0031 Ormiston Gorge to Alice Springs July 20th

Woke up in the cool (5 deg) and slowly had breakfast.  Went on the Ghost Gum Walk that took us up the sdes of the Gorge, with spectacular views of the area, and then down into the gorge itself. 

Then back along the creek bed, climbing over rocks and boulders before ending up at the water hole (freezing cold water !!!).   Amazing little flowers brought out by recent wet wether, nestling in the most unlikely spots in rock crevices. We also found out what “Bush Tomatoes” are – tiny weeny little tomatoes on a bush !!!   Geologically this area is stunning, with folds and faults and everything else showing the most amazing rock formations.  There is even a case here where there are two totally different types of rock on top of each other, one of which came from over 2 kms away !!

Into the kiosk for a coffee with owner Nick and his helper Phil and chatted with them about the operation up here.  They both love it and have dropped out of the rat race to do it.  If any one wants work, they are looking for someone to home tutor their small children and help around the sites and in the coffee shop !!  We then had a shower and hit the road.

I had been unable to find anyone with spare diesel fuel in the camp site, so we went back 11 kms to Glen Helen to see if the fuel tanker had visited yet – YES it had !!  So no problem there (except the price of $2.10 per litre (Cash only !), so just put in $50 worth, enough to get us to Alice. While there I spotted an immaculate camper all made out of polished alloy, so went and chatted to the owner, Mike, who had just arrived from Melbourne and only finished making it 3 days before.  It really was very impressive looking. 

The Glen Helen homestead there is the original homestead from late 1800’s and is a delightful spot inside with fires and places to sit. There is also a room in there with all Albert Namatjira originals on the walls – He really captures the essence of the area in his paintings.  I know I said yesterday that this homestead campsite looked horrible and was overflowing with tents etc – I still maintain that it isn’t a very nice campsite.  But it is in a beautiful setting, right underneath steep cliff faces, and the old homestead is delightful.  Certainly worth seeing.

With enough fuel, we headed up the road, and turned off to see the Ochre Pits, where the Aborigines gather their ochre of many hues for both paintings and for decorating their bodies for tribal ceremonies.  Interesting to see how the river had carved out the formations in the bend of the river.  From the Ochre Pits it was on to Ellery Creek Big Hole – An enormous water hole where swimming would be a delight in the heat of the summer, but was not too inviting at the moment !!

There is a sign that I haven’t seen anywhere else in Australia except in NT which says “Drive on Left in Australia”.  That and several other signs in multiple foreign languages show just how many tourists come into Alice Springs to visit the many attractions in this area.

All the while we are driving along with the impressive McDonnell Range on our left, and the Waterhouse Range on our right.  We went off up a side road to the well known Standley Chasm, but it was late in the day, the walk was a fair distance on a rocky path which wouldn’t make it very easy for Janet, and also, being a privately owned Aboriginal area, there was  an entry fee.  As we had already been in a couple of gorges today, and still had another to go, we decided to skip this one and keep moving. So it was on up the road to Simpson’s Gap, where there is another delightful waterhole nestling in a massive gorge in the mountains.  Once again, you are surrounded by the most amazing rock formations as you hike into the gorge. 

On the final run into Alice Springs, we suddenly came across John Flynn’s grave beside the road, and had to stop for a look.  In the 1920’s, John Flynn had a vision for the linking of remote communities in Australia for both social and safety / medical reasons, and with the advent of radio this became feasible.  But he is primarily remembered as the founder of the Royal Flying Doctor Service, which is one of the most important aspects of Australian Outback life.  Anyway, his grave is marked by one of the Devil’s Marbles which the Aborigines allowed to be brought from some 400 kms north as a mark of the respect which they held John Flynn.

Finally pulled into The Alice, my first time here, and I have to say that the whole approach to the town is totally unlike what I had expected.  I had expected flat red dust, in a hot environment. What I found was a rocky and mountainous region, of incredible rugged beauty, with gorges and water holes, and green due to all the recent rains.  And quite cool !!!    A very pleasant surprise !!   And we easily found the house of our friends Randal and Jo, where we were provided with a hot shower, a great meal, and a comfortable bed !!

Pics Here :- https://picasaweb.google.com/117739775480775657932/0031OrmistonGorgeToAliceSprings?authkey=Gv1sRgCOLcso6IhdWopwE#