Vikings in Australia - Víkingar í Ástralíu

3^rd October

It was a busy morning; packing after a few day’s camping in Alice Springs! By the time we were ready it was well past nine in the morning. We headed out onto the Larapinta drive and turned right so we could go to the West McDonald Ranges. Our first stop was the Simpson Gap, which is just 10km out of Alice. The drive to the gap is another 7km. It’s quite an impressive gap. The creek has cut a big opening into the mountain range. This late into the dry I was surprised to see a pool of water in the gap, which prevents one from walking to the other side. The sandstone folds are also quite interesting as they are all over the place. This I gather is the feature of the Macs (McDonald Ranges). The big rock slide on one side of the gap is supposed to have a rare colony of Black Footed Rock Wallabies. We didn’t expect to see any as they are often very hard to see. As we were about to leave, we noticed that one of the other visitors was looking at something and then started edging silently towards a rock formation in a way only photographers can do! We immediately moved towards their position and lo and behold, there was one of the rare Rock Wallabies sunning itself. It wasn't like it was far up the rock slide, but almost next to us. I took some photos and then it was back to the main track.

We were hoping to see the Honeymoon gap, but there were no markings so we must have passed it without noticing it! So it was a very short Honeymoon!

Thus our next destination was the Standley Chasm. This is only another 30km along the road from Alice. The track to Standley Chasm is another 9km off the main road to the visitor car park. We parked the cars and paid our fees. Standley Chasm is on private land and the owners charge a fee for anyone who wants to visit. From the visitor car park it’s only a 1.2km walk to the chasm along a relatively easy path. There was a crew of young people with a bobcat working on improving the path, so we had to take some walking detours! I suspect they ware backpackers working their way through Australia. We got to the chasm around lunch time. There were already a few people there and as it turned out, they were waiting for high noon, when the sun was high enough to bathe the chasm walls ins sunlight. The chasm ends in a very small pool of water and large boulders. A sign warns you not to continue as that could endanger your health!

We walked in the chasm and took our photos. The walls are quite steep and the chasm is a bit narrow. It’s probably mostly over three to five meters wide. We lingered on to see if the high noon position of the sun would make a big change in the light. I must say it wasn't much as there is some overhang at the top end of the cliff faces. After some time we headed back down the path to the visitor car park. Once there, we decided to have our morning tea, so we chose a nice shady spot. Once done we headed back to the main road again.

This time our next stop was the Ellery Creek big hole.

After arriving at the visitor car park, it’s only a very short walk to the water hole. Ellery Creek is a big gap in the mountain range that has been cut through by the Ellery Creek. Where the gap is, there is this large pool of water that has survived the dry season. It’s a popular place to visit and swim.

I was the only one with swimmers, so once we got there I went for a swim! I decided to swim through the gap, all the way to the other side. The water in the rock hole is pretty cold, so it wasn't for the feint hearted to swim for a long time in the cold. However, there is no water running into o out of the pool, so the pool is quite still. This meant that where the sun shines, the upper layer of water was a lot warmer. I utilized this fact and swam all the way to the other side. This allowed me to see the gap all the way through. It is pretty spectacular once you get there, but it’s a pity one can’t walk through it as it is a lot more interesting on that side. The sandstone folds are quite something all the way through! I didn't take a camera so I can’t show you.

Once I got back from the swim we headed back to the cars and drove to the next attraction, Serpentine Gorge.

You may notice that the places are called “Gap”, “Chasm”, “Water Hole” or “Gorge”. I must admit that there is no consistency in what these mean! The official dictionary defines them as:

Gap = An opening through mountains
Chasm = A deep, steep-sided opening in the earth's surface; an abyss or gorge.
Water Hole = a depression, such as a pond or pool, containing water, esp one used by animals as a drinking place
Gorge = A deep narrow passage with steep rocky sides

Thus a Gap can have a Water Hole, like a Gorge or a Chasm. A Gorge usually means a waterfall as well, but that is not the case here! So there is simply no consistency in the definition of these terms.

We are told that Serpentine Gorge is named this, due to the bends in the creek that has created it. I must admit that I couldn’t see any more or less bends there than in the other ones! However, the Serpentine Gorge walk wasn’t all that long. There is a pool of water there that has become a bit stagnant. It also blocks the path so it’s not possible to walk through the gorge. The Gorge has high cliff faces on one side, so it’s quite spectacular to see. There is also a lookout walk that takes you up to the top of that high cliff face, but we weren’t in the mood for a lot of rock climbing in 40 degrees heat!

From there we headed to the Glen Helen Resort to camp. We wanted to camp there for two nights and use the day in between to visit the places we had to skip to get there, plus some of the attractions further along the road. Of course at Glen Helen, there is another Gorge i.e. the Glen Helen Gorge. We expect to leave that one to last!