Day 64: From Ormiston via Glen Helen back to the Alice (04/08/12)

Joke walking carefully to nurse her back

Ormiston Gorge in the morning

The Red Centre was doing its best for us, weatherwise. The morning dawned warmer than the previous two Alice Springs mornings. Even before the sun got to us, the air in the camp was quite warm and pleasant. We moved slowly as Joke’s back was troubling her considerably. We also had until 12pm to be away. So we cleaned up and then took the car about 12 km down the road to Glen Helen, another gap.

The cliffs of Glen Helen Gorge

Ghost gum standing triumphantly on top of the cliff

Glen Helen cliff and its reflection

This place is occupied by a resort, but we could still get to the gap, but not through it, as it had wall to wall permanent water. Water means birds, and there were many to be seen. Then from among the reeds there appeared a dingo, as if on cue. 

Dingo and birds. She's got her eye on the swimming bird, but is not prepared to go into the water to snatch it.

Only noticed on the photo: he's a she. Is the female of dingo dingess?

We thought at first it was after one of the ducklings, but it was content to pick fish out of the water. Whether these were just slow or dead we could not see, but the dingo did not seem to need much effort to snatch them out of the water. Some photography followed, as well as conversation with some Bairnsdale folks.

Reflections of the Glen Helen Gorge

Part of the cliff face. It is all just so impressive.

More reflections

Then we went back to pick up the caravan and drive off towards Alice Springs.

Mount Sonder, I believe.

Joke was on tenterhooks – an uncomfortable experience, but especially so when you are nursing a bad back strain. The hooks could not be removed until my phone could speak to the Alice Springs tower.

"Will you hurry it up? I have a phone call to make!"

But first we stopped at the Ochre Pits just a few kilometres up from the Ormiston Gorge. There we found that a creek had gouged out a wall of rock which consisted of many vertical layers of soft white red and yellow stone. These colours were and are used by the local aboriginal people in their rituals. What was mildly offensive about the site were the multitude of warnings not to touch or take. One placard even went as far as to say dob in anyone you see doing these things. When you look at the site, and imagine the next big flood rushing round that bend next year, in 10 years’ time, or 50, more of the face of the exposed cliff will be swept away than tourists could take in their handbags in a 100 years.... The creek bed downstream bore testimony to this gouging process. When you look at the land behind and around the site, you can imagine another 100000 tons of the stuff. Grrrrr! Talking to Russell Guy (see Day 61) has significantly lowered my immunity to political correctness. Not that I could stand much of it at the best of times.

Point 1. May be so. Extremely hard to verify. Point 2. OK the law's the law. Point 3. Invitation to dob

Whites, yellows and reds all together

Here the different layers are end-on.

When you look down the curving creek-bed you can see that major floods would gouge out enormous sections of the soft stone and clay.

Joke had wanted some samples to take back to school, but when she saw little spurts of steam emitting from my ears she dragged me away before I committed a $5000 offence. We continued on our way, and within 10 kms of the Ochre Pits had found deposits by the roadside similar to the Pits, all except the bright yellow.

As the mid-afternoon glow on the chains of bright red and orange mountains mellowed my mood, I espied the Alice Springs television masts about 30 kms away.

Mood-mellowing mountains

At the same time my phone bleeped and we saw THE RING! We rang Miriam and Adam who were on their way to the football and congratulated them. At the same time we found out that Robin and Josh had become engaged too, so that was a double whammy!

In the evening we Skyped with Adam and Miriam. The session was rather difficult because every couple of seconds the video would cut out to be replaced by an enormous hand with a ring on it. Must get on to Skype about that........ Renske was there too, quietly gloating about the football result. Anyhow, M & A were one happy couple, with their heads already full of plans for the next step. But that story will belong to another blog.