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.
So not an ill fated Benny adventure at all! I was reading this all geared up for disaster and - nothing - just a nice nap in the sun! Next time try and roll and the Pathfinder, remember your loyal readers want drama.
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