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Very sorry to all our loyal blogees, we've been out of range for the last couple of days, and unable to update our adventures... We'll redeem ourselves tonight, by inundating you all with three days worth of stories (not all true, but most of them), and get back on track again...
Last night was the best nights sleep we'd all had in ages. The room was dark and quiet, and the beds were very comfortable... But all good things come to an end, and it was time to get up and about, and discover the sights of the West Macdonnell Ranges National Park on our return trip to Alice...
Our first stop of the day was Ormiston Gorge, which was only a short walk from the carpark. It's what we've come to expect from all the gorges and valleys, with the steep red cliffs, plunging either side into the river bed, which is either wet or dry. It was early in the day, and still cool, and the sun hadn't got real high, so there was alot of shade around. The water and the gorge seemed dark, but provided a great reflection of the vegetation. Unfortunately, what I'd feared had come to pass, and I was comparing everything to what we'd experienced yesterday at Palm Valley. And it came up short! The walks though, were really enjoyable, and the boys liked being out of the car...
We moved on to the Ochre Pits, where traditionally, the aboriginals came to source the colours for their paintings and ceremonies. There's a stunning range of colours to see along the walls of the canyon, and because they're so clay like, mixed with water, they make really good paint. Bored? Yeah, me too, lets move along...
The next stop was Serpentine Gorge, which I nearly suggested we skip, but am very glad we didn't. If you're ever here, and you only have time to see one of the gorges on offer, make the trip to Serpentine Gorge, it's absolutely 'gorge-ous'. Get it? Gorge-ous... (Ok, if you didn't like that, it was Jeremy's joke!) It's a dirt road in, which is deliberate, because they want to make it as difficult to get to as possible. It's quite a walk from the carpark to the gorge, which is also deliberate, for the same reason. Funnily though, they're trying to restrict the access, to limit the number of people going in, but they put this big sign at the beginning which says "Make the effort and get the reward." It's the best we've seen so far, the gorge is enormous, and goes on and on, and you can see it all from the entrance. You can't go in though, because of the river. But you can go up! There's a hike up the side of the canyon walls, VERY steep, and VERY loose rocks under foot. If you slipped, it's a long way down... The sign warns of loose edges and sheer cliffs, and warns against kids going up. But we did! Jo made it half way, before vertigo took over, and she had to go back down. This wasn't the time or place to be trying to conquer that particular fear... She was reluctant to let Dylan continue, but was convinced that he should be able to go, (we waited to do this trip until he was old enough to do as told and be trusted). It was a 20 minute climb to the best view of the entire Macdonnell Range, and again, our photos won't do it justice. Not only the view, but soaring right above our heads, so close we could see its eye, was a rare Peregrinne Falcon. We know it was, because a sign below told us there was a pair nesting in the canyon, and if you're lucky, you'll get a glimpse, but they are rare... We felt very lucky to have made the trip. We descended from the lookout, even more slowly as it was very slippery underfoot, rejoined Jo, and began our walk back to the car. As a side note, on the journey up the cliff, Dylan was leading like he always does. He scampers ahead, then stops and waits for us to catch up. This particular time, he scampered ahead for a bit, then turned and waited. As we got closer, he called out to us... "See there? That spot? There's a surprise for you just there..." Not sure what he was referring to, we continued walking. Then it hit us! Like a tonne of bricks!! The little b****** had dropped his guts, cut the mustard, let one loose, farted as he walked along, and stopped to enjoy the show as we walked into the fallout zone... Foul?!? You've no idea!! (Just a glimpse into his wicked developing sense of humour! Don't know where he gets it from?)
After Serpentine Gorge, we called in to Ellery Creek Big Hole, which is a renowned swimming hole during the summer months. Bitterly cold now, it's really nothing more than a large, permanent waterhole at the base of a canyon. It's beautiful, and worth a visit, but nothing extraordinary compared to some of the others. We visited, took some photos, and moved along...
Straight to Standley Chasm, in the middle of the day, the best time to visit, when sunlight is streaming into the narrow ravine, lighting up the walls on either side... This was stunning! It was a $25 entry fee for a family, which we didn't know, and wasn't on any of the brochures, but which we don't mind paying if it goes into the maintenance of the National Park... It is a beautiful spot, and an amazing feature to see, but because it's so close to Alice, and a popular picnic spot, it was full of other bloody tourists... Talking, yammering, smoking, blocking the path... Too many people, getting in our way, when we wanted to see it on our own!! It was the same problem at the rock, when you want to stop and enjoy the sights, and the LACK of noise, some fat, old, noisy American lady wanders along yacking about how it's not as grand as the canyon back home, and it's too hot in the sun and too cold in the shade... For the love of god, Shut Up and go home!! I'm afraid, the next time we visit, be it ten years or longer, there'll be a resort and shopping arcade beside the chasm, and a chairlift will take you right through it, so they don't even have to get off their asses!! Sorry, I'm getting a bit side tracked on minor issues, so we smiled politely and wandered to the other end... It's a beautiful walk through the scrub, with a gorge-ous destination at the end, and well worth the time to visit. We had lunch at the cafe right there at the chasm, browsed the souvenier shop, and then headed towards our final stop for the day.
Simpsons Gap is only 18km from town, and the number of coach parking bays in the carpark, is an indication of how busy it must get in peak season. The gap is a 10 minute walk from the carpark along a flat, smooth, gravel path, which leads right up to the gap in the canyon walls. It's really nothing much, and compared to some of the others, not very special, but it's proximity to town and ease of access, guarantees its popularity. We wouldn't rush to revisit it if we were short of time, but we had to visit to see what the fuss was about. We were there for about 20 minutes, and left...
The highlight of the day was definitely Serpentine Gorge. If you only have time to see one sight, make it this one, it easily eclipses the others for spectacular scenery and views. But if you can, go to Palm Valley, it will rock your world!! Other than that, Standley Chasm is an awesome sight, you just have to push your way past the fat Americans...
We're back at home now, and catching up on blogging and washing. The boys have both hit the jumping pillow, and now come in for showers and dinner. We've got to organise and upload photos from the last three days, and then we're going to watch a DVD. We've all had a fantastic three days, and seen things that will last with us forever. We're getting along famously, even the two boys, and there's no doubt this will strengthen our family bonds. The boys are understanding that many of the things we'll see on this trip, most of their friends at school never will, and they appreciate this fact. I hope they remember those sights...
Tomorrow, we're planning to visit the East Macdonnell Ranges, and see what they have to offer. Then we're going to a car wash!! Pixie is filthy, and she deserves much better...
- comments
Ginny Jeremy don't take any notice of Dad, I think your Gorge-ous joke is very clever. Dylan I think you take after your parent that has shortest hair definately. Sounds like you are having a fabulous time. Funny how when we are tourists ourselves we tend to get annoyed with other tourists. The places you have described Pete sound amazing and if by chance we get to do what your doing we will certainly have enough information on where to go and not where to go just from your blogs. Must admit I missed them for the last couple of days as I really look forward to reading them. As you are enjoying yourselves soo much I'm starting to get concerned that you might not come back. You might decide to become gypsys and just stay on the road for ever. Once again have fun, stay safe and big hugs to all. Love T&G