West Macdonnell National Park:
Thur 24th June - After refueling in "The Alice" we headed out along the Larapinta road into the West Macdonnell Ranges.
After stopping in at two of the Gorge campgrounds (Ellery Creek Big Hole and Ormiston) we decided both were too crowded and continued onto the Redbank Gorge campground. Perfect decision for us, with lovely large drive through sites and no crowds.
 |
| Our Camp Area |
This would be our camp for the next five nights and from here we explored wonderful places and met familiar faces - Andrew and Jo from our Henbury stopover.
We spent a day exploring and walking through Redbank Gorge where we discovered the Painted Finch, thanks to a tip-off by another visitor, at a small permanent waterhole.
 |
| Waterhole |
 |
| Painted Finch |
 |
| No Track |
Hard work walking through the gorge as there was no marked track over the river rocks for half the distance.
On another day exploring we drove to the Ochre Pits to discover the fascinating history of this colorful landscape.
 |
| Historical Information |
 |
| Ochore Pits |
 |
| Ochore |
 |
| Diana at the Ochore Pits |
 |
| Vibrant Colors |
We decided to visit Ormiston Gorge knowing it would be chaotic as it one of the most popular. We walked into the gorge to the waterhole. Very impressive.
 |
Gorge looking East
|
 |
| Gorge looking North West |
On our way to Ormiston we stopped at the Mount Sondor Lookout to view the surrounding country. From this vantage point we could see the Finke Two Mile Bush Camp. This is a free campground with 4 wheel-drive only access. Located on the Finke River it did look fabulous. Maybe we should have camped there!
 |
| Finke 2 Mile Bush Camp |
 |
| Mount Sondor |
The landscape in the West Macdonnell NP is spectacular with so many gorges open to explore.
 |
| Range View |
However, on our last day at Redbank Gorge we discovered an absolutely jaw dropping area with a fascinating history - Gosse Bluff. This is accessible by 4WD only and no camping is allowed. The crater is the result of a comet impact and both the scientific and aboriginal history of the site is very interesting.
 |
| Gosse Bluff from Tylers Pass Lookout |
At Tylers Pass Lookout we discovered both scientific and historical information about this massive crater. If visiting this area it is well worth the effort to undertake the interpretive walks around the crater.
 |
| Scientific Explanation |
 |
| Inside Gosse Bluff |
28th June: Moving on from Redbank Gorge we took an unplanned detour into the Palm Valley section of the Finke Gorge NP and chose to stay two nights. The track in is High clearance 4WD due to driving in the Finke River bed. Distance from the start of the track to the campground is 16.5km which took us 1hr15mins.
This beautiful campground has great amenities with flush toilets, solar showers and community firepits.
 |
| Palm Valley Campground |
 |
| Campground |
Surprisingly we again met with familiar faces - Simon and Carly, who we had met at the William Creek pub. And another friendship was made.
 |
| Gorge Cliffs |
The walks in Palm Valley were varied and challenging, as was the 4WD track into the Cycad Gorge and the Palm Valley gorge.
 |
| Cycad (Macrozamia macdonnellii) |
This track gets you to Palm Valley Gorge.
 |
| Gorge end |
 |
| View from cliff top |
 |
| Palms |
Leaving the beauty of Palm Valley and the challenge of the 4WD track, we stopped in at Hermannsburg Historic Centre to explore the history of the Lutheran Community from 1877-1982.
 |
| Colonist's House - 1885 |
 |
Old Church - 1896
|
Hermannsburg is also the home town of the late Albert Namatjira, the aboriginal artist. Unfortunately our time for exploring was cut short when we were informed that Alice Springs was going into a Covid-19, 3 day lock-down at 1pm that day. We could have spent several hours exploring this area
Being not sure what that exactly meant for us, as we had a booking at the van park, we drove towards "The Alice" hoping we would be able to get in. Stopped at a Police roadblock about 10km west we were informed we could only go in if we required food or fuel. Fortunately, as we were refueling, the van park contacted us and informed us we were able to continue to the park. Upon arrival we extended our stay for a further 3 days so that we would be able to complete the required time, after the lockdown, prior to returning to QLD to avoid quarantine.
During our extended stay in 'The Alice' we took the opportunity to visit the Kathleen Buzzacott Art Studio where we spent 2 hrs finding out about her aboriginal history, the way in which she paints, and the history behind dot painting.
 |
Children catching
desert frogs |
 |
Red-tailed Black
Cockatoos |
Definitely worth a visit and yes, we did end up purchasing two of her paintings, albeit the second one when we returned home.
This was followed by a trip to Simpsons Gap. On arrival you travel past the Ranger Station. Take the time to read the information displayed here and explore the short interpretive nature walk, 500m, prior to continuing to the Gap.
 |
| Ghost Gum |
No comments:
Post a Comment
We hope you are enjoying our Adventures and would love to receive your feedback.