Day 23 – 15/04/2011 - Hermannsburgh to Alice Springs via the Finke Gorge National Park

Day 23 – 15/04/2011 - Hermannsburgh to Alice Springs via the Finke Gorge National Park

Well today was mum’s day to lose the plot and to wake up with a bad case of cabin fever!!  After a very restless night listening to people yell and talk for hours and the sound of dogs barking until the sun rose I did not sleep well and did not feel well!!.  To add to my bad mood, the boys were complaining about uncleanliness in the bathroom and how much they didn’t like the caravan park and much preferred to stay at places that has a swimming pool!! Well I must confess I let fly and told them of for being middle class snobs and if that they should be grateful they were staying somewhere with flushing toilets and food and parents who loved them because not all kids had that !! Not sure they understood everything I said but they understood mum was upset so they stopped complaining.

We packed up and headed off to Finke Gorge NP a place that we had been told was very beautiful as we headed into the park – 4WD only even Pete being aware of my explosion earlier in the morning wasn’t game to complain about the corrugations in the road.  But the road did improve and the scenery was spectacular and it wasn’t long before my spirits lifted and I remembered why we decided to take this journey!!  The kids were all looking out the window and we were amazed at how wide the river was, that there was still shallow but flowing water and how simply stunning the cliffs of the gorge were.

We followed the road down to the camp ground and then got out to explore.  Zac was beside himself because there were fish – babies and little ones – in the swimming holes and he was desperate to put his trap in and catch them, after some rock climbing we gave into his requests and set the trap thinking the fish would be to smart to go for peanut butter sandwiches but to Zac’s delight and our surprise after about 15 minutes he caught 4 small fish.  The fact that he had to catch and release was irrelevant to Zac he just loves to fish.

We jumped back into the car for the last 4kms before the gorge walk and then did some real 4WD’ing, across washouts, the river and through thick sand, we had a blast!!

When we walked up to the walking track board the kids and secretly Pete all tried to vote for the 2km walk but in an effort to keep Mum in her good mood they all agreed to do the 5km gorge walk.  It was an amazing, beautiful, challenging, fun walk.  The walk initially headed off into the gorge where we got to climb over rocks and take our shoes off and wade through water.  Along the walk there were information boards and we all got to learn about the rare Red Cabbage Tree Palms that have survived in the gorge from a time when central Australia was not a desert.  We observed beautiful palm filled oasis’s and sheer rock wall. 



No other option but to get our feet wet OR
turn back!!

 

View from the top of the gorge



Then the fun began as we climbed up the gorge, walked across the top of the cliff and back down the other side returning to the car – completing the full loop.  I continue to be so proud of how well my kids and husband are walking – this walk – no complaints from anyone!!

We left Finke Gorge NP after a great day, had a quick last minute drive around Hermannsburg deciding not to go into the restored Lutheran buildings, picked up the caravan and headed to Alice Springs.  We arrived at my girlfriend’s – Melinda’s just in time for beer o’clock and the kids headed straight into her pool for a swim.  We were looking forward to a better night sleep!!.

oh my gosh so that was where we left the car!!