Colin packed the secnd half of my GF egg and bacon sandwich after breakfast, saying that he already had a GF chicken sandwich for my lunch. That was OK! I finished my breakfast sandwich at coffee break. Or should I say, morning tea?
Colin started us at the Mt Sonders lookout, different in the morning light. Then on over hill and dale of alluvial sand and stones where once a huge river or inland sea flowed. I think it was from a high point there - Tyler's Pass, I think - that we could see three of the MacDonnell ranges and across the desert at the end of the alluvial section, at a great distance, the walls of Gosse Bluff as red as the ranges. On we went up Davenport Creek to Roma Gorge - I hope I have that right as I cannot find it on a map. Access on foot was a bit of a challenge, but worth the effort. The narrow waterhole was lined with steep smooth rock, trees, and shrubs. As luck would have it, not only was there a flock of zebra finches, but a large flock of budgerigars. They are notoriously shy. However, as groups of birds took turns perching on a small ledge to drink from the water, we had clear views of both species. The one thing we did not see at any of these sites were rock wallabys. On to Gosse Bluff or Tnorala Impact Crater. A gap in the wall led us to a 5 km wide shaded sandy floor. Colin stopped for lunch at what could have been a camp site. Good grub, again. And wouldn't you know, we were visited by fairie wrens - the Slendid blue one. Didn't he just hop about and pose for JD's camera. Then Colin showed us a bower bird bower. In fact there was another bower, rundown and abandoned, nearby. But no bower birds to be seen. The best part of the Gosse, of course, was climbing the small incline to the boundary toward the centre of the crater bowl. From there we had a 360 degree view of the walls. There were two sets of signs at that point. One explained that the centre of the crater had exploded outward to create a far circular rim now seen only from space. Where we stood was debris that had fallen into the bowl as huge walls had erupted up from 5 km below the earth. I still have no idea what the meteor was like that hit in anicient times. But there are two aboriginal stories here. The first links the crater to a child that fell to earth. Two women, dancing in the milky way, danced so hard they rocked a cradle until the baby fell to earth and created the crater. The morning and evening star are the parents still looking for the child. I hope I am not offending by sharing this story. However, our guide told us so I believe it is okay to share it. The second story has to do with a community of people who used to live in the crater in ancient times. There was a conflict with a neighbouring community, which lead to a massacre, which made that half of the crater bowl a place of sorrow, like a burial ground. So the way was barred and visitors were asked to go no further. No one had lived in the crater since.
The longest ride up a river bed led into Palm Valley. We had heard it was impossible without 4WD. No kidding! As soon as we got to the start of the walk into the valley itself, we began to see palms here and there along the path. Some were called cabbage palms, and some seemed to be just the fronds growing straight out of the ground. The further in we went, the denser the palm growth until it was the majority of the vegetation. At the end of the walk, we came out onto the shore of the river that runs through the valley. Wide flattish rocks, pockmarked by shallow depressions. Many of them were rimmed with a whitish line. Colin explained how the water table would push water up through the rock, collecting minerals as it seeped through into small pools and leaving salt rims as it evaporated. After exploring the terrain of the valley floor, we started the climb up the side of the valley. Huffing and puffing and sweating gallons, I did it. On the way up we met a group of 8 or 9 aboriginal schoolboys in uniform practically running down the path. Weirdly, we may have met the same two teachers who were with them when we were in Kakadu. More on that later. From the top of the valley wall, we looked across the river bed at the length of the palm stand. Colin pointed out the large gap in height caused by the over-pasturing of the station that encompassed the valley. Cattle are no longer allowed into the valley and the palm growth patterns have recovered. The decent into Palm Valley was far easier. Colin had to push us a bit, having lingered too long birdwatching and discussing varioius sights.
What that meant in the long run, is that on our return to Alice Springs, eary enough for Colin to commute back to Glen Helen, we had to give Hermannsburg a skip. It is an important historic precinct. Everyone asked if we had gone to Hermannsburg. We drove by it. Enough at the end of two splendid days, thanks to Roger and Colin and the staff at Glen Helen Homestead. If you go to Alice Springs, give them a call. It's an experience you do not want to miss.
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