Day 36 28/04/2011- Gosse Bluff, Roma and Redbank Gorge

Day 36 28/04/2011- Gosse Bluff, Roma and Redbank Gorge

(West MacDonnell Ranges)

We set off this morning pretty early as we wanted to get out to Gosse Bluff, this is an amazing place, the Bluff was created when a comet hit earth 400 million years ago. Gosse Bluff is also a significant sacred place for the local aboriginal people and is considered a sorry place hence there were many places we couldn’t walk and camping was prohibited.  Because of the cultural significance of Gosse Bluff there was only a small walking trail and a small lookout.  It was though pretty amazing to observe the upheaval on the earth from the comet and to actually drive our car into a land mass where once a comet landed.



Gosse Bluff from the Lookout



We left Gosse Bluff and headed to Roma Gorge. 



Roma Gorge



Roma Gorge is a little off the beaten track and when I say we turned right and headed down a dry river bed I’m not making it up.  In fact if they hadn’t been doing road works at the exact turn off we would have missed the small sign!!  The drive to Roma Gorge was 4WD only and follows a sandy and stony river bed for about 8 ½ kms and it took us about 45minutes!!  It was fun though and the kids really enjoy getting off the beaten track!!  The Gorge itself has beautiful scenery and features ancient Aboriginal Petroglyphs (rock carvings), we all had a good time scrambling over the rocks looking for the rock carvings and then the kids settled into their favourite Gorge activity – trying to catch tadpoles.  All the Gorges at the moment have water in them and they are alive with small fish and hundreds of tadpoles!!



Petroglyph



Finally we headed off to Redbank Gorge, we were hoping to have a swim and in preparation we had packed the wetsuits and inflation rings!! All the guide books said that you could swim at Redbank Gorge but it came with the warning that the water was very cold and swimmers were encouraged to use a flotation device and wear a wetsuit!! It was 29 degrees when we arrived at Redbank Gorge but heeding advice we carried our gear up the short walk to the Gorge and oh my gosh we were glad we did.  The water was freezing and a little smelly, it wouldn’t be long before you couldn’t swim in the waterhole as there were already a number of dead fish floating in it.  But that did not stop us (well it stopped Pete) putting on our wetsuits and heading off up the Gorge.  We could only go a little way as to cross into the next water hole meant clambering over slippery rocks, carrying our rings all with bare feet.  I just wasn’t sure that that would be a good idea.  Again the kids had a great time playing in the water and assuring any unsuspecting adult who asked “is the water cold” they always replied “no it’s great!!”  No-one who asked though picked up the fact that they were wearing wetsuits!!

After a fun day we headed back to Glen Helen for the second night.