Day 5
July 25th -149km
We enjoyed our drive through the Owen Springs Reserve, with many vistas of creek bed and red rocky cliffs.
Although there are no facilities it is a really lovely spot to camp.
The startling white of the old homestead ruins against the red of the rock and blue of the sky is incredible. The stories of life back on the station give a real feeling for the change which has occurred in the last year's. Imagine being left for weeks on end with a one year old in an isolated homestead with nothing but a very basic house, and needing to keep water up to the troughs as well as survive with no support. They made them tough in those days.The track through here was pretty good, with a few rocky or sandy s editors, but very well signed with warnings where needed.
We turned on to the Hermannsburg road with the Western Macdonnell in the distance and stopped a a roadside stop with a tank. We filled up our water supply and left a puddle for the finches and bees to enjoy. The finches congregated across the road in a bush and had a noisy debate about whether to come closer while we were there. I tried to catch a shot of the finches, but it wasn't very good.
About another 40 km down a sometimes interesting road we came to the township of Hermannsburg. This old Lutheran Mission town is an interesting spot. The supermarket was inside a shed. We found phone coverage and posted the outstanding blogs which had been waiting, then took a drive around town. Found the old mission area and church but didn't go in. We also saw a house block containing 3 horses, as well as lots of wild horses roaming around the town.
Just out of town is the turnoff to Palm Valley ,and we enjoyed the relatively easy drive in between red cliffs with white trunked gum trees clinging to them and picturesque river beds, and water sitting down at the base, making a truly beautiful picture. we came across an electric grid on the way into the park (something we didn't remember seeing before.
 |
| On the side of the road |
 |
| electric grid |
Palm Valley Campground
We stopped on the way in, to climb up to the lookout, and look at the Vista of the many cliffs with green vegetation and creeks between them, and the campsite dotted down below us.
We arrived before the Colwells and Sankauskas, but saved a spot so that we could camp,close,together. The campsite has rudimentary solar showers (cool in the morning and luke warm in the late afternoon) and two fire pits for the campsite, which forces people to share their wood and chat to each other.
 |
| Catching up |
 |
| View from our campsite |
 |
| The end of the sunset. |
No comments:
Post a Comment