DIARY OF AN AUSSIE WOMBAT

"A TOWN LIKE ALICE"

Welcome to Alice Springs Northern Territory

and surrounding sites, and gorges

　

Oh dear! Dad missed the turn off and got huffy and upset, we knew he was probably tired from all the driving he had done. He got out and stomped around for a while then got back in the car said "we don't even have an address where this place is for the van!". Mum said in her quiet (I am in control and have taken care of it voice), 'have already made the call, we are booked in to have the van checked at 8am. This is the address, it's under warranty so you can't complain about paying for anything else". Dad had no answer, so he said 'Well. I guess we'll just have to find a place to stay for tonight'... mum looked up a caravan and camping place which was the closest. Dad drove there. He got out and went into the office. Only a minute later he was stomping back to the car... 'no spaces left'.... so, withouth another word, mum looked up another caravan and camping spot. This time, we drove a little more south and the people at the Stuart Highway Caravan and Cabin Tourist Park were lovely! Mum didn't want to worry about a powered site as we were there for only the night, but dad wanted power so we were allocated a nice shady largish spot near the amenities and BBQ area which made dad 'sort of happy'. As soon as we had wound up the Penguin, dad went and had a long hot shower as I am pretty sure his back was giving him grief again.. but dad being dad didn't take up the offer for mum to drive for a while.. "I do the driving thank you!" So mum let him alone for a bit. Finding our site, we parked, set up and mum made dinner while dad did stuff outside. Once we were all set up, and dinner was had, dad had a shower and went to bed. I was tired too but I sat up with mum catching up on this blog and deciding which photos to add. We did the washing up together and folded some stuff away so packing up will be super easy in the morning. I am pretty sure we are headed to Trephina Gorge in the National Park for a couple of days and then, we are heading off to see ULURU, stopping off at some craters that were made millions of years ago due to a few meteorites hitting the Northen Territory! It's going to be great!

until next time

Tahune xx
　

TREPHINA GORGE

NORTHERN TERRITORY
Wow! Wow! Wow! Wow! Wow! The scenes driving into the Gorge here about 100 kms out of Alice Springs has so far rated right up there with the best we have seen in Australia! We thought the mountain ranges in Tasmania was amazing... but this, we have to agree, and even dad said "This is something else!... " Awesome, inspiring, and just so beautiful. Many people I know would say, why are you getting so excited about a bunch of rocks... I would tell them, that 'these rocks are like 400 million years old... and as the years have eroded much of them, this is the oldest parts!"

Mum got out of the car and walked around, dad said 'this site is fine!'.. Mum stood her ground and said "No... here, in number 2". Dad didn't argue and drove the car around to where mum was standing. "Look! Fire pit, gas BBQ, tables, shade and drinking water all near the toilet, we are camp right in the middle". Dad drove the car to where mum said and set up. We had 'hotch-potch' as mum calls it for dinner. That means she couldn't be bothered cooking something up so the left overs are taken from the fridge, a few snags (sausages) are cooked and all of it is mashed together. Don't laugh... it tasted really nice! After dinner, we walked up to the main shelter where we met Garth, he was the ranger here. He said he was nervous as he used to be in charge of Kings Canyon, but tonight was his first night as ranger at Trephina Gorge and used crib notes. Mum told him not to worry.. dad said "Been there"... mum said "me too". Garth worked his way through the notes he had made and told us all about weed control, how big the park was (not big by Territory standards at only 1700 hectares), and while fire plays an important part of Australian native regeneration. It also plays havoc to three plants, which are now endangered. He also told us about the history. In the park there is a huge ghost gum, he said there used to be many ghost gum trees over 300 years old but nearly all of them were cut down and made into sleepers or the Ghan Railway. So if fire goes through the park that puts that tree at risk! He went on to tell us about the weeds in the park, the main one being buffa grass which is prolific and was introduced from South America as a cattle feed and just takes over everything. This is 'managed' (kind of), by intensive burning small areas but even bush walkers can carry the seeds and deposit them without knowing it in other areas of the park. Garth told us that if it catches fire it can decimate the park. They try to control it from inside the park but the graziers don't really care about keeping it in check. Mum said 'that must be like hitting your head against a brick wall" Garth told her that was exactly what it was like most of the time but they just have to keep persevering. The Area he had to look after and manage is enormous! Here at Trephina, D'hala Park (indigenous), and many other parks and gorges. So many places, so many weeds, and too much for just one person! He hopes he will get some help before too long.

The NT Parks and Wildlife and the Indigenous First Nation communities all work together when managing the parks, conservation reserves and sites that are culturally and spiritually significant to the Aboriginal People. "We get on together really well, and for the most part the traditional owners don't worry about anything that we do that cares for the environment and caring for endangered and critical species of plants, trees, etc so that's fine, but we always work really closely together to ensure we are caring and respecting significant sites that they hold as essential to their spiritual and cultural belief and traditions so these do not get lost. Garth said it was "heart breaking" when they went to one of the little gorges Jenny Gorge where a lot of rock art was only to find that they had ALL been DEFACED by a group of drunken yobbos... so very sad! No respect for the past and the history of this land.

We went along the Trephina walk (45 minutes return) and the Ridge Walk that took about 5 hours or so. The scene from up top and at John Waterhole was awesome, black footed wallabies frequent the water holes but not enough water for swimming. Mum asked 'how cold does the water get?' Garth said "between 5-12 degrees".. Mum said 'oh, is that all?" Garth looked at her. Dad told him mum went into 8 degree water and swam around in her clothes, and that the water actually came from the bottom of the dam". Mum told Garth about how dad videod this and you can hear dad say "totally mad!" Garth smiled and said "Brrr... you are!"

DAY TRIP TO D'HALA GORGE

and ANCIENT PETROGYLPHES (10,000 years old) of the "CATEPILLAR DREAMING"

Mum, dad and me got into the car with supplies for the day and headed off towards the sacred site of D'hala Gorge. Three river/water crossings that excited dad who is in a better mood now.... (takes a few days); Arriving at the small camp site where you can stay as well for $3.30 per person per night, bargain! Especially as Wombat's are free... Sure, no water, power or showers but the scenery? You sure get your money's worth!

We read the history and the meaning of the markings on the rocks and the techniques used by the Aboriginals. Two main techniques were used, Pecking and Pounding. Pecking is where the person telling the story on rock through the pictures used a sharp hard rock and made pinpoint holes into a picture by banging a larger, flatter rock on top of the sharp rock. I guess that's a lot like leather marking? The sign read this was the most common technique, then, there's pounding, where a larger rock was just smashed into the 'canvas' if you like, to make the picture.

We had been told by Garth and the signs with messages on them by the elders of the Traditional Owners that taking photos was fine, so long as you didn't venture off the track onto their special sites. We walked around and the more we looked, the more petroglyphs we found! We were able to follow the 'map' that was on the sign and see which etching was the catepillar going into the ground, the emerging butterfly, the resting butterfly, the walking tracks and the waterholes, and places where corroborrees were held. Mum finds this kind of history totally fascinating, and dad has to agree with how special this history and land is to the First Nation Aborigines.

There are reportedly thousands of etchings but we only found about twenty or so. We are pretty sure the reported etchings are more off the track in the sacred sites. Mum saw a sign after a couple of hours exploring and taking photos (I was the chief photographer today, I think I did a 'fair' job)... the sign said "End of Marked Track, please do U turn and return via the same path".. Mum said "ok, end of track, turn around... All right up there in the middle of the gorge would be where the sacred and extra special sites would be, don't want to disrespect the owners wishes... " But, dad being dad said... "I can see a track, sort of... we can go further in". Mum said "knock yourself out"... Dad went on for a bit and gestured to mum and me to follow. Mum took a deep breathe in and said, "I will only go to that first rock.... " (about twenty feet or so). She put one foot on a rock past the track and got a bad feeling, immediately bringing her foot back in she yelled to dad "Not on your Nellie! The spirits don't want us there!"... Dad went on, then all of a sudden the wind blew up harder and harder the further dad went in... Mum called to him "You are being told!" Dad turned around and said "Yes. I am!" He told me the wind was so strong where he was walking it almost blew him over. Perhaps he'll follow the rules on the signs next time.

We drove back to the van at Panorama Campground at Trephina Gorge and packed up ready to head off the next day. What adventures... Back to Alice Springs tomorrow to do some shopping, then driving another 3 hours to see the meteor craters that NASA Astronauts used as training for the expeditions to the moon! How cool is that!?

Cya in the funny papers!

Tahune xx