Hi everyone! We've finally gotten some new posts and photos up. To get the big picture read Justin's summary of Australia so far. I'll still be writing detailed posts of everything - but be warned we aren't going to be in chronological order anymore.
I just posted our days at Ayers Rock and in the MacDonnells. And I'll be slowly filling in the gaps (between Sydney and Ayers Rock) when I have time. And I haven' forgotten about NZ either...
As a final update, we're just about to leave Alice Springs at the moment to drive north to tropical Kakadu NP and Darwin. It should be very hot and humid up there this time of year so wish us luck :)
Cheers!
Christina
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Palm Trees and Art Lessons
Palm Valley, Hermannsburg and on to Alice Springs
16Oct08
In the morning I was very excited to see a pair of Major Mitchell Cockatoos! I've been looking for these for awhile since reading about them in my bird book. They are spectacular birds with white bodies, pink under the wings and a very showy crest that has red and yellow stripes. Have I mentioned how much I love parrots yet?? The camp had lots of birds including butcherbirds and our old friend, "santa crow" who goes "ho-ho-ho" in a strange strangled voice.
The actual Palm Valley trailhead was a few kms up the road, but the "road" was a very rough 4wd track down a dry riverbed. I thought it was great fun - but I wasn't driving! Several times we had to stop and investigate on foot to find the best path over the rocks. The Landcruiser is a lot tougher than we give her credit :)
The drive was worth every rattle - Palm Valley is an amazing oasis of prehistoric palm trees in a lovely sandstone gorge. We took a 5km loop walk that takes you through the dry scrub and spinifex on the ridge above the gorge before dropping down into it and following the riverbed back to the trailhead. Once along the rivedbed you walk between towering red cliffs on one side and swaying palm trees on the other. I think it may be my favorite spot in Australia so far. I'll let the photos speak for themselves...
After that we drove to nearby Hermannsburg to eat the famous apple strudel that Lotti and Heike told us about. Hermannsburg is an aboriginal town with an historic center that used to be a Lutheran mission. We ate strudel in the cafe (very good) before checking out the buildings.
The older couple who live onsite and run the place were very amusing. First they insisted that we watch a short film from the 40's about Albert Namatjira, an aboriginal artist from Hermannsburg who became fairly famous for his western-style watercolor landscapes of the MacDonnell Ranges. The film was quite interesting and I really liked his paintings, although sadly his success did not make for a happy life. I bought a print of one that depicts a large red river gum tree in the foreground with rocky bluffs in the distance - a scene that he painted many versions of and that I'd been trying to capture with my camera for days!
Hermannsburg also has a nice gallery of original paintings, including two Namatjiras plus many paintings in the same style done by his descendants. But our favorite part of the visit was when the proprietor proceeded to point out dozens of hidden images in the Namatjira paintings, including some that were so racy he would only show Justin and I had to leave the room! haha... we could only see about half of what he pointed out and I have no idea whether any of the imagery was deliberate or not. Now I can't wait to hang up my print and invite guests to find subliminal content.
Palm Valley photoset
Hermannsburg and Alice Springs photoset
16Oct08
In the morning I was very excited to see a pair of Major Mitchell Cockatoos! I've been looking for these for awhile since reading about them in my bird book. They are spectacular birds with white bodies, pink under the wings and a very showy crest that has red and yellow stripes. Have I mentioned how much I love parrots yet?? The camp had lots of birds including butcherbirds and our old friend, "santa crow" who goes "ho-ho-ho" in a strange strangled voice.
The actual Palm Valley trailhead was a few kms up the road, but the "road" was a very rough 4wd track down a dry riverbed. I thought it was great fun - but I wasn't driving! Several times we had to stop and investigate on foot to find the best path over the rocks. The Landcruiser is a lot tougher than we give her credit :)
The drive was worth every rattle - Palm Valley is an amazing oasis of prehistoric palm trees in a lovely sandstone gorge. We took a 5km loop walk that takes you through the dry scrub and spinifex on the ridge above the gorge before dropping down into it and following the riverbed back to the trailhead. Once along the rivedbed you walk between towering red cliffs on one side and swaying palm trees on the other. I think it may be my favorite spot in Australia so far. I'll let the photos speak for themselves...
After that we drove to nearby Hermannsburg to eat the famous apple strudel that Lotti and Heike told us about. Hermannsburg is an aboriginal town with an historic center that used to be a Lutheran mission. We ate strudel in the cafe (very good) before checking out the buildings.
The older couple who live onsite and run the place were very amusing. First they insisted that we watch a short film from the 40's about Albert Namatjira, an aboriginal artist from Hermannsburg who became fairly famous for his western-style watercolor landscapes of the MacDonnell Ranges. The film was quite interesting and I really liked his paintings, although sadly his success did not make for a happy life. I bought a print of one that depicts a large red river gum tree in the foreground with rocky bluffs in the distance - a scene that he painted many versions of and that I'd been trying to capture with my camera for days!
Hermannsburg also has a nice gallery of original paintings, including two Namatjiras plus many paintings in the same style done by his descendants. But our favorite part of the visit was when the proprietor proceeded to point out dozens of hidden images in the Namatjira paintings, including some that were so racy he would only show Justin and I had to leave the room! haha... we could only see about half of what he pointed out and I have no idea whether any of the imagery was deliberate or not. Now I can't wait to hang up my print and invite guests to find subliminal content.
Palm Valley photoset
Hermannsburg and Alice Springs photoset
Emus at Breakfast and Kings Canyon
Curtin Springs to Kings Canyon
14Oct08
While Justin took a shower I made the mistake of feeding a wild emu. When my emu friend became more interested in the open truck doors I quickly realized that it's hard to shoo away a 4 foot tall, sharp-beaked bird. Before I could find a way to stop him he took a chunk out of the rubber door gasket! Must not have tasted too good though, because he wandered off after that :)
Today we drove north to King's Canyon through more beautiful red dirt country, and camped at the caravan park inside the national park. Another resort inside a national park that doesn't have regular campgrounds. There were tons of playful galahs and several wild dingos. The dingos must be a real problem because they even had gates on the bathrooms to keep them out.
By the time we got checked in it was too hot to do a hike so we just relaxed. By relaxed I mean I poured over the maps to plan our itinerary while Justin reattached several bits and bobs that had rattled themselves loose on the car ;) Plus that night we indulged in an hour of very poor satellite internet access that was more frustrating than useful. I can't believe we ever complained about web access in New Zealand!
Kings Canyon
15Oct08
Today we did a very nice loop hike in King's Canyon.
You start the hike by climbing to the top of the canyon and then it's easy walking though amazing "beehive" sandstone formations with periodic views down into the canyon. About halfway you descend into a gorge with a year-round waterhole that is home to many birds, animals and plants. Dubbed "the Garden of Eden" it's a spectacular spot.
It used to be a popular swimming hole but the park asks you not to swim anymore since sunscreens and lotions can pollute the water. Speaking of swimming, as we left the water hole we passed an odd middle-aged couple - the man was nondescript, but the woman was wearing a strapless bikini... did you get that? She was hiking in a bikini AND wearing a mozzie net hat. It was the strangest thing I've seen in awhile!
Throughout Kings Canyon we passed many handsome examples of the "prehistoric" MacDonnell Cycad, a plant that doesn't grow anywhere else, but I'll leave it to the resident flora expert to elaborate :)
We also had the great luck to see a bower bird guarding his bower! These are very cool birds that build a "showroom" nest to attract the females, decorated with bits of trash and so forth that they have collected (like a magpie.) This particular bower bird needed to work on his collection and I would have donated something if I'd had anything appropriate.
After the hike we embarked on the dreaded "Mereenie Loop Road." This is a short cut in distance, but after driving it we aren't sure it's worth it!
We'd been warned by Lotti and Heike that it was a bad road - they didn't take it - but the woman at the campground reception said it had just been graded so we figured it'd be ok. So we bought the permit and headed off (you have to have a permit to go through the tribal land.) Needless to say it was heavily corrugated (washboarded) and full of bulldust holes and we had to lower the tire pressure considerably. The country was beautiful though and we saw wild camels and horses, which redeemed it slightly.
Eventually we reached the turnoff for the Palm Valley NP campground, another 16km on bad road, but we were rewarded with a fantastic campground that had flush toilets and solar-heated hot showers! Plus a merciful lack of flies and mosquitos - what more can you ask for? We relaxed and watched the full moon come up while bats darted in the twilight. Something, possibly a small bat (or a big roach) actually flew into the truck for a moment, but quickly found it's way out fortunately. While we washed up the dishes we had a nice conversation with another camper who told us all about going on safari in Africa. It sounds fantastic -maybe we'll have to amend our itinerary (if we ever get out of Australia!)
Kings Canyon photoset
Mereenie Loop photoset
14Oct08
While Justin took a shower I made the mistake of feeding a wild emu. When my emu friend became more interested in the open truck doors I quickly realized that it's hard to shoo away a 4 foot tall, sharp-beaked bird. Before I could find a way to stop him he took a chunk out of the rubber door gasket! Must not have tasted too good though, because he wandered off after that :)
Today we drove north to King's Canyon through more beautiful red dirt country, and camped at the caravan park inside the national park. Another resort inside a national park that doesn't have regular campgrounds. There were tons of playful galahs and several wild dingos. The dingos must be a real problem because they even had gates on the bathrooms to keep them out.
By the time we got checked in it was too hot to do a hike so we just relaxed. By relaxed I mean I poured over the maps to plan our itinerary while Justin reattached several bits and bobs that had rattled themselves loose on the car ;) Plus that night we indulged in an hour of very poor satellite internet access that was more frustrating than useful. I can't believe we ever complained about web access in New Zealand!
Kings Canyon
15Oct08
Today we did a very nice loop hike in King's Canyon.
You start the hike by climbing to the top of the canyon and then it's easy walking though amazing "beehive" sandstone formations with periodic views down into the canyon. About halfway you descend into a gorge with a year-round waterhole that is home to many birds, animals and plants. Dubbed "the Garden of Eden" it's a spectacular spot.
It used to be a popular swimming hole but the park asks you not to swim anymore since sunscreens and lotions can pollute the water. Speaking of swimming, as we left the water hole we passed an odd middle-aged couple - the man was nondescript, but the woman was wearing a strapless bikini... did you get that? She was hiking in a bikini AND wearing a mozzie net hat. It was the strangest thing I've seen in awhile!
Throughout Kings Canyon we passed many handsome examples of the "prehistoric" MacDonnell Cycad, a plant that doesn't grow anywhere else, but I'll leave it to the resident flora expert to elaborate :)
We also had the great luck to see a bower bird guarding his bower! These are very cool birds that build a "showroom" nest to attract the females, decorated with bits of trash and so forth that they have collected (like a magpie.) This particular bower bird needed to work on his collection and I would have donated something if I'd had anything appropriate.
After the hike we embarked on the dreaded "Mereenie Loop Road." This is a short cut in distance, but after driving it we aren't sure it's worth it!
We'd been warned by Lotti and Heike that it was a bad road - they didn't take it - but the woman at the campground reception said it had just been graded so we figured it'd be ok. So we bought the permit and headed off (you have to have a permit to go through the tribal land.) Needless to say it was heavily corrugated (washboarded) and full of bulldust holes and we had to lower the tire pressure considerably. The country was beautiful though and we saw wild camels and horses, which redeemed it slightly.
Eventually we reached the turnoff for the Palm Valley NP campground, another 16km on bad road, but we were rewarded with a fantastic campground that had flush toilets and solar-heated hot showers! Plus a merciful lack of flies and mosquitos - what more can you ask for? We relaxed and watched the full moon come up while bats darted in the twilight. Something, possibly a small bat (or a big roach) actually flew into the truck for a moment, but quickly found it's way out fortunately. While we washed up the dishes we had a nice conversation with another camper who told us all about going on safari in Africa. It sounds fantastic -maybe we'll have to amend our itinerary (if we ever get out of Australia!)
Kings Canyon photoset
Mereenie Loop photoset
The Magnificent Olgas
The Olgas and more Uluru
13Oct08
Today our goal is to see the Olgas - a second rock formation in the park that isn't nearly as famous as Ayers Rock/Uluru but is just as wonderful. The Olgas are a group of monolithic rocks that are made of a conglomerate rock that the guide book describes as "plum pudding." Sigh - I was hungry for British pudding the whole day!
We took the "Valley of the Winds" walk through the Olgas which is fantastic, and in some ways more interesting than the walk around Uluru just because you can get so much closer.
The day was very hot and we were pretty worn out afterwards even though it is only a 7km hike. The heat here can really take it out of you and we are being very diligent about sunscreen, hats and drinking lots of water (yes, even me.)
We headed back to the resort complex for lunch and a little A/C, stocked up on ice and supplies at the store, wrote a few postcards, and then drove back to the official sunset viewing site of Uluru. Since watching the sun set on Uluru is the main attraction in the park the viewing area has a crowded, party-like atmosphere. Couples are drinking wine, and kids are running around with cameras. Determined to get a good photo I set up my tripod on the roof of the "troopy" and waited for the light.
Alas the light never really came - the sunset on this evening was dampened by some clouds on the western horizon. C'est la vie. At least we got to see one good sunset!
In the twilight and under the full moon we drove one last time around the rock - very eerie at this time of night. Then we drove away to Curtin Springs - another roadhouse that has free camping. You really have to watch out for wildlife at night and we came across both kangaroos and cattle in the middle of the road. Exhausted we ate cold sandwiches and went straight to bed.
Olgas photoset
13Oct08
Today our goal is to see the Olgas - a second rock formation in the park that isn't nearly as famous as Ayers Rock/Uluru but is just as wonderful. The Olgas are a group of monolithic rocks that are made of a conglomerate rock that the guide book describes as "plum pudding." Sigh - I was hungry for British pudding the whole day!
We took the "Valley of the Winds" walk through the Olgas which is fantastic, and in some ways more interesting than the walk around Uluru just because you can get so much closer.
The day was very hot and we were pretty worn out afterwards even though it is only a 7km hike. The heat here can really take it out of you and we are being very diligent about sunscreen, hats and drinking lots of water (yes, even me.)
We headed back to the resort complex for lunch and a little A/C, stocked up on ice and supplies at the store, wrote a few postcards, and then drove back to the official sunset viewing site of Uluru. Since watching the sun set on Uluru is the main attraction in the park the viewing area has a crowded, party-like atmosphere. Couples are drinking wine, and kids are running around with cameras. Determined to get a good photo I set up my tripod on the roof of the "troopy" and waited for the light.
Alas the light never really came - the sunset on this evening was dampened by some clouds on the western horizon. C'est la vie. At least we got to see one good sunset!
In the twilight and under the full moon we drove one last time around the rock - very eerie at this time of night. Then we drove away to Curtin Springs - another roadhouse that has free camping. You really have to watch out for wildlife at night and we came across both kangaroos and cattle in the middle of the road. Exhausted we ate cold sandwiches and went straight to bed.
Olgas photoset
Ayers Rock at last!
Ayers Rock / Uluru
12Oct08
After breakfast, showers, and packing up we were finally on our way to Ayers Rock / Uluru. In the daylight our roadhouse campground looked much nicer - especially considering it was free. The eating area was shaded by a nice big ramada and the adjacent stucco building was turquoise with pink trim - it reminded us of the desert southwest US :)
Only 200km to Ayers Rock! Stopped for fuel at Curtin Springs roadhouse ($2.23 per liter - ouch!) and entertained a gaggle of tourists - including a man videotaping the gas pumps. We also stopped for a view of Mt Conner. The land here justifies the "Red Centre" name - beautiful red dirt with scrubby trees and golden spinifex grass clumps. I kept oohing and aahing wanting to stop for photos until Justin exclaimed, "just how much have you seen of Oklahoma?" hmm. Well, I still think it looks exotic.
The only place to stay near Uluru is the giant Ayers Rock Resort complex that encompasses five hotels, a big campground, caravan park, several restaurants and a shopping center. Before we started our trip I had always thought Uluru was right outside of Alice Springs, but it's actually fairly remote, so the resort is a hub of activity. The national park itself is owned by native Aborigine tribes and leased back to the government. Most of the land it covers is restricted as sacred so you can't camp in the park itself or wander off the few trails.
In Adelaide I browsed through a book on Aboriginal rock art that strongly recommended a self-guided rock art tour pamphlet that you could get at the visitor's center, but after much searching I was finally told that it had been out of print for a couple years. Probably due to increased restrictions on sacred sites.
So, disappointed at the lack of information we could get to guide us around the park (seems like collusion with the tour operators) we headed out for the 9km walk around the base of Uluru. However any disappointment quickly vanished as we approached it. Uluru is truly an awesome sight, towering over the flat plain around it - and of course a photographer's dream! The rock itself isn't completely smooth, but has a somewhat scaly or flakey surface and has eroded in the most stunning way.
When it rains waterfalls cascade down channels and chains of potholes - that in the dry season are stained dark.
And there are many enticing caves and overhangs - most of which you aren't allowed near unfortunately. The whole rock is actually composed of thick sandstone layers that have been lifted into a vertical position, perpendicular to the ground. So on the west and east sides you are looking at the edges of layers, and on the north and south sides you see the flat faces of layers.
The walk around the base took us longer than expected - particularly since I had to take a photo with practically every step! And so instead of watching sunset from the designated sunset viewing area, we watched the famous sunset right at the foot of the rock. I actually thought that this was a better way to experience the amazing range of colors the rock takes on as the sun sets. It absolutely glows and the subtlety of colors is more apparent up close.
Ayers Rock photoset
12Oct08
After breakfast, showers, and packing up we were finally on our way to Ayers Rock / Uluru. In the daylight our roadhouse campground looked much nicer - especially considering it was free. The eating area was shaded by a nice big ramada and the adjacent stucco building was turquoise with pink trim - it reminded us of the desert southwest US :)
Only 200km to Ayers Rock! Stopped for fuel at Curtin Springs roadhouse ($2.23 per liter - ouch!) and entertained a gaggle of tourists - including a man videotaping the gas pumps. We also stopped for a view of Mt Conner. The land here justifies the "Red Centre" name - beautiful red dirt with scrubby trees and golden spinifex grass clumps. I kept oohing and aahing wanting to stop for photos until Justin exclaimed, "just how much have you seen of Oklahoma?" hmm. Well, I still think it looks exotic.
The only place to stay near Uluru is the giant Ayers Rock Resort complex that encompasses five hotels, a big campground, caravan park, several restaurants and a shopping center. Before we started our trip I had always thought Uluru was right outside of Alice Springs, but it's actually fairly remote, so the resort is a hub of activity. The national park itself is owned by native Aborigine tribes and leased back to the government. Most of the land it covers is restricted as sacred so you can't camp in the park itself or wander off the few trails.
In Adelaide I browsed through a book on Aboriginal rock art that strongly recommended a self-guided rock art tour pamphlet that you could get at the visitor's center, but after much searching I was finally told that it had been out of print for a couple years. Probably due to increased restrictions on sacred sites.
So, disappointed at the lack of information we could get to guide us around the park (seems like collusion with the tour operators) we headed out for the 9km walk around the base of Uluru. However any disappointment quickly vanished as we approached it. Uluru is truly an awesome sight, towering over the flat plain around it - and of course a photographer's dream! The rock itself isn't completely smooth, but has a somewhat scaly or flakey surface and has eroded in the most stunning way.
When it rains waterfalls cascade down channels and chains of potholes - that in the dry season are stained dark.
And there are many enticing caves and overhangs - most of which you aren't allowed near unfortunately. The whole rock is actually composed of thick sandstone layers that have been lifted into a vertical position, perpendicular to the ground. So on the west and east sides you are looking at the edges of layers, and on the north and south sides you see the flat faces of layers.
The walk around the base took us longer than expected - particularly since I had to take a photo with practically every step! And so instead of watching sunset from the designated sunset viewing area, we watched the famous sunset right at the foot of the rock. I actually thought that this was a better way to experience the amazing range of colors the rock takes on as the sun sets. It absolutely glows and the subtlety of colors is more apparent up close.
Ayers Rock photoset
Australia Summary (so far)
Well, we're way behind in posting our travels on the blog, so here's a brief summary of what's been going on in Australia. We'll come back to this later and post the interesting bits, but just so you guys know what we've been up to....
We fly into Sydney from Christchurch and stay in the Glebe Point YHA hostel. It's reasonably clean, and the staff is quite helpful, but rather impersonal and most of the guests are younger and more party-oriented than either Christina or I. After lots of car shopping, we end up with a 1988 Toyota LandCruiser Troop Carrier. She's not in perfect shape, but the cars have a great reputation over here for durability and reliability. Meahwhile we manage to walk around the Sydney Opera House, see the Botanic Gardens, and satisfy some long-restrained craving for food we just couldn't get in NZ.
After a couple of tedious days outfitting the car, we drive across SE Australia to Adelaide, passing through the Blue Mountains, stopping at a 'High Altitude Botanical Gardens', and seeing our first real small-town bits of Australia.
We spend several days in Adelaide regrouping and getting the front brakes on the car done. After this, we drive up through Port Augusta and into the Flinders mountain ranges. It turns out to be a school holiday week, and the campgrounds are busy! We meet a nice german couple (Lotti and Heike) in Port Augusta, and end up staying in adjacent spots in a couple of campgrounds. They're touring around Australia in a VW bus which they've had shipped over! Given that my first car was a 1975 transporter, I can't resist hanging out and talking shop with Lotti. He's happy to show me the details of their bus' custom setup.
After a couple of days in the Flinders ranges, we drive up through the Gammon ranges, stay a night at Arkaroola - a nature preserve with lots of interesting history and frightening 'hamburgers' - then drive up to Uluru and the Olgas, where we spend a couple of days checking out Australia's most famous natural icon. Then it's on to King's Canyon, Palm Valley, and up to Alice Springs, where we are currently staying and trying to plan out the next few months.
We fly into Sydney from Christchurch and stay in the Glebe Point YHA hostel. It's reasonably clean, and the staff is quite helpful, but rather impersonal and most of the guests are younger and more party-oriented than either Christina or I. After lots of car shopping, we end up with a 1988 Toyota LandCruiser Troop Carrier. She's not in perfect shape, but the cars have a great reputation over here for durability and reliability. Meahwhile we manage to walk around the Sydney Opera House, see the Botanic Gardens, and satisfy some long-restrained craving for food we just couldn't get in NZ.
After a couple of tedious days outfitting the car, we drive across SE Australia to Adelaide, passing through the Blue Mountains, stopping at a 'High Altitude Botanical Gardens', and seeing our first real small-town bits of Australia.
We spend several days in Adelaide regrouping and getting the front brakes on the car done. After this, we drive up through Port Augusta and into the Flinders mountain ranges. It turns out to be a school holiday week, and the campgrounds are busy! We meet a nice german couple (Lotti and Heike) in Port Augusta, and end up staying in adjacent spots in a couple of campgrounds. They're touring around Australia in a VW bus which they've had shipped over! Given that my first car was a 1975 transporter, I can't resist hanging out and talking shop with Lotti. He's happy to show me the details of their bus' custom setup.
After a couple of days in the Flinders ranges, we drive up through the Gammon ranges, stay a night at Arkaroola - a nature preserve with lots of interesting history and frightening 'hamburgers' - then drive up to Uluru and the Olgas, where we spend a couple of days checking out Australia's most famous natural icon. Then it's on to King's Canyon, Palm Valley, and up to Alice Springs, where we are currently staying and trying to plan out the next few months.
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