Up early to do a spot of sight seeing around Alice Springs.
First stop was John Flynn's grave. He is buried with his wife in view of the McDonnell Ranges just out of town on a little rise.
From there we went to Simpson's Gap. A short walk from the car park takes you up the creek bed into the Gap. The rocks are such wonderful colours and ruggedly majestic. Well worth the effort to get up there.
Further down the same road we came to Standley Chasm. If Simpson's Gap was majestic this one was spectacular. Another walk and some minor rock climbing brought us to the Chasm. Extra special as due to all the rain we have been having it had a small waterhole as well. The walls are so steep and the colours of the rocks incredible. I spent a lot of time stopping for quiet contemplation of the awesomeness of this place.
We took off again heading for Hermannsburg but decided to take the loop road which runs out to Glen Helen and then back around to Hermannsburg. Before reaching Glen Helen we saw a sign for Ellery Creek Big Hole. This got us curious so in we went and found the prettiest water hole we have ever seen.
Off we went again and after passing Glen Helen, things get really interesting! Along the way we did 60 kms of off road 4x4 driving. It was wet, it was muddy, it was bumpy as all hell and it was a gazetted public road! We were dodging potholes and huge piles of what I think had to be camel dung, whatever animal was making the piles sure could hold their tucker! Every so often we passed small mobs of wild horses but we never did see any camels. And there is no way those horses could have made the particular piles I have mentioned.
Eventually just a few kms out of Hermannsburg (and back on the bitumen), we came to Albert Namatjira' s house. Albert was a well known and respected Aranda Aboriginal artist who lived from 1902 - 1959. He painted mostly watercolours and liked to paint landscapes of the country around his home at Hermannsburg. He built his own house with help from the men of his tribe, using money from sales of his paintings. It was a two room house with a tin roof, pretty flash for an aboriginal back then.
Then it was into Hermannsburg for a look at the mission. Hermannsburg, the first Aboriginal Mission in the Northern Territory was established by the Lutheran Church in 1877. It had a Bakery, Church, Colonist's House, Stockman's House, Smithy, Mortuary,Tannery, Correspondence School, Meat House, Schoolhouse, Manse, Maid's Quarters and dormitories for boys and girls. Most of these buildings are still standing and some are even habitable. A lasting testament to the quality of the building.
After all that we came 125 km back to camp worn out. It was a big day and for some of it I was walking in the footsteps of my foster father who visited here around 60 years ago when he was in his 20's. And today was his birthday. How serendipitous.
No comments:
Post a Comment