat spaces between them was like walking down the streets through the ruins of some old city. There was a lookout from where one could see and appreciate the sheer smooth drop nearly down to the floor of the valley on the souther wall of the canyon. From here the wall looked less smooth. In fact it looked like it had been built of stone blocks and then been plastered. In some places the plaster seemed to have come off and the block beneath showed through. In fact what seemed to have happend is that the harder material which forms the crust of the plateau and the top layer of the wall, had dissolved in rain water and flowed over the wall, forming a protective coating like a plaster. The lookout also afforded a good view of the end wall of the canyon.
But progressing down the track we came to another lookout from where we could see, with surprise, that the canyon did not end there, but turned sharply and then continued, like a second canyon. A waterhole marked the point where it turned. In the second canyon there was lush vegetation, and what seemed to be like a long creek-like waterhole. There was a bridge and steep metal steps to descend the wall of the canyon into this second canyon. In the valley it was like being transported to another world. There were many gum trees and cycads crowding the floor, and there was plenty of birdsong. We went to the waterhole at the turn of the canyon. It was late afeternoon and the sun made the walls glow, which were also reflected in the water bathing the whole area in gold. There were birds flying around, sleeping, or grazing. They seemed completely unperturbed by our presence, walking within a foot of us, looking completely relaxed. This place is so aptly named. It is called the Garden of Eden, and was as enchanting as its name suggests. We could have spent much longer but had to carry on as the sun was moving rapidly towards the horizon. We ascended some steps and followed the path which continued along the rim. There were more dome-like structures on the southern side, and all the way into the distance. The path then descended and returned to the car park. It had taken us a good four hours or so.
Another view of the Canyon. 'Garden of Eden' - a pool of water that supports a variety of birds, animals and plants, many found only here
Saturday, August 06, 2005
Sunrise and sunset at Uluru are big events, and
people turn out in crowds to watch Uluru at these times. The rock changes colour as the sun sets or rises. Sunrise was at 7.20 am. But we wanted to be there much earlier for some pictures. So we were up at 6.00 and at the rock by 6.30 am. Which was good. The horizon was just developing colour. We drove to a suitable spot and watched the rock from there. Nearby were two guys who'd been at Rainbow Valley when we were there and we got chatting. They'd come across the Simpson desert crossing hundreds of sand dunes in a Subaru, which was quite remarkable. It is a 4WD vehicle, but a car. They did get bogged and the muffler got ripped off etc. But they made it. We told them how crowded the campground was at Yulara. They'd been bush camping and told us how to get to the spot they'd found.
After watching sunrise we had breakfast and set off on the walk around the base of Uluru. Uluru is a very sacred place for the aboriginal people and they request you to not climb it. The requests are all over the place, on the pamphlets, on sign boards and even on a board at the start of the climb. But the tourists do it anyway. Apparently many have died trying to climb it. There is a chain all along a rock slope which one can hang on to and use while climbing. Even at the base of the climb there is the aboriginal request that one not climb the rock. But people were swarming up it. It is a very enticing rock to climb. But one cannot disrespect what a community holds sacred, and so we decided to walk around the base instead. Even on the walk there are many places where one is requested to not take photographs, as these are sacred places. There were boards which mentioned if the spot was sacred to men or women. They didn't say more than that. Apparently they are not supposed to give information about these places to the uninitiated. So there wasn't a lot of learning, but the rock itself is wondrous and awe-inspiring. The surface is not smooth, rather flaky. And there are many caves and hollows that have been eroded. In a few of them there were many rock paintings, made by aboriginals of course. There were two gorges with water-holes. There must be many pockets on the rock itself which hold water. Some look like giant cascading water-features from a distance. There is no way to describe the feeling when you walk into these gorges. In front of you is sheer rock, rising like a wall. You can't see the top until you lift your face so that it is facing the sky, that's how high the walls are.
One thing which struck us about the rock was that many of the eroded hollows were shaped like lips, and so it seemed that the rock had many mouths. The curves of the rock were smooth and graceful.
The walk around the base is about 10 km. We'd walked there from the visitor's centre which is 2 km away. So it was a 14 km walk, which we did over 3 ¼ hrs, stopping many times to take pictures. It is such a photogenic place. And the views and shape of the rock was constantly changing too as we walked around it. We decided to stay another night so that we could visit the Olgas the next day. The road we'd taken from the meteorite craters to Uluru had been rough and the welding on the muffler had come off and so the car was rattling again. We took it in to a mechanic who said he'd have a look at it the next morning.
We headed off to look for the bush camp spot that the two chaps had told us about. There's had been about 12 km away. But much closer we spotted a track going off the road, and we took that. It led through spinifex and young desert oaks. We found a spot and decided to stay there for the night. The camping provided at the resort was very crowded. This was free- no money and no people. We did pass three young chaps in a car, who'd also picked this spot for camping. And later saw some people ahead of us too.
We were woken around midnight by some shouting. Two men were talking in German, and apparently looking for someone that seemed to be lost. Every few minutes they would yell out his name at the top of their voices. They even shone the torch on our tent. This went on for quite some time before they gave up looking and went back. We could hear their car which sounded like they were bogged in the sand on the way to where we were camped.
The next morning we watched another sunrise at Uluru, and took some more pictures. Then we went to see the mechanic, who did some more welding on the exhaust pipe. Had breakfast and went to the Olgas.
The Olgas are eroded rock mountains 50 km from Uluru. They must have been many mountains. They had eroded into many smooth looking domes. This too was sacred ground. There was no climbing track, but there was a walking track which takes one through the Valley of the Winds. 
This track descends through a gap and then passes through a narrow gorge, between one dome and another rock which folds around the dome. This was like walking through a canyon. Here the walls were very high and steep. Around one side of the dome the track ascended steeply and as we mounted the last few steps we came into a wonderful view. In front of us the track descended steeply, still between the dome and the rock. Ahead was a flat plain from which rose many more domes. It was a dramatic scene. Moreover, the walls of the rocks on either side of the track were in shadow, contrasting with the sunlit vista of the domes in front.
The rock that these domes are composed off seem very different from that of Uluru. While Uluru seems to be of Lava flow, and homogenous, here the rock seemed to be a matrix, like lava had flowed over existing rocks and bound them in. It was like concrete. As the rock eroded the smaller rocks embedded in it became visible, just like you can see aggregate in broken concrete.
The walk was about 8 km, which with ascents and descents, and plenty of stopping took us about 2 ½ hours. After lunch we were ready for another walk. This one was a shorter one, through a gorge. The gorge was quite narrow, and the walls on either side absolutely vertical. When we'd walked a fair way in, and turned back and looked, the shape of the gorge was exactly like a giant U. But at the other end it became a V, which ascended some way up from the floor. Here it was moist and there was a spring and a tiny creek. Many short trees and vines were growing in this favourable spot. We had to retrace our steps to finish the walk. We ran into the two chaps from rainbow valley again.
We decided to head off and drive towards Kings Canyon. Got to Curtin Springs around 7.00 pm.
Tuesday, August 02, 2005
The morning was crisp and cold. Most of the people at the caravan park were enroute, either to or from Alice Springs, and so without wasting any time in the morning got ready and continued their journey. We had a quick breakfast and set off by 9.30 am, which seems to be the earliest we can get going. We had about 400 km more to go before we got to Alice.
The landscape was quite vegetated. There were short scrubby trees and many grasses. We also passed, quite often, what looked like a tangled string of yellow tennis balls by the roadside every now and then. Curious about this, we stopped and made a closer examination of the next one. They turned out to be fruit on a dried up vine. The fruit were round like little melons. In fact, they are called Paddymelons, and the book said the desert was full of it, but one would have to be really desperate to eat them. The landscape didn't look like a desert, though it was unmistakably arid. But it is a desert because rainfall is poor and unpredictable in these regions. I think we'd happened on the place when it had just experienced some winter rains and so was greener than normal.
We were looking out for wildlife. There were very few roadkills, unlike the horror on the Portland-Mount Gambier road. But what few we saw were dessicated, often only some skin left on the skeleton. We saw some camels in the distance. There are plenty of wild camels in Australia. They were brought by the Afghans, initially used to transport goods and people across the desert to places like Alice Springs and nearby cattle stations. When the railway track was laid, these caravans were no longer as necessary as before, and many camels were let loose. Nowadays in addition to the wild ones there are also a few on farms, for rides, and safari tours in the outback.
We didn't know if the camels we saw were feral or owned, but from where we were they looked really skinny and pathetic. We felt sorry for them, living in this difficult terrain. But the next lot we saw were definitely someone's property as they all had eartags. They certainly looked healthier than the previous lot.We got to Alice by 1.00 pm and went straight to a caravan park. It was obviously the tourist season. The caravan park was quite full, mainly with people in caravans, as usual, most of them elderly. Having secured a spot for the night we headed into town.
Alice seemed like quite a pleasant little town, just the right size. The people here are far away from anywhere,but they're pretty well set up, and don't have to miss out on anything. On the eastern side of the town centre is the dry creek bed of the Todd River, which further upstream is joined by the Charles river. Alongside the creek bed are several beautiful gum trees, mature and majestic. From the south the road into the centre is through a narrow gap in the mountain range which flanks the city on the South. North of the city is Anzac Hill, where there is a War Memorial. Further out on all sides are more mountain ranges. From Anzac Hill, where many people gather to watch sunset, it is quite a pretty sight – the town ringed by the ranges. When sunlight falls on the rocks, they blaze a fiery red or gold, and in shadow take on a purple hue.
We wandered around the city in the afternoon. It was firly quiet, perhaps because it was a public holiday, Picnic Day (any excuse for a holiday! If Melbourne can have a public holiday for a horse race, then anything else is acceptable).
We stepped into a Desert Art Gallery. There are plenty of art galleries in Alice, selling aboriginal art work. The art is very distinctive, usually composed of many dots. They depict stories, which are not readily interpretable by one, but use traditional motifs and symbols which have meanings. The art was beautiful and alas, quite expensive too.
The next day we visited the Cultural Precinct, which is a group of buildings housing a natural history museum, art galleries, museum of Australian Aviation etc. It was quite an interesting complex. I was drawn principally by the fact that the art gallery had a collection of Albert Namatjira paintings. Albert Namatjira was an aboriginal artist who painted many water colour paintings capturing the beauty of this region, at a time when few people from outside the region had any idea about its landscape. He learned to paint when he was about 30, under the mentorship of a Victorian painter who was visiting. His landscapes are lovely, capturing the beauty and colours of this heartland.
Among the buildings was the Strehlow Research Centre. Inside we learnt about this fascinating man. He grew up here and learned the local language from his childhood friends. He spent most of his life documenting their culture. His vast and detailed invaluable work is still being studied and assimilated. At the Aviation museum we also saw remains of the Kookaburra and learned of the tragedy that claimed its crew. When Charles Kingford Smith set off to fly to around the world he sent out a critical message that he had to do a forced landing because of some mechanical trouble. Nothing more was heard from him. Hitchcock and Anderson set out to look for them, in a hastily and poorly prepared mission. They encountered mechanical problems themselves and went down in the Tanami desert. Kingsford Smith was rescued unharmed from the Kimberleys, but by the time the search party spotted Hitchcock and Anderson 12 days after they went down they were already dead. They had apparently tried to get their plane airborne again, and also to dig a well to get some water. They even tried to quench their thirst drinking urine mixed with fuel. They must have died a horrible death. Such tragedies are being played out even these days. A few months ago two men were found dead near their car in the Tanami Desert. They were an uncle and his nephew who was in some trouble with the law. When they got wind that the law was on their trail, they tried to escape by driving down the Canning Stock Route. This was in summer, when the road is rarely used. Their vehicle broke down and they had no supplies. When they were found, both were dead, one a little distance from the car and one under a mattress, under the car in an apparent effort to escape the relentless heat.
Another tragedy we learnt about in the museum was about a pilot who was flying to Perth. Unfortunately just after he left Port Augusta his compass malfunctioned and he wasn't aware. Instead of heading towards Perth, he was actually heading towards Alice Springs. The country is so monotonous and without identifiable landmarks that it was many hours before he realised something was wrong. He crashed into the desert, about 250 km from Alice. A search was launched and a huge area was searched, but he was so far off track that he wasn't spotted. It was many years before even the wreckage of the plane was found and identified. His body was never found.
We also visited the Old Courthouse which now houses a museum of women pioneers which is a tribute to the pioneering women of this region. It had many portraits and stories about the first white women who came to live in and around Alice and the lives they led. There were also portraits and stories about other Australian women who were pioneers in their fields. There were doctors, lawyers, artists, politicians, sportswomen and women from every walk of life. It was quite inspiring to read about these determined women who overcame many obstacles and biases to achieve what they did.
There are more places to visit in Alice and the town is growing on us. It seems to be a nice place. But we've got to move on. So tomorrow we head off, going west along the Western McDonnells, and onwards to the real heart, Uluru.
