Wednesday, 10/31 Glen Helen Resort to Alice Springs Caravan Park – West MacDonald Ranges

   After coffee and oatmeal we joined J&B on a short hike to Glen Helen Gorge.

Wedge-tailed eagle soaring through Glen Helen Gorge

Group portrait

PLEASE REMOVE ALL FOOTWEAR BEFORE PLAYING PIANO!

    Then we loaded up and headed out to see some of the other gaps and gorges of the West MacDonalds. If you look at a Google Earth view of the region you'll see a whole series of corduroy mountain ranges wrinkled by uplift millions of years ago. Occasional waterways have cut gaps through the long mountains. The watercourses are almost always dry, but small permanent pools form at the gorges. It has been a long time since this part of the country has gotten significant rain, so most of them have shrunk and are algae rimmed. A few are spring-fed however and the pools are an inviting place to swim.

     The four of us took a hot three hour hike at Ormiston gorge, climbing a ridge to view the valley behind the gap. When we reached the first clean pool Jorg and I took a cooling swim. Wonderful.

A long hike in the sun.

I guess you can officially add lizards
to old ruins and junked cars on my list of must-take photos

A lovely white-barked Ghost Gum tree

     Another half hour of hiking brought us to the gorge pool itself, and we all cooled off in the water.

See Jorg and Britta waving?  They're happy to finally get to cool off.
You can get here by walking 5 min from the car park,
or go the long way around, like we did, which takes 3 hours.

     From there we drove to Ellery Gorge and swam in the Big Hole pool, the best of the day. The entire opening of the gorge is filled with a pool, and we swam through the gate-like passageway to the other side. Swimming on our backs and looking up at the jagged red layers of stone as we passed through felt like being in a dream or a fantasy movie.

Following J&B to the next swimmin' hole

Saving the best for last

     It was nearing sunset when we left and decided to drive into Alice Springs for the night. J&B had to drop off their camper the next day and fly to Cairns to go scuba diving at the Great Barrier Reef and wished to be able to shower and clean up their car at a real campground, so we went with them, wanting to extend our travel time together as long as possible. On the way we saw a sign warning of horses on the road, and sure enough, soon after we saw the brake lights of J&B's LC come on and the car slow way down in the dusk, a pale horse ambled across the road. We slowed down to about 40 mph the rest of the way. The bull bar on the front of our car might push a kangaroo our of the way, but I wouldn't want to pit it against a horse.

     We checked into a very crowded campground, prepared our meals together at the busy camp kitchen, and shared a six-pack of Victorian Bitter ($19.50!). Not a bad beer, but boy oh boy, I wouldn't pay that much for it at home! Jorg is as incredulous of the beer prices as we, commenting,

     “A liter of water costs more in Australia than a liter of beer does in Germany!”.    Naturlich! (I don't know how to add the umlaut to the u, or to the o in Jorg's name for that matter.  Sorry to all my German friends).