Alice Springs Part 2 and The Karlu Karlu

The morning after our adventures in the West MacDonnell Ranges was met with a cool breeze, another beautiful sunrise and slight muscle fatigue.  Not enough to deter us from more adventures that lay ahead. Breakfast, teeth and preparation complete, we jumped in the Prado and headed east.

The East MacDonnell Ranges have a reputation for holding their own in terms of beauty and majesty.  It does, however, hold only partial popularity to its Western counterpart and this was evident in just how little traffic we saw for the whole day.  This was, by no stretch of the imagination, cause for complaint as it was nice to have many of the attractions to ourselves for the time we were there.

First stop was Central Australia's first town; Arltunga Historic Reserve.  The drive took us 110km east of Alice Springs to a very remote area.  So remote in fact that it wasn't hard to see why Arltunga was now in ruins.  Founded on the prospect of nothing other than the possibility of striking it rich with Gold, the mines in the area lasted until the early 1900s.  The remains of this once lively community tell a tale of hardship and really opitimise the "Tough Australian Outback".  The lack of water and resources to the area would have certainly made life tough for the few who chanced their luck here.

Some of the buildings still standing, although derelict, include the Assay Office and Residence, Managers Residence and Cyanide Works where gold was extracted from quartz.  The difference between the dwellings of Government officials and miners really highlights the unfairness of life back then.  We had a great time exploring the ruins and there was also a couple of mines that you could enter and explore.  The ladders to get into these mines were just that little too challenging for our two year old explorer, so Sarah and I took turns with a head torch each to venture in and climb out before claustrophobia got the better of us.  How the miners managed to work in those conditions is truly baffling.  

We bid our farewell to Arltunga and made the trek to N'Dhala Gorge.  The road in is for 4wd only, so I enjoyed shaking the Prado up a bit on the way in and out.  I was hoping for a bit of low range action, but no such luck.  Ebony, bless her cotton socks, slept through the entire bumpy 16km road into the gorge.  She was still snoring soundly when we arrived, so Sarah was happy to wait in the car while I completed the 30 minute return walk.  

The walk was very easy, especially that I was now 15kg lighter than last walk.  Along the way there are a number of ancient petroglyphs and explanations for each.  It is believed that some could be up to 10 000 years old.  Thinking that Ebony was probably awake and hearing a slight rumble from the mid riff, I returned to the car to find Ebony running around the car park as happy as Larry.  

After a brief lunch with Sarah, Eb and about 20 flies, we set off to Trephina Gorge to tackle to the gorge walk there.  It was here that Ranger Ebony came to our aid.  

The conversation went something like this:

Me: Ebony, can you help mum and dad so that we don't get lost?

Ebony:  Yes dad

Me: Ok, I want you to keep an eye out for orange arrows.  OK?  If you see any you make sure that you let mum or dad know. 

Ebony:  OK dad.

Me: Can you see any orange arrows?

Ebony: No. I see orange triangles dad.

Me:........

When you look at it...she has a point.

Me: OK Ebony, can you see any orange triangles?

Ebony: There!

Me: Where?

Ebony: There dad! (Pointing to the triangle/arrow)

      50 metres along

Ebony: There!

Me: Where?

Ebony: There dad! (Pointing to the triangle/arrow)

This continued for most of the walk.  It was a fun game to play and she loved making sure that we didn't get lost. 

After leaving Trephina Gorge we made a quick stop into Emily and Jessie Gaps before returning to the van late afternoon.  A BBQ tea and a chat with some friends made the day another splendid one.  

The following morning marked the beginning of the last day of our stay in Alice Springs. After a recommendation from a friend to visit Palm Valley in the Finke River National Park we decided to explore there.  The Park is 140km from Alice Springs and 4wd is necessary for the last 12km or so.  

We began the morning with the Kalarranga Lookout walk, which takes you atop one of the western peaks overlooking the natural amphitheatre there.  It was a good way to get the heart going again and the views were stunning.  

From there we made the drive into Palm Valley.  It is the last 4km of this road that are the most interesting and I was finally able to engage low range for a bit of rock crawling.  

We decided on the Mpulungkinya Walk (yes...I had to check the spelling on that...twice...) which is a 5km track that takes you over one of the eastern ridges and through the centre alongside all of the palm trees.  The beauty of this place is in its palm trees; certainly not something you would expect to find in the outback and it is home to the red cabbage palm; a rare species.  Seeing the forest of palm trees alongside the red outback stone walls was amazing.  The nearest palm tree is over 850km away in Lorne Hill National Park, QLD; where we are meeting my parents next month.  

Ranger Ebony was in fine form once again ever focussed on finding blue triangles this time.  Unfortunately the toll of keeping mum and dad on track proved too much for her by the end of the trek.  

Once back in the Prado we headed out of the park.  About half way out we came just centimetres from being cleaned up by a driver heading towards us travelling at excessive speeds.  He started losing control and the tail end of his car slid out towards the driver's side of the Prado (that's me!) as he passed us.  A quick gasp and check for our vital signs followed by a chain of expletives and profanity that I won't disgust you all with happened in what seemed like ages, but was probably more like 5 seconds.  The driver sped off in the other direction before I could catch his number plate.  A good reminder that there is really never an excuse for driving like that....NEVER! 

Angered, but thinking about what lottery numbers I might chose when reception returned, I drove out of the park and back to the van.  By the time we returned, the mood had lifted and we became excited at the prospect of heading north to the Karlu Karlu, or Devils Marbles then on to Katherine.   

The alarm sounded nice and early and we were on the road soon enough. A quick stop by the car wash to rid the Expanda of some of the red dirt and we were back on the Stuart Highway headed for Karlu Karlu.  Along the way we made a brief stop at Wycliffe Well; the UFO capital of Australia.  Another quirk of the Australian Outback and the artwork certainly shows how they are capitalising on the fame and reputation of the place.  The inside of the shop was filled with a plethora of Alien and UFO related merchandise.  I added to my stubby holder collection and, after a quick bit to eat, we moved to the Devils Marbles. 

We had gotten there early enough to get a spot right near a fire pit, which was lucky because by 3pm the place was full and there were a lot of either dejected or angry caravanners arriving and subsequently leaving the camping area.  

By nightfall we had explored the area, which was amazing in itself, eaten a lovely dinner and sat down by the fire to toast some marshmallows with Ebony; she loved it.  Those of you who know her will know that she NEVER sits still (like her dad...).  Well, she sat there mesmerised and fixated on the constant flicker and warmth of the fire for a good length of time.  It was another nice family moment. 

Once Eb was in bed Sarah and I used the rest of the roadside wood that we had collected and enjoyed a drink together.  I thought that the stars at Kings Canyon were amazing, but they  have NOTHING on this place.  The fact that there was no moon that evening made for a truly spectacular light show.  I chanced a couple of photos on "bulb", but just couldn't quite nail the right settings to capture the natural beauty.  It is strange that the two most enjoyable nights in the van for the trip have both been "off the grid".  

Today we bid the Karlu Karlu farewell right on dusk and began the longest day of driving for our trip; a total of 779km to Katherine.  We made it here with minimal fuss and (cue jealous rage from fellow Victorians) the mercury tipped 29 degrees on arrival.  Of course, we set up and took Ebony for a quick swim in the pool.  I am very much looking forward to exploring Nitmiluk National Park here tomorrow.  

More soon!