Going Underground

A travel day, so not much to report. We saw a colourful tree trunk!

Interesting how the countryside and the flora get flatter and more monotonous as you head south. Quite a bit of variety in NT, less so as we went into SA. Eventually it was only a couple of varieties of acacia and flat, flat land. Getting close to Coober Pedy, even the acacias gave up..... well except along the creek beds.

A couple, of the many species of acacia in the desert, were in flower. That was probably one of our highlights. Hitting 5,555 km on the trip on another, Marjan hitting the brakes to avoid killing two bustards on the Stuart Highway was a nail biting highlight. Yes bUstards, not a typo, look it up. If it had been the other ones..... well....... who knows. Finally the landscape as we came to Coober Pedy is really strange, with mounds of white/ yellow sand, from the opal mining, dominating....photos tomorrow perhaps....too tired after 680km to shoot them

So having found God we have a solution to our heat issue...... (thanks Liz)...... we are staying in a cave. Probably everyone already knows, but a lot of places in Coober Pedy are underground to mediate the temperature extremes. Our hotel is built into the side of a hill. Our ceilings are bare rock and most of the walls as well. Our bedroom has a seam of gypsum running through the wall. How is gypsum trading at present? I have a shovel in the car!

Marjan gets comfortable underground! A book and a cuppa. A simple woman......but very clean.

Because we are on/in a hill, the owners have built a staircase over the roofline and you stand on the roof/hilltop. next to the air ducts, antennae, air conditioners et al, to check out the view of Coober Pedy at sunset. Weird!

I think the third from the left is our bathroom air outlet.

The sun sets

Looking back towards Lake Eyre and the moon

The lights of Coober Pedy Central

If you look carefully you can see the little mounds of mining activity on the left side of the mansion on the hill

A short one today.

Holy Rollers Us

So last day in the Northern Territory, it is going to be cool (37C) so what do we do.......sleep in for starters......no alarm, a bit of a lie in till sevenish.......ahh the decadence.

We had decided that a day by a waterhole would be nice, so after breakfast off we went to Big Hole. I thought it was aound 50k, it was closer to 90. Still, not far. We were again impressed by the country and the bones.....it is almost like a herd of stegasaurs lying by the side of the road. Hard to get in photos....a close up and far away that does a poor job

We got there early and Marjan set up in the shade with her book. I went and did a walk. The walk is called the Dolomite walk as it leads up a gully with dolomite sandstone  on the left and reddish granite on the right. Apparently the mix in the middle makes the environment richer and creates a very diverse little mini ecology.

It was not a very long walk, just over an hour, so I got back to the waterhole hot, but not suffering. I had a quick swim and then checked it out. A few more people than the other day. Particularly kids. A few locals using their Sunday to give the kids a swim. Still very pleasant.

One bloke had set up a hammock half way up a tree over the water. He would occasionally just jump out and in, and then swim to shore and re-climb the tree. He is in this photo. A hint: it is in the angled tree.

And this tree is just off the top of the previous frame.....

We had some lunch at some point, nothing special but the place. We kept having to move to avoid the sun.

Around twoish a whole bunch of people began arriving, among them a number of americans. We assumed a picnic for some of the people working at the local base. We were wrong!

We had hit on the Sunday when the local church of whatever denomination was having its bi-annual baptism by immersion. The waterhole entry became crowded with people as a range of folk took turns to be baptised, with loud cheers emanating after each one came out of the water still breathing. It was quite a collection, young adults, elderly folk, americans, aborigines, locals. We felt quite holy.

At one point it got hot and I needed another swim, so I worked my way between them and slid into the water. I think I probably got some of the blessing, now I feel that God is on my side, I can do no wrong, I have the power!!!!

It was interesting that though the aborigines were part of the congregation, they tended to be towards the edge of the proceedings....also when the dunkin' was done the aborigines headed back to the car park to sit under the shelter, where it looked like they had their picnic baskets.......on the other hand, the black americans seemed to be heading for the cars to leave the water hole completely.

On the way home we sang :

Shall we gather at the river,

Where bright angel feet have trod,

With its crystal tide forever

Flowing by the throne of God?

Yes, we’ll gather at the river,

The beautiful, the beautiful river;

Gather with the saints at the river

That flows by the throne of God.

Sorry....anyway, it was a lovely way to spend the day.

5K

As I said yesterday; it was only going to be 36C so we decided to get a walk in. Got up early....a bit of a theme...... to get out to Trephina Gorge Nature Park.

We had a bit of a haze on the way out as we drove into the sun. Somewhere along the road we hit the 5,000 kilometre mark for the holiday. We like to keep moving!

The countryside was a bit different from the West Macs. More grass, possibly more water. Some of the hills looked even older, more worn down. A greater variety of plant life. At one point we were in what looked quite verdant by these red centre standards, after that we came into what appeared to be a little floodplain covered in youngish river reds. Quite pretty. Could be because this is all private land. We saw quite a few cows. Marjan's driving spooked at least one calf into attempting to throw itself in front of the car with no name.

The hills had got closer and more separate lines of them. Approaching one set of hills, we spotted three dingo cubs on the road. Marjan slowed to let them disperse. One stood watching us, almost challenging us, till we were quite close. Then they trotted off along the road. Must have been 4-500 metres before they decide to get off the road and trot up hill. They were the cutest things. Anna would undoubtedly have wanted to take one home.

Anyway in among the hills lies Trephina Gorge Park and in we went. It was still early and had not got to 30C yet so we did the Gorge walk. Up the cliff, and along it, then down into the river bed, where, sadly, there was no swimming hole, and back along the sand. Some lovely views, and lovely trees, and lovely rocks....... pretty much the whole of the MacDonnell's really.

On our way out we checked out was is purported to be the oldest ghost gum is Australia, and maybe even the southern hemisphere! Truly lovely tree. Walking around it I took note of the variety of flora. There must have been between 20 and 30 species of plant in this one little area. It may be fragile, but it is a very rich and varied environment.

We made a few stops/short walks along the way back:

Corroberee Rock, where we saw some different wild flowers and some interesting rock formations.....yeah I know!

Jessie Gorge - a gap through the ranges with some indigenous art

Emily Gorge - another gap with more interesting art

Back for lunch and a break. Marjan had not been feeling well. Watching me eat a 500g steak had given her indigestion. Some of us live and some of us pay!

After a nap, we had a bit of a walk around the Botanical Gardens. These are a community run thing, and there was no-one there, however we were able to put names to plants, and Marjan finally knows what a coolibah looks like, although she cannot distinguish it from a bastard coolibah.

Going to be cool again tomorrow 37C. So we are planning a trip to one of the water holes where I may do a hill walk, whilst Marjan chills in the shade with a book.

Have I said it is hot

I think this may have been our fourth day over 40. It is hot....dammed hot.

We chatted about what we would do today vis-a-vis the following days. I actually said to Marjan "Save any walking till tomorrow, it is only tipped to be 36C"

We actually slept like logs and ventured out relatively late, say about 8:15. As I said this was our relative rest day. We went out to the Desert Park. We struck it lucky. The staff at entry were really engaging and told us to latch on to a series of presentations. So as we wandered in we listened to a chat and demo on dingoes, during which Marjan's mobile went off with it's Dr Who theme. The presenter was quite nice and wanted to get the theme for himself. Marjan was a little embarrassed and rushed to calm the phone down.

We then saw a presentation on emus,.....did you know most emu research happens in the USA as they do extensive emu farming......then we went to a raptor/bird show....a little like Healesville but with only 10 people. I actually got wing slapped by a barn owl. It was really interesting and informative.

We wandered around for a while, whilst continually looking for and using shade and water, and saw most of the park, and collected a few photos. But really birds/animals in captivity, regardless of how well treated and kept, and these looked to be very well treated and kept is not my thing photographically.

The night house was really interesting, among many highlights were: our first ever Bilby and the feeding of the reluctant Tawny Frogmouth who would not take it's mouse, probably as there were too many of us around (four).

Anyway by then it was about 42C and really hot walking around even with rests and shade. So we resorted to the cafeteria for a cool drink and a small bite. Marjan checked the phone for the missed call. "Who is on 0413 ... ...?" she asked quoting her own number. "they tried calling me three times". Head slap moment of the day!

There we made the strategic decision to go whatch a movie for the afternoon. SO we went into town, parked underground for the cool, had another cool drink, visited a couple of aboriginal art galleries......I am tempted.... and the we watched Spectre. Typical Bond stuff, played with a wink. What was interesting was how styled/designed the movie was. Almost every shot had the feel of a very carefully planned aesthetic. But that is a bogan talking so what would I know.

Gonna hit a steakhouse tonight, I have promised Marjan noodles tomorrow, I have also promised NOT to, I repeat NOT under any circumstances, I repeat NOT even if I really want to, order the 2kg Rump Steak.

A Town Like Alice

We had had enough dinner last night to enliven us enough to go out and shoot some more start shots. Marjan has been enjoying the night sky. Whilst there, overlooking Mt Sonder, we heard the sounds of dingoes. Marjan was a little freaked, we had not been that close since Anna was conceived. Had not finished, so I pressed on. More sounds....I thought it was a stray bull grunting, Marjan was sure the dingoes were about to do a warg attack on our hill top. It is after all warg like country here. We managed to get our shots and leave with our dignity shattered.

I was back at the lookout early to catch Mt Sonder in the morning's first light. It was lovely and the photos as always are a poor reflection of the beauty we are experiencing.

It was still early, so rather than wake Marjan I wandered by the river. Yes it is the Finke that runs through here....... well more like sits around...... and it is the Finke we have bathed in two afternoons running. The 'oldest' river in the world, if you believe the Tjoritja (I think I have that right) National Park signs. 100 million years old. You may have thought my jokes were old, but they are nothing to this river folks.

Anyway we headed off in the general direction of east, towards Alice Springs. First stop was at Ellery Creek Big Hole. Yep, that is its name. Apparently the deepest, most reliable water hole in the West Macs. Beautiful, you could swim all the way through to the gorge to a beach beyond, which I did. We really just hung around having dips and chatting to other tourists who dropped in, took photos, sometimes swam and left.

One of the tourists was a semi-local who informed us that some of the indigenous folk had told him that there were caves in under the water in the gorge walls, and further more that the odd tourist had been quietly pulled out after getting in there and not being able to get out. That and the bunyip who was now doing the backstroke across the hole made us move on.

I wanted to get to Standley Chasm by mid-day to catch the light coming into it. This is aboriginal land, and they charge people to come and have a look. Not a big problem.  It was a short easy walk but even the 20 minutes exhausted Marjan. So after walking back we decided that a lunch of pie for me, and quiche for Marjan accompanied by a wicked iced coffee was a better option than a picnic in the over 40C day. Did I tell you it is hot up here......dammed hot.....

Whilst lunching we chatted to a German couple who we have been seeing off and on during our travels. It turns out they arrived in Adelaide on November 1 and have been on a very, very similar journey to ours. First time I remember them was at William Creek, but we have seen them several times since. That was nice, but we decided that we needed in no particular order:
a) air conditioning;
b) a pool;
c) cool water;
d) air conditioning;
e) to wash the car....been a while since we sat in one of the machines;
d) air conditioning;
e) a shop

So we hit Alice, where the nice man at reception told us he had air conditioning and a pool and we were free to use them for the next four nights....not three as my addled brain had recalled.

We turned the air conditioning on and ooohhheeed with the sensual pleasure of cool air......we switched on electronic devices and ahhhheeeeddd at modern technology.......we washed the car and were aghast that it was silver ......by the way I believe we still have Flinders Ranges mud in the under carriage, all else was removed by the super duper, extra water and pressure wash......we jumped in the pool and were truly cool for the first time since we stepped out of Big Hole, we went shopping, with what felt like half the population (25K in case you are wondering....little bigger than Traralgon but not as big as Warnambool) of Alice Springs and were stunned by the decadent pleasure of nibblies. We are simple people, a little like sheep, constantly in awe of the simple pleasures.

We are planning to do bugger all tonight, and will probably merely do Alice Springs things tomorrow. We are officially on a rest day. It is going to be hot.....dammed hot!

The Three Gorges

 I know there is a place in China, Yangzhe I think, but this is our version.

Got up early, surprise, to a lovely morning. Night Herons, Cormorants, Darters, Dusky Moorhens, Coots, and some sort of duck were fishing in the river just outside our room, the reed warblers were flitting in the reeds and something else was swirling in the sky. I strolled just drinking it in. I think the most important photo I took was of the death adder that protects the water in local stories.

We breakfasted whilst overlooking the river, enjoying the cool.

The weather was tipped to reach 40/41C. Anyway off we went to Redbank Gorge, a walk along a riverbank, and then in the river bed led us to a beautiful spot. It was probably 8:15 and pushing 30C. So gorge #1 was swum in by your present interlocutor.

Apparently there are four more levels up that canyon. I had a quick look and it looked dry and I was alone, so did not push it.

The walk back was a little warm, particular the bits over sand. Luckily it was only about 20 minutes.

The drive was just as gorgeous as yesterday. In Marjan's immortal words : “These hills are showing their bones. None of that shrubbery sh#t!”. Not too far to Ormiston Gorge. There are number of walks from here that are undoubtedly wonderful. At 36C we decided the 5 minute waterhole walk was far enough. Another lovely spot. Lovely enough that after we both had a swim I trekked back (ok five minutes may not be a trek normally but in 40C (it had got warmer) it is a trek) for the esky and Ormiston Gorge was our picnic spot.......under a tree, by the waterhole.......life is good!

Marjan even took up nature photography......not bad. She may be a grump in the heat but she has talent.

We could have stayed a while, but this is the heart of the national park, and therefore a kiosk called for desert. An iced coffee and a conversation with an Austrian couple we had been tracking all day, and the kiosk manager, a refugee from Northcote, made for a pleasant air-conditioned interlude. We were told that one woman recently was so spooked by the thought of snakes that she spent two hours at the kiosk whilst her group walked down to the Gorge and had a swim.

So, we had drunk about 4 litres of water and an iced coffee and were still thirsting., and essentially had probably walked a total of 2k in a couple of short bursts whilst breaking it up with dips and sessions in air-conditioned Subaru comfort. It was really hot. At home we would have closed the blinds, tuned on the air and read a good book. But we decided to push on and visited the Ochre Pits. Again a very brief walk, Really interesting....but hot....did I say it was hot....

So back to Glen Helen....put our stuff away and walk to our third gorge for another swim...... Marjan has been swimming 7 days in a row.... In some cases many times a day......we found out later it got to around 42.2C.

Oh the joy. More gorges tomorrow....... one called Ellery Big Hole. Hope it has enough water for my big b#t!