Gorgeous Gorges

We drove out to Ormiston Gorge today.  We are beginning to understand what is meant by the term "just up the road" in Centralian - in this case it was about an hour and a half 's drive away and bearing in mind that by midday it is usually quite warm we were on the road nice and early this morning.  We stopped at a lookout to have some breakfast and then had a quick walk (and a cup of coffee) at Glen Helen Gorge. This is one of the few permanent waterholes along the course of the Finke River.  The children wanted to stay and play in the water but we persuaded them to come away, promising that we'd come back if they didn't like the next place.

It's amazing to see trees clinging to the cliff face, somehow finding nourishment in the crevices!

After they'd seen Ormiston Gorge, the children had no desire to go back to glen Helen or anywhere else!  It was a beautiful spot- a deep, clear waterhole between spectacular walls of rock.  The rock here is quartz-based and reflects the sun in sparkling colours.  We lounged on the sand watching the falcons circle overhead while the children played in the shallow water near the edge and climbed on the rocks.
One really nice moment for Philip and me was when Esther stood at the edge of the water and sang "We are Australian" for us. The acoustics in the Gorge are wonderful and she didn't have to raise her voice for it to sound out clearly.
It was with reluctance that we left, and we've promised them that we'd try to come back once more before we leave Alice.

Taking it Easy

We stayed at home today, relaxing. I even had a snooze this afternoon, while Philip took the children down to the dry creek.  When I went down I found them playing with Jessie, a girl who lives here at the caravan park, and her dog, Sooty.  It is so nice to see them enjoying the great outdoors, letting their imagination go and learning so much!  They built a shelter and played "wild brumbies", Jessie quoting lines from the "Silver Brumby" and Esther talking about being "wild and free" (from the song ""Here Comes Brumby Jack")

Esther poked at some dry leaves with a stick, when they suddenly moved and she realised she'd found an inland bearded dragon!  When Arthur tried to touch it, it ducked under the leaves but it's head was still poking out and it allowed me to get close enough to take some portraits.

Meanwhile Philip was having a tough time, as you can see.

It's been rather overcast today- the first cloud we've seen since Coober Pedy! 

Once again, the evening glow and the sunset were lovely to see!

Alice Springs Desert Park

            

We visited the Alice Springs Desert Park today, which was very interesting.  The park is divided into three areas representing distinctly different desert habitats- sand, woodland and riverland.  We were given a set of headphones with recorded information to listen to at various points around the park. There were also information boards dotted around and plaques with names and descriptions of various plants.

It was a hot day, however, and the children got tired very soon.  They have seen so much desert lately, and found all the walking a bit much.  What they did really enjoy, however, was the nocturnal house where we saw all sorts of desert creatures from geckos and snakes to bilbies, bats and malas (a tiny endangered wallaby).  We also listened to a very interesting talk from a young aboriginal man about how his people have survived in the arid land they have called home for so long.

The ultimate highlight of the day - especially for Arthur- was the free flight theatre where we heard a park keeper talk about the birds found in the area and saw free flight kites, falcons, a barn owl and others which flew around within centimetres of our heads. Arthur practiced "flying" for most of the day after seeing them. Both he and Esther enjoyed being invited to feed the spinnifex pigeons after the show.

Back "home" at the caravan park we have plenty of birds to observe, too, as well as the euros (wallaroos) that come into the paddock next door every evening.

galah

Grey-crowned Babbler

ring necked parrot

butcherbird

euros

Philip has booked his car in for some repairs on Friday, so we will probably have to stay in Alice Springs for a few extra days.  This means we can take it slowly and plan to have a day off from sightseeing tomorrow.

Palm Valley, near Alice Springs.

The manager at our caravan park gave us a few suggestions for things we really should try to do during our stay here. Her pen hovered over the map as she glanced at our car, saying, "What are you driving?- Oh, a Patrol, you'll be right!"  Then she circled a place called Palm Valley and told us we really must go there- it was like nothing we'd see anywhere else in the Centre.  A short drive along an unsealed road, but well worth the effort.
So we decided to pack our hamper and make that our destination for today.
She had also encouraged us to visit Hermannsburg on our way, which we did.  The settlement was established as an aboriginal mission in 1877 by two German missionaries who traveled overland from the Barossa Valley- the same route we've just travelled, but what a different trip for them!  Albert Namatjira was born on the mission and went to school there.  We wandered around the historic precinct of the town, getting a picture of the life led by the missionary pioneers who lived there.  Esther and Arthur were very interested in the old buildings and all the old bits of machinery.  They asked Philip to explain what things were and how they worked- which he was happy to do!

This is said to have been Albert Namatjira's car.

Just past Hermannsburg was the turnoff onto the dirt road leading to Palm Valley.  Someone we'd met at a previous stop had warned us not to rely on local opinions as to what were "good roads", but we had taken Julie's word for it when she said "a short drive along an unsealed road- you'll be right."  To Philip's consternation and the kid's great delight, this was a genuine 4WD track, following the Finke River through deep sandy riverbeds, over rocky terrain, down steep slopes and through patches of water.  It was 20km to the entrance to the Finke Gorge National Park, and then another five km to get to Palm Valley.  Arthur was bouncing up and down in his seat saying excitedly, "Dad's car is an off-road vehicle! We're on an off-road track!", while Esther was making up a song with similar words- always a sure sign she is happy!

When we finally got there, we all agreed a drink and some lunch were the first priority, but then we went for a walk along the Gorge. This land never ceases to amaze us!  This was an oasis of Red Cabbage Palms, which are found almost exclusively in this small area!  Due to the recent rains, there were pools of water all along the riverbed, reflecting the spectacular surroundings and teeming with little fish.  It was hot (30 degrees) and we'd arrived at about lunchtime, so we didn't attempt any of the longer walks- but even what we did see was amazing.

On the way home we saw several columns of smoke.  Unfortunately there has been a spate of arson in the area, with new fires being deliberately lit every day and burning large areas of grass and scrub. The police have caught one of the culprits, but there are others still at work.  It is sad to see the destruction it has caused, leaving large blackened areas everywhere- but the smoke haze does  make for brilliant sunsets!

Temple Bar, Alice Springs

We're having a lovely, relaxing day just enjoying the sunshine and the quiet here at Temple Bar caravan park.  Philip did all the washing this morning.  Until now we've made use of the laundry facilities at caravan parks but he thought it was about time we tried the portable washing machine. So we let him play with the new toy and went for an explore along the dry creek that runs beside the campground.  The children had fun playing in the sand, climbing trees and finding "pirate treasure" among the stones along the creek bed.  We even found a "pirate cave" in a big hollow tree.  When we came back to the caravan, they had a lovely time setting up a toy farm and feeding the crested pigeons.  It's in the high twenties- nice and warm- with a cloudless blue sky but plenty of shade where we're camped. Just right for a quiet, lazy day!