North from Alice

Tuesday, July 1:

We left Glen Helen and headed back to Alice for fuel and couple of supplies and then it was northwards again. We were aiming for a little spot called Ti Tree Creek which was only $20 a night power and water.

Crossing the Tropic of Capricorn north of Alice.

It was a long trip broken by a call into a little spot called Aileron which has an Aboriginal settlement; general store fuel/motel and caravan park. While we weren’t planning to stay there we had to stop and photograph the Aboriginal man on the hill at the back of the town and the woman, child and lizard statue next to the art centre which was closed.

Here was a tiny place trying hard to engender interest in it – sadly most people just drive on by along the highway.

An Aboriginal Sculpture at Aileron.

At Ti Tree Creek the roadhouse is a bit of everything – bar, pool room, shop, takeaway and dining room. It also sell local dot paintings, didgeridoos etc obviously made by the local Aboriginals.

We had a drive through site with grass and while the facilities were a little old they were certainly clean.

We wandered over to the bar about 5.30pm and had a couple of drinks. As it was Northern Territory Day it seems many Aboriginals were in town for the fireworks. Here fireworks can be sold from the Thursday before only and can only be let off on the evening of July 1. Letting them off after that day is a $600 on the spot fine.

The couple in the van next door to us wandered in so we sat together for a drink before heading to the dining room for dinner. The $13 special was carbonara but as usual Wal ordered a mixed grill and Scotch but had to settle for a huge T-bone as they had run out of Scotch.

The meals were huge but delicious and all that was left was lots of my chips.

Ormiston Gorge and the Ochre Pits

Monday, June 30:

End of the financial year and it could be the end of the world but we wouldn’t know about it as we don’t have any services at all – no radio, TV, phone coverage, etc. We can get limited email coverage from the office but the signal is weak and it costs money after half an hour.

Anyway, we still have our little world so we went off to look at the last two places on our list – Orimiston Gorge and the Ochre Pits.

Orimiston Gorge is by far the best Gorge. It is awe-inspiring  just sitting on the rock by the rock pool and gazing upwards at the towering cliffs which has trees and plants clinging on for dear life. Again this gorge is a permanent water hole so has small fish happily swimming around. Some only 80mm fully grown so very small.

Part of Ormiston Gorge in the West MacDonnell Ranges.

Wal has a rest while looking at the magnificent cliffs which make up Ormiston Gorge.

The Ochre Pits are the site where the Aboriginal men would go to gather the ochre for their ceremonies and other purposes such as medicinal purposes. The rock was laid down under the sea and then forced upwards almost vertical showing the lines of white, yellow, red, dark reds visible along the 10m high walls of the creek bed. The amount of iron in the rock determines the colour – the more iron the redder the rock and ochre.

The Orchre Pits showing the various colours.

Info about the Orchre Pits in the West MacDonnell Ranges.

This is one of three ochre pit sites in Australia the others are in WA and Flinders Ranges.

This is our last night at Glen Helen Resort so we went down to the bar and had a drink or two though you wouldn’t want to be dying of thirst as the service was appalling – all the staff were stock taking as it was the end of the financial year.

Luckily there weren’t any others wanting drinks.

The end of the financial year and the end of our stay at Glen Helen. What can I say about the resort – the caravan sites are narrow – room only for the van and awing – the toilets and showers are portable units but in desperate need of maintenance though they were cleaned. We paid $27 a night – a 10 per cent discount as we had the advert from the central Australia tourist book. 

It is 120kms from Alice but we have stayed in more remote places with better facilities. Lots of people stayed n the national parks _ $12.50 a family of 2 adults and 4 children per night or $5.50 per adult. Still I guess glen Helen was the ideal jumping off point to  see the West MacDonnell Ranges.

Comets, Bluff and the Wide Blue Yonder

Sunday, June 29:

We decided to go furthest away westwards and then work our way back looking at all the different places.

We stopped at Tyler’s Pass and while we took photos it was hard to capture the distance which was flat and stretched every westwards. The only thing you could see was Tnorla or Gosse Bluff a towering mass of rock rising up from the plains.

View of Tnorala or Gosse Bluff from Tylers Pass, West MacDonnell Ranges.

Another 20 or so kms on we drove into Tnorla (Goss bluff) which is a massive crater left by a comet which struck there millions of years ago. This is a very special site to the local Aborigines but they do let us visit. Every where you look you are surrounded by towering jagged peaks that were compressed and pushed up as the 1km wide comet (made of frozen carbon dioxide) struck.

Inside the comet site surrounded by uplifted peaks

An unusual nest of one of the inhabitants atTnorala or Gosse Bluff. We think it is a termite nest???

We left and travelled back Redbank Gorge which is least developed of the gorges of the West MacDonnell Ranges. There was a narrow walking track running beside the dry river bed but then it just disappeared and you had to scramble your own way over rocks and hope you found the track again elsewhere. It was supposed to be a 20min walk but after half an hour we gave up and turned back. I was frightened I would fall and break a bone or two.

We were glad to return to camp and sit and have a nice drink with the neighbours though the cold soon forced everyone inside.

The Magnificent West MacDonnell Ranges

Saturday, June 28:

Left Alice for Glen Helen Resort and on the way visited Ellery Creek where we walked up the gorge.

Ellery Creek Gorge, West MacDonnell Ranges.

Wal at the Ellery Creek Gorge.

Glen Helen Resort is an interesting place with a fabulous towering mountain range as its backdrop. The resort is licensed and has lunch and dinner available.

 We do the short walk to Glen Helen gorge and spot two of the fish who live in the gorge which is part of the Finke River. The gorge is one of 7 permanent waterholes along the Finke which rises at nearby Mt Sonder and ends 700kms away in the Simpson Desert.

The towering range behind the Glen Helen Resort. As the base is the Finke River.

Mt Sonder from the lookout near Glen Helen Resort.

Part of the 700km long Finke River near Glen Helen Resort.

Glen Helen resort had very small sites and very cold nights but the scenery was worth it.

Sending a Telegram via Morse Code

Friday, June 27:

Before doing a shop – our first major one since Port Augusta 3 weeks ago we decided to go to Simpson’s Gap and the Alice Springs Telegraph Station.

Simpson’s Gap was only a short walk but worth the look. On the way back into Alice we stopped at John Flynn’s Grave and that of his wife on the roadside. It has a large round rock on top which was taken from the Devil’s Mables, a sacred site further north. This upset the locals so after 20 years of delicate negotiations, the rock was replaced and the mable returned to its sacred home.

View of Simpsons Gap near Alice Springs.

John and Jean Flynn's memorial at Alice Springs.

Telegraph Station

 

The Telegraph Station was wonderful. The station was the reason Alice Springs was established. The station opened in 1872 as part of the north-south telegraph overland Telegraph Line.

The buildings have been beautifully resorted and each has informative interpretation to go with it. It was a community on its own in the early days.

A bonus was in the Post Telegraph office were a couple of guys – one young one old who told us all about Morse Code, how it developed and was used to send telegrams and messages. They had all the equipment and were linked with Adelaide. They sent a message and Adelaide replied. I ended up sending a telegram to myself at home and they assured me it would be delivered in a special envelope. I will have to wait until October to see it. The message was sent to Adelaide which transcribes it and arranges for it to be posted to home. In the early days that message would have been relayed to Melbourne then to Lilydale and then delivered to home.

In case you’re interested Sue in Morse Code is … ..- .

We had a great lunch at Uncle’s Tavern and then spent an hour or more shopping and spending lots of money.

Alice has very strict drinking and alcohol laws which prohibits drinking of alcohol outside in the town itself. Bottle shops don’t open until 1pm and alcohol limits apply – only 2 bottles of wine per person though you can buy a slab of beer or two bottles of Scotch.

Wine casks are virtually non existent and police are on duty at each outlet.

A camel crate at the Overland Telegraph Station at Alice Springs

One of the volunteers sending a telegram via Morse Code to Adelaide and then via post to the recipient at the Overland Telegraph Station at Alice Springs.