The amazing MacDonnell ranges
Yesterday we explored the gorges in the East MacDonnell range. These ranges are second to the Great Dividing Range of which we are most familiar. We are constantly surprising by the amount of water that is in the creeks here. Sometimes, it is visible, sometimes it flows beneath the sandy river beds; it is that gentlest of slope down to Lake Eyre. Trephina Gorge, in the East Macdonnells, had water enough for a brave couple (not us!) to take the plunge. We opted for a walk which took us up the rocky side of the gorge and down along the river bed. Once again, Grevillea Wickhamii was at its showy best with a few eramophila flowers joining the competition. Iron oxide colours the gorge walls and contrasts magnificiently with the clear blue skies above. Barry has given Annette a free range to catch dragonflies but frogs are rare. The spinifex pigeons seem quite tame, judging by the number of close-range photos we have been able to take. In this region you are certainly aware of the Aboriginal groups’ ties to the land: it is a concept hard to understand but the caps of the MacDonnell range do seem to have a processional caterpillar look to them. For those of us willing to put feet into the cold stream, there was a view of some rock art depicting the caperillar dreaming.
Today we explored the West MacDonnell Ranges- but in the relative comfort of a tour 4-Wheel drive vehicle along with driver. Our planned route took in Hermannsburg and the ancient Finke River which we crossed several times. Despite the bumpiness of the journey, we still had a good sighting of the Major Mitchell cockatoo. Our main destination was the Palm Valley. Here there is a stand of the rare of the Central Australian red cabbage palm (Livistona mariae). Cycads ((macrozamia macdonnelli) also grown here. A walk along one side of the gorge gave us yet another sighting of the spinifex pigeon and some zebra finches. These was plenty of the rock fuchsia in flower (Eramophila freelingii) as well as ptilotis and chocolate cassia (Cassia pleurocarpa). Despite it not being blue, we could identify one of the indigo plants ((Indigofera basedowii) which had almost finished flowering with one of two red flowers still lingering on. We shall have to read up more on the geology to fill the gaps in the descriptions of the gorges.
Alas, we had only half an hour at the historic site of Hermannsburg. We had read much on the Strehlow family so a visit to Hermannsburg was a tribute to Carl Strehlow and his son Ted Strehlow who had earned great respect amongst the Aranda peoples. The house occupied by Pastor Carl Strehlow and his wife Frieda still stands and serves an excellent apple strudel. It must have been a welcome relief to the family in summer as its thick walls kept it cool. The old church still stands as well as some of the outer buildings. Frieda notes that her sons grew up speaking German at home, learned English at school and the local Aboriginal dialect (Arrerente) when playing with the other children. The Strehlows grew vegetables and date palms and raised some dairy cows in the good years.
Tomorrow we pull down the tent and head for Helensvale, also in the West MacDonnells. There is promise of a visit to a crater left by a comet millions of years ago.
Yesterday we explored the gorges in the East MacDonnell range. These ranges are second to the Great Dividing Range of which we are most familiar. We are constantly surprising by the amount of water that is in the creeks here. Sometimes, it is visible, sometimes it flows beneath the sandy river beds; it is that gentlest of slope down to Lake Eyre. Trephina Gorge, in the East Macdonnells, had water enough for a brave couple (not us!) to take the plunge. We opted for a walk which took us up the rocky side of the gorge and down along the river bed. Once again, Grevillea Wickhamii was at its showy best with a few eramophila flowers joining the competition. Iron oxide colours the gorge walls and contrasts magnificiently with the clear blue skies above. Barry has given Annette a free range to catch dragonflies but frogs are rare. The spinifex pigeons seem quite tame, judging by the number of close-range photos we have been able to take. In this region you are certainly aware of the Aboriginal groups’ ties to the land: it is a concept hard to understand but the caps of the MacDonnell range do seem to have a processional caterpillar look to them. For those of us willing to put feet into the cold stream, there was a view of some rock art depicting the caperillar dreaming.
Today we explored the West MacDonnell Ranges- but in the relative comfort of a tour 4-Wheel drive vehicle along with driver. Our planned route took in Hermannsburg and the ancient Finke River which we crossed several times. Despite the bumpiness of the journey, we still had a good sighting of the Major Mitchell cockatoo. Our main destination was the Palm Valley. Here there is a stand of the rare of the Central Australian red cabbage palm (Livistona mariae). Cycads ((macrozamia macdonnelli) also grown here. A walk along one side of the gorge gave us yet another sighting of the spinifex pigeon and some zebra finches. These was plenty of the rock fuchsia in flower (Eramophila freelingii) as well as ptilotis and chocolate cassia (Cassia pleurocarpa). Despite it not being blue, we could identify one of the indigo plants ((Indigofera basedowii) which had almost finished flowering with one of two red flowers still lingering on. We shall have to read up more on the geology to fill the gaps in the descriptions of the gorges.
Alas, we had only half an hour at the historic site of Hermannsburg. We had read much on the Strehlow family so a visit to Hermannsburg was a tribute to Carl Strehlow and his son Ted Strehlow who had earned great respect amongst the Aranda peoples. The house occupied by Pastor Carl Strehlow and his wife Frieda still stands and serves an excellent apple strudel. It must have been a welcome relief to the family in summer as its thick walls kept it cool. The old church still stands as well as some of the outer buildings. Frieda notes that her sons grew up speaking German at home, learned English at school and the local Aboriginal dialect (Arrerente) when playing with the other children. The Strehlows grew vegetables and date palms and raised some dairy cows in the good years.
Tomorrow we pull down the tent and head for Helensvale, also in the West MacDonnells. There is promise of a visit to a crater left by a comet millions of years ago.
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