Palm Valley 3–Back at the campsite.

On our second night out at PV we got to the communal firepit early in the arvo and set up our wood for a big afternoon fire, a few drinks and some nibbles. 

We made sure we were on the right side of the fire so we wouldn’t get smoked and had a great time, keeping warm and imbibing refreshments. 

The girls got a little pissy and tried a few more planks around the place.  We had a great sunset and a very cool night.  We even cooked our pasta over the open fire in the billy.  The girls had some marshmallows and some little kids came over with their parents and had some too.

Corinne demonstrating why planking is hard and dangerous, if you are in the wrong spot.

Better than a veranda or a highrise.

The girls heating up their feet at the firepit.

Corinne with a billy full of cold beer

The moon, early riser

Our fire, nice smelling Eucalypt smoke.

The sun setting over the trees and campsite

The moon rising over the red hills, those hills in the background are where the Mpaara walk is from the first blog.

Kaz and Corinne, hammering out another amazing plank on an unsuspecting rock

Palm Valley 3–Back at the campsite.

Palm Valley 2

On day 2 of our PV adventures we drove out to the actual Palm Valley to do the walk through the valley.  The drive from camp site to the valley is very rough, with sections of sand, river rocks, rock and steep grades.  The drive is about 4kms and takes about 30-40 minutes.  There are various river crossings and lots of great scenery. 

We stopped along the way a few times to check out the cycad palms as well as other pretty creek spots.  Kaz performed another impromptu plank on a fallen palm, we made it to the valley but we broke our trailer electric connection of the back of the car in a deep hole.  With some wire and a few tools we connected it back on and it looks very tough now too.

The actual walk through the valley is brilliant.  There was lots of water in the creek, we even had to wade through the creek in one spot and the red cabbage palms tower above you along the way with the fronds shaking in the wind.  The day was pretty cold, but we warmed up after a few climbs along the way.

The walk takes you about 2 kms up the valley and then you hike up into the hills onto the plateau above the area and hike back to the car.  Most of the walk is stunning, with only a few dreary bits right at the end. 

Our trusty Pathfinder parked on solid rock at Cycad gorge.  We stopped here for a look and got blasted by an arctic wind that blew down the valley.  Kaz explored and found herself a good planking spot.

The girls and their car, all freezing.

Kaz…………..

Kaz again, from further away, still resting on her palm.

The walk through the valley is suddenly and bizarrely interrupted by bits of man made path.  We hypothesised the point of this, maybe wheel chair access but then the path would stop again and become very rough.  

A section of tall palms, blocking out the sun, beautiful blue skies but very cool.

A nice shady bend in the river lined on one side by the Palms.

Me and Kaz, resting in a rocky hole in the valley wall.

A Palm, from a different angle

Kaz, nearly back at the car and in need of another rest. 

The view from the cliffs above the valley where we had walked earlier.

 

A great spot.

Palm Valley 2

Palm Valley–The 2nd expedition

On the recent long weekend we drove out to Palm Valley with our workmate Kazza for a second look and camping trip. 

About 5 months ago when we first got to Alice we tried to go camping out at PV but we had to leave due to flooding from cyclone Yasi.

In the lead up to our weekend off the weather was predicted to be very cold, around zero to thirteen with drizzle.  This is not great camping weather.  Come Saturday morning, the sky was blue, the sun was out, the drizzle was no where to be seen.  It was however, very cold.  It is winter though, in the desert so this is to be expected. 

There was even more water in the Finke river this time and there were a few fun crossings.  The tracks out there were also a lot more worn by all the campers and there were a lot of deep sandy spots and the track was quite rough.  We made it to camp though and found ourselves a quiet corner.  The campsite was loaded with people, mostly oldies with heavily kitted out 4wd’s and trailers. 

After setting up, we drove back out of the National park, which is not far, and collected ourselves a heap of firewood to keep the night a bit warmer.  We got out the saw and cut up some good sized logs and filled the roof-rack with good old gum tree.

On the way back to camp we stopped and did the 2 hour, 5km Mpaara walk.

This takes you out the back of a large sandstone ridge and brings you to a lookout in front of the Amphitheatre.  The views are stunning and reminded us of Monument valley in the US.

This is one of the best walks and views we have done in the NT and probably beats King Canyon.

The Corkwood Grevilleas are flowering at the moment, in winter.

Another great Ghost gum

The first palms we had seen on the trip – The red cabbage palm, found only in Finke Gorge National Park.

These light blue/white bushes contrast nicely with the bright red rock and blue skies.

The girls with the valley we had just climbed in the back. 

The valley we walked up to get to the lookout.

Suddenly you come up to a lookout and see this.

Click on the photo to see a larger version, a beautiful view.  We climbed down into this valley to get back.

Palm Valley–The 2nd expedition

Finke River Camping

On Saturday we packed up some stuff again and drove out for a quick overnight camp at the 2 mile bush camping site on the Finke River.  This spot is a great, beautiful spot and we were the only ones there.

We did some great four wheel driving in a lot of deep sand and some rocks.  We found ourselves a nice spot near some trees for shade and spent the afternoon relaxing and watching the birds and the waterhole. 

It was another beautiful warm day and it felt more like spring than the first month of Winter.  We finished the night with another awesome NT sunset and a well deserved nights sleep after another goodbye party on the Friday night.  We were only moderately harassed by mice which was a pleasant surprise.

Our spot by the Finke, soft sand, great views, lots of wildlife.

Corinne, finishing off our meal of mashed potato, sausages from Milner meats and salad.

Sunset

Finke River Camping

Not Quite N’Dala Gorge

 

Last weekend we drove out along the East Macs to have a look at N’Dala Gorge.  The NT parks website said the road was closed but I had been told by a local that it was fine.

The drive out East was great although lot dryer than previously.  The cold weather and lack of rain is now making the grass a lot more brown, the spinifex is now yellow and the rivers are back to be only sand.

We got out to the entrance to N’Dala and it said the road was closed.  We met a guy there in a Nissan Patrol and he said you can get a certain distance but then the rivers are too full and boggy to get across.  So even though we now haven’t had rain for a few months, the rivers out in the East Macs are still flowing. 

We thought we would give it a go and drove on, along the closed road.  Corinne started to get a bit nervous about another ill fated ‘Benny’ adventure, but I assured her we would be fine, even if we got bogged it would be a good experience. 

We came to our first and last river and valiantly drove around a very rough steep bank and some soft sand.  We found some more soft sand and then some boggy sand in the river.  Then we turned around and drove back to the bank and parked.  We would have a picnic on this side of the river. 

We might have got across this river but it was pretty wide, 100 metres and wet and we would have had to drop the tyre pressure etc. 

We had a lovely relaxing picnic on our rug on the sandy banks and enjoyed great weather and beautiful scenery, no N’Dala gorge though.

The Gorge was further down this valley but we decided not to cross the river.  This isn’t a bad place to stop and relax anyway.

The Pathfinder, parked on some harder grassy sand.

Corinne, soaking up the rays on what was quite a cold but sunny day.

Not Quite N’Dala Gorge

Driving home from Ormiston Gorge

On the drive home from Ormiston gorge, we found a small sign on the side of the rd – 2 mile camping area Finke River.  We have not read about this sign but it looked good and actually pointed tot the beautiful river area we had seen at from a lookout earlier. 

The track was rough and quickly developed into deep soft sand.  We switched our trusty Pathfinder into 4WD low and carried on through the sand, arriving at the river.  There was a large amount of water and rushes and birds everywhere.  You can camp anywhere along the river and there are no sites or facilities, just a nice sandy river bank and lots of shady trees. 

The campsite is one of the best we have seen out here.  No fences, toilets, BBQ’s, bus loads of kids, etc, just camping a by a river in the bush. 

There was a huge nest with a couple of kites in it.  They were a bit shy and flew off across the river, a great spot for them too. 

We may visit this little Gem this weekend as it is our second last free weekend before we leave central Australia and return to Queensland. 

The Finke River – Looking towards Glen Helen gorge in the West Macs.  Clear cold water.

One of the Kites preening

Big birds, hunting around the river.

The pair after they left there nest and flew over the other side of the river.

This little kestrel flew over to their tree as soon as the kites left.

The nest, about a metre wide, hard to tell from the photo.

The pathfinder, doing brilliantly in some deep sand, this is a harder spot by the river bank.

The mountains in the distance.

Driving home from Ormiston Gorge