3. – 9. August

Limmen National Park

The drive from Cape Crawford via Roper Bar to Mataranka was described in several books. It sounded interesting so we decided to have a look ourselves and make up our own mind.

Cape Crawford was used just as a refilling stop (next service station was over 300km direct way away and we planned to do some side trips). So we started on the Savannah Way and headed to Lorella Springs. An area which has at least one thermal pool to offer. As usual if you go to a “hidden secret” the road is really bad – so many corrugation you can’t travel faster than 30kph. Why can the road turn so  bad??? Probably most people drive too fast just want to reach the destination… Anyway we arrived and had a dip in the pool – it was nice although just 27degrees which felt cold comparing with the temperature at Dalhousie. The owner informed us that there is a lot to do at the station – some further safe swimming spots (around 10 to 20km away), a hot pool (25km away and around 45degrees) and of course fishing in the rivers and the ocean (around 70km away). But we just decided to stay in the main area and returning to the way north.

We nearly got lost in the lost city… ok I was lying but it sounded nice.  There are several lost cities in the Northern Territory (they still find new ones) and we had a look at one. Don’t think that it’s actually a city – it’s a stone formation which looks like a city. Every time it’s interesting to see how different sandstone can erode and what formations you can find. If you would fly over some lost cities you can imagine to actually see streets within the city. But we didn’t had the birds eye just walked through. We saw several kitchens, the swimming pool, the aquarium, there was even a battle station…

Our next stop was at Butterfly Springs. A nice and safe swimming spot with lots of butterflies around. I don’t know if the name comes from the butterflies around or if there is a real spring – we saw bubbles coming up so it can be both. But there is also a waterfall feeding the waterhole. Definite you should arrive before 3.00pm at the intended camp area otherwise you won’t get a spot – sometimes it’s better to arrive before 2.00pm. It’s that crowded and some travel in a convoy of 5 caravans… Anyway we had our swim oh better to say we cooled down lying on our inflatable rings. We planned to go for a swim in the morning but decided against it as the  snakes were already basking in the sun or catching butterflies… it’s always amazing how fast they are. One snake chased a frog and changed the direction within a second and even jumped up and probably got her breakfast. I say it’s ok to share the area with snakes but if I see one I better go and leave it alone…

Then it was time to hit the road again, to cross some creeks and to stop along some rivers (Limmen, Cox, Nathan or Roper River). It’s a fishing paradise if you have a boat. Better not to fish from shore as the saltwater crocodile population is high… We stopped at the Lomarieum Lagoon for the night. The lagoon is covered with thousands of water lilies and they were still in flower. You could walk along the lagoon, have a look at the ruins of St. Vidgeon or drive on to the river which runs parallel to the lagoon. But don’t go for a swim!!! The lagoon and Roper river join during the wet season so the crocs won’t be far away…

We stopped at a beautiful spot close to the river. And several big birds flow away. Luckily they came back a short time later and we could take our pictures. But as we’re no real bird-watcher and he didn’t carry a nameplate we don’t know what kind of bird it was. Maybe you could help?

It was time to leave the Roper River behind but not before stopping at the “wild” caravan park. There are so many people fishing the Roper you even find a caravan park in the middle of now where – mind you the park looked like it grows by its own will but the people travel with their own washing machine and big (household) fridge…

Finally we stopped in Mataranka at the Elsey National Park. We had a dip in one of the two thermal pools (crystal clear, warm (30degrees) but full of grey nomads). We stayed two nights and had a look at the Mataranka waterfall which was a 4km walk along the Roper River. The walk was nice, meandering through the forest along the river. Sometimes you had to walk over sand but there were plastic floorboards (is this the new way of a boardwalk) and you felt like “walking on the travelators at the airport” other times the ground was hard and stony. After a while we reached the waterfall – but I think “rapids” is better suited… A little bit further upstream is a waterhole where you could go for a swim what we did. Although it was quite hard to get into and out of the water. There was so much algae and other build up around the stones you more or less slipped into the water and had to look around for something to pull out.

 

 

 

 

When we returned to the camp area we swam in the river as well. It was much easier to get in and out as pontoons were provided. After each wet season the rangers patrol this area before it’s declared “safe to swim”

Bye, Bye,

Tom and Anja

29. July – 2. August

Meet the Devil’s…

Yeah, we were fit enough to travel – took a while to get over the cold. The saying “comes 3 days, stays 3 days and goes 3 days” as well as “it takes one week with medications and 7 days without” was true.

We travelled north and our first stop was at the Devils Marbles around 100km south of Tennant Creek. This area contains of several rocks which  look like marbles – some even staying on top of each other. There are no real marked ways so you can explore them on your own and mark your own track. You could even climb some to get the hands-on feeling.

 Before driving to Tennant Creek we decided to make the side trip into  the Davenport National Park. We had planned this trip but were unsure due to the rain but the (local) people said they haven’t seen rain for some time so the dirt road should be in the normal condition. And it was – quite corrugated and stony but not muddy. We arrived at the Old Police Waterhole and could have gone for a swim but it was too cold and windy. We just walked a little bit along the waterhole.

In Tennant Creek we had a look at the little sister of Devils Marbles the Devils Pebbles. This area features a lot of little stones some placed on top of each others but not as dominant as the marbles. Most didn’t had the circular shape.

Then we headed via Daly Waters to Cape Crawford – it was time for the Savannah Way again.

Until next time,

Tom and Anja

13. – 28. July

East MacDonnell and beyond

We didn’t stay in Alice we kept driving into the East MacDonnell Ranges and camped in the Trephina Gorge. This area offers three camp site, two good accessible and one not so easy. We opted for the easier one as the walking tracks are starting there.

Unfortunately we had to return to Alice and it started to rain in the morning. This meant we could see the Todd river with water and even notice that some streets were closed due to flooding. When we returned to our tent we noticed once more what a flash flooding is. The Ross Hwy had a lot of water on the road which meant several cars had to wait but we crossed without much effort. We even saw something positive in the rain – the campground was deserted – only us and the nature.

 We did the Trephina Gorge walk three times or so. You’ve to get the best of the different lights in the morning, at noon and in the afternoon. The walk went along the gorge rim so the views were included. We had to cross a little creek (ice cold and clear water) which formed little waterfalls. To finish the walk we had to wade through water again – luckily the sun was out so it didn’t feel that cold.

The historic town of Arltunga we visited as well. This was the first town in Central Australia but now only some relicts are left. We had a look at the visitor centre and watched the DVD before going to the sites. At the government works you could see some official buildings like the gold house, the crushing battery, the blacksmith…. Then we drove to the Old Police Station where the office and the gaol are visible. This buildings are not original – they were reconstructed in 1985. I’m not sure what I did that I had to go into the gaol.

 

Then we had a look at the mines. First we drove to the Great Western  Mine which was the second profitable mine (the got around 600 ounces of gold). They are even reworking the waste hoping to find something. Then we walked to the MacDonnell Ranges Mine, an underground mine. You could even climb some leaders and have a close look for yourself. On some days you can even watch a demonstration in panning for gold and having a crushing battery in operation.

  Back at the campground we walked the Panorama Walk which goes up and a round a little hill on one side of the gorge. Of course you can look into the gorge but also follow the creek in both directions. The other available walk (Ridgetop walk) we didn’t do as we’ve been on many rims so far and it was just connection one camp area with the other.

Then we drove to Rainbow Valley again to participate at the camp fire talk with the ranger. We were six people around the fire and she talked for an hour showing us pictures of a wet and dry Rainbow Valley as well as pictures of the flora and fauna. We’ve learnt that the annual rainfall is around 300mm (they will have much more this year) and the evaporation is about 3m per year. The frogs and other animals have perfectly adapted to that weather. Some frogs bury themselves and surface only if enough water is available to form a new generation of frogs. They need around 2 weeks from egg via tadpole to frog… If it’s wetter for longer the frogs grow bigger. Other animals lay their egg in the corner of the claypan as they have to dry out completely before they can hatch.

Now we’re in Alice Springs again and not sure how long we’re going to stay as we got a cold and flu…

Bye, bye,

Tom and Anja

9. – 12. July

Kings Canyon or Watarrka National Park

Then we were on our way to the next stop: King’s Canyon. We did the Kathleen Spring Walk which leads to permanent waterhole. This walk is completely sealed so you could push a wheel-chair. At the waterhole was lots of green and lush vegetation but not many wildlife. And you couldn’t spot any bubbles or other signs of the spring so we returned to camp and waited until the slide show with the ranger began.

The Northern Territory Parks and Wildlife rangers offer a lot of activities during high season like guided walks, camp fire talks, track reading and slide shows. Luckily the slide show in the King’s Canyon resort is Fridays so we won’t miss it. The show is called “Watarrka (King’s Canyon) exposed” and lasted one hour. We saw several pictures of the Canyon (including sites not accessible anymore) and the ranges spoke about the creation of the canyon as well as about the importance for the wildlife and the three different bio-diversity areas (ranges, valleys and desert). He also mentioned what their daily duties are: patrolling the walks, ensuring the fences are intact, conserve the endangered Mala and get the feral pests (cats, dogs, camels) under control. The Mala is a little animal nearly extinct in the wild. It lives under spinifex bushes and was an easy target for cats. They live now in a 1km2 enclosure and hopefully they start breeding and can be released into the wild – this reminded me of the Bilby enclosure. He also mentioned that the dingo is a naturalised species – which means it didn’t evolve here but has lived for such a long time that it could be called a native species.

 Next day was the time for another longer walk – our legs had rested long enough. We did the Kings Canyon Rim Walk which should take around 4hours to complete. We started early and had to climb some stairs (500). These stairs are man-made just hammered into the stone  so they were uneven, steep and had different heights. There are even some stories that step 300 is called the “vomit step” – luckily we saw it as a normal step. After the steps you have good views into the canyon as well as to the carpark – if you would have a yellow car you’re guaranteed to see it. We went on and had a look at the flowers (Mala Mala was still in flower and the so-called Umbrella trees were nice to look at). At several places you could see the wave profile – some kind of proof that Australia was covered by water long, long time ago.

Then we came to the Jack Cotterill lookout and had to cross a narrow gap but luckily there was a bridge (original build by Jack Cotterill in 1960 but in the meantime replaced). From that lookout you had fantastic views into the canyon as well as to the waterfall and the top of “Garden of Eden”. You really had to be careful where to step as some rocks were just 20cm thick and then a sheer drop of 150m. It should be a good idea to keep away from the edge (but where would be the adventure…).

Next we entered the area called “Garden of Eden” by climbing some wooden steps down. This area must be really nice on a hot summer day as it’s boosted with lush vegetation and has a permanent water. But we arrived in winter on a cool day so it was nice but not as refreshing and amazing as the other places were green as well. But anyway we walked down into the garden and had the company from some Spinifex pigeon. This pigeon is travelling in a group, so if you see one sooner or later the others will follow. And exactly the same happened.

We followed the path onto the other side of the canyon and had a look at the rim wall we walked earlier. The thin layers of rock look more dangerous from this side… and the geologist are sure that the next rock slide must happen soon – it’s already overdue by 30 years. I don’t want to be near it…

Back at the resort we did the little resort walk which is like a little rim walk it self. You walk around the hotels and could walk to a good place to watch the sunset.

We left Kings Canyon via the Mereenie Loop Road, we wanted to have a look at the Gosse Bluff. This road is (of course or should I say still) unsealed. Although there was a little bit of rain the other day, the people drove crazy. One caravan overtook us and sped away. But we came close at every muddy section. And he pushed the gas pedal down. Anyway he didn’t go to the Gosse Bluff.

Gosse Bluff is a big crater formed by a comet million of years ago. Scientist believe that a comet (600m in diameter) crashed to earth and created the crater which should have been 20km in diameter but today it’s only 5km. The Aboriginal belief is similar – it says that a baby in a wooden crate fell to earth and created the crater on impact. They say that the parents are still looking for their baby (parents should be the morning and evening star).

We camped again at the 2Mile 4WD camping area at the Finke river. The rainfall caused the river to have much more water, also visible as more water was over the road. This time we had a look at the Glen Helen Gorge (one of three gaps on the southern side of the West MacDonnell). But we could only have a look from the distance as it was full with water.

Cheers,

Tom and Anja

7. July

Climbing the rock – Nature or Us?

We arrived at the park entrance and the climb was open. You could already see them climbing… like little ants. Our hiking shoes were put on and we started. It went straight up, no steps just plain rock. We saw a ranger at the entrance to the climb but couldn’t say what she was doing. Amongst others we started our climb and had our first rest probably 200m in where we noticed not many people are behind us. Maybe they’ve closed the climb after us and the ranger was checking the wind-speed…

Anyway we kept climbing. At several points I was happy that there was a chain to assist with pulling up. It was so steep! Although Tom didn’t make so many breaks we arrived at the half-way mark at the same time. I could come closer as there were slow climbers in front. It really interesting how many people actually doing this climb – keep in mind some people have died there. We could see babies which were carried on dad’s back, three-year old doing the climb on their own up to 70+ year old who would normally need a stick.

After the half-way mark you follow the white lines (not the yellow brick road) and it’s a little bit easier not as steep but you still have to be very careful as there are some drops. Now there are even some places in which you can rest – out of the way of the other climbers and of the wind. At several places we had to go onto our bottom and slide a little bit to continue the climb. But we made it to the top of Ayer’s Rock. There is even mobile phone coverage – so many people were talking on their phones. We enjoyed the views into every corner and had a little bit to eat before the descent which wasn’t easy especially as more and more wind was coming up.

Some parts you climbed quite easily were hard to get down… You definite need both hands and check careful where to put your feet – you don’t want to slip at any time. Finally we reached the bottom of the rock, were happy and really exhausted and not looking forward to the sour muscles the next day. And we noticed that the climb was closed due to wind – probably we were the last people to start the climb that day. During the last weeks the climb was only open on some days – most times it was closed. The reasons could be rain, cloud cover, 20% possibility of rain, wind or too warm…

Happy climbing,
Tom and Anja

3. – 8. July

Uluru and Kata Tjuta (Ayers Rock and the Olgas) NationalPark

Now we were in Alice Springs for the third time and received another tent site. Luckily the weather has cleared a bit – there was no rain and the forecast showed some more days without rain which is really good after two days with constant rain. We have noticed that all festivals in Alice Springs run on a weird schedule. Normally you think that any festival or show should run over the whole weekend – but no they’re running on Friday and Saturday. Last weekend they had the Beanie festival and this weekend the Alice Springs Show was on. This meant that there was a public holiday “Show Day” on Friday and several shops were closed.

This time we decided to have a look at the Royal Flying Doctors Visitor Centre but it was not as nice as we hoped. Especially as the flight simulator was off line. They had a little museum which showed three model planes, how a plane could look form the inside, several chests and one pedal radio. Then you could have a look at a movie and they show a little communications room. I’m not sure if the room is still in use or if it’s just for display… This base covers an area with a radius of 600km and they normally have two to six emergency flights every day.

We had a look at the weather forecast and it looked a bit better for the region around Ayer’s Rock so we decided to take this loop next. The first night was spent around 120km away from Uluru just with Mt. Connor in sight. Unfortunately it started to rain (again) so we decided to stop at Curtin Springs – this campground offered showers! If you opt for an  unpowered site you have free camping and as it’s just 80km east of Uluru it gets really crowded in the afternoon. I guess a lot of camper enjoying a whole day in the National Park and then just return to this area… or they stay the night before going to the Park. You really have to be early to get a good site – especially if you prefer camping on a bit of grass. Mt. Connor was still in sight and looked at some time like a fingerbun with icing… I think Mt. Connor is a jump-up but it’s on a private property so you can’t get close unless you pay a shit-load of money and go on a guided tour.

It didn’t clear during the night (actually there was more rain) we decided to leave the tent and just go for a day to Uluru – ignoring that the entry pass is valid for 3 days. We went straight to the Olgas (Kata Tjuta). We stopped at the sunset viewing area to have breakfast – at least there were some shelter… Then we went through the Valley of the Winds. In the beginning we haven’t decided if we just walk to the lookout or the whole 7km loop. This valley carries the name “Valley of the Winds” with truth – it was so windy we had to hold onto our hats. Luckily the sun came out so we  walked the loop. It was a good walk with all the different views to the Olgas (alias Kata Tjuta means “many heads” which gives you an idea how they look like) although I decided some look more like a nice cake with icing (it seems like I need something sweet). On some Olgas the rain was still visible – water was flowing down. During the walk we came across several back-packer-tours – 18 people on a so-called minibus tour and then you’ve to do what the tour guide decides to…

Then we drove to the Cultural Centre close to Uluru and stopped at the sunset viewing area. This area offers parking for up to 100 cars and I guess it will get crowded so if we decide to watch the sunset we would have to arrive early to pick the best spot… as there are some bushes which might be in the way.

Arriving at the Centre we prepared our meal (not sure if it was still lunch  or already dinner) as it’s much nicer to eat while the sun is up. We even had a visitor – luckily after we finished. A dingo came around and was sniffing, maybe he wanted to get a bit of our mince but that’s for us and not for dingoes. This dingo was a female and I guess she had pups somewhere as she was really slim and the tits were full. She was not really scared of peoples – she kept her distance (just 2m) and looked every minute up but you couldn’t shoo her away.

When we returned to our tent we noticed that the table was stolen. It’s a shame what people take with them luckily all in the tent was still where it belonged… It was a really good idea to pack the sleeping bags into the car and take them with us. Maybe we have to start a list what got stolen so far; a bikini from the washing line, several jars of Nutella and other food out of fridges and now a table – what will be next? We then checked the internet and noticed that the forecast showed less rain so we packed the tent and drove back to the National Park and booked into the caravan park (an expansive one). The tent was erected quickly so we could go to the park and hopefully climb the rock as the clouds went away and the sun came out. But more on that – have a look at the next entry.

Our afternoon tea was enjoyed at the Cultural Centre but without a dingo. We had a look at the centre itself and then drove to the sunset area to secure a good spot. The car park starts to get crowded two hours before sunset until it’s completely full and they start parking on the street (not allowed but nobody cares). Several times you had to decide if you want to watch the sunset where it actually sets or how the rock colour changes during the setting. At some time the shadow actually starts to climb the rock as well. If you need to be back at the resort you’ve to leave before the sunset is over otherwise you will be stuck in traffic.

Next day was quiet as there was a cloud cover so we didn’t return to the park for sunrise or to do the Valley of the Winds walk again. So we just washed our clothes and relaxed the legs (although they were not sore). In the evening we walked to the store using the food-path across the lookout. And what happened? The sun came out just in time for a sunset.

Cheers,
Tom and Anja