Day 7 - 248km to Mt Dare via Hamilton Station/Pedirka Ruins/Dalhousie Our friends Marcel and Anna in the Colorado decided to continue through the night to meet us at Oodnadatta so we set off that morning all together. This was a great result considering the mechanical dramas they had been having for the preceding few days.
The track north to Hamilton Station was nice driving, particularly the frequent dry creek crossings, all of which had large gum trees in the sandy bed. Plenty of great oppotunities for free-camping but we had to keep pushing on. Here's the junction where you choose between highway and back way.
We didn't see too many desert peas but this one right on the road edge was stunning.
Due to conflicting info in road reports, we were uncertain if we would be able to take the track to Mt Dare via Dalhousie or would have to go via Blood Creek . When we got to the junction everything was open, so we decided to head to Dalhousie and have lunch at Pedirka Ruins. The track was in good condition, being mostly dry with a few bypass tracks around sections that were still boggy. This one was good fun and as is usually the case, steeper than it looks.
Pedirka Ruins are pretty underwhelming to be honest. Just some concrete box shells and nothing much to see.
But it was a bit interesting for our little group when it was noticed that fresh oil was leaking from the front of the Triton. After some investigation it was identified that the leak was from the plastic sensor housing on the front diff right where the 4WD selector arm goes into the diff body. This being down low meant that the leak would drain the diff eventually. It seems that a rock impact to the rather thin bash plate and pushed against the sensor and cracked the little screw-in housing.
We decided to tape it up and continue to Mt Dare knowing there was a mechanic stationed there. You can just see the blue rubber glove under about 1 metric ton of duct tape and a zip tie for good measure. This slowed the leak significantly. Dalhousie Ruins are quite interesting, mainly in amazement that people came out this far to try and graze livestock.
Next stop was Dalhousie Springs, which was chock full of people so not exactly a serene oasis in the desert. Seemed like everyone was celebrating getting across the Simpson. Still managed to get this quick shot between inflatable mats and bomb-diving kids. Would be a great spot at the right time, perhaps first thing of a morning.
Also decided to give swimming a miss so as to get into Mt Dare in daylight, as we had heard that there was a few boggy holes to navigate. This turned out to be a good decision. Most bad sections had a clear bypass track but some where difficult to find and one in particular required a few hundred metre detour through some very marginal soggy ground and it was also quite late in the day by then. We later heard that this particular bog had a deep hole right in the middle and that more than one vehicle had come to grief. I saw one drowned engine and one wet alternator from this bog at Mt Dare just while we were there. And our friends who did swim at Dalhousie managed to get mud in their air intake up to but not past the filter. Very lucky to just have just a red high tide mark. half way up the sides. But the worst of the mud holes were right at the Mt Dare gate, particularly the one to the north that we would have to negotiate the next morning. But for now, very happy to have made it to the iconic Mt Dare.
Very nice to have a good hot shower and a classic steak dinner.
Day 8 - 123km to a free camp along the Old Ghan north of Finke Had intended to get through to Chambers Pillar this day but wasted most of the day waiting for the Mt Dare mechanic to assist with the diff sensor issue. He had a few jobs on the go but kept saying he'd get us sorted and the getting distracted again. In the end, we repaired it ourselves by draining the diff to clean up the sensor housing without weeping oil going everywhere and then taped it up with metal paste, rubber and duct tape. This fix lasted the rest of the trip with the leak stopped and we carried about 3L of diff oil which could have filled the diff twice if required. All of this delayed tackling the major 500m bog hole just outside the front gate that had claimed a few vehicles that morning and we were told, recent days. All were rescued/towed by the Mt Dare tractor, who was also placing rubble in the hole as a semi was making an important delivery later in the week. Here's the scene.
In the end, the bog was no trouble at all for the D4. I held to the right hand side but the left hand side was pretty good too. Pete in the Triton did get rescued by the tractor because he didn't stay out of the middle long enough and slipped sideways into a deeper section. With no traction control or diff locks he couldn't maintain any progress. So between that and the diff leak issue it was a big day for him. This photo is taken from dry land at the end of it all. It would have been an impassable hell only a week early.
Driving on through wide open treeless country and you come to the NT border crossing, complete with a small bog-hole bypass as welcome. My first time in the Territory passed without much fanfare but felt important nevertheless.
We continued through the town of Finke without stopping and onto the more corrugated section of the Old Ghan Track, noting the race track for the Finke Desert Race. We wanted to get as far up this track as we could for that day, having heard some horror stories about its harsh corrugations. Pulled up on dusk and parked near the first dune line about 300m off the road. I remember this as a great night. We didn't make it to Chambers Pillar but then again we had a fantastic free camp in the desert under an epic sky. A classic outback travel day.
And here's the panoramic view looking east in the morning towards the middle of the Simpson.
Day 9 - 226km to Alice Springs Travelled the rest of the Old Ghan Track north up to Alice Springs with just a lunch stop about 50km south of Alice beside the track. The track was a mixture of good surface, medium corrugations and bad corrugations and its condition generally improved as we got further north. The corrugations were not as bad as we had been told and read but were still serious.
Here I am on the constant search for a better section of track .... "it must be better over here"
Mostly it makes no difference which side you're on but occasionally you get a smoother section and it feels like winning lotto.
The rail spikes littering the track had been mentioned when researching this track and so we had eyes peeled. Did see quite a few, mostly off the wheel tracks but some are impossible to avoid. I think the risk is low but real of getting one at just the wrong angle.
This is one of the round headed ones and there was plenty of the other more traditionally square shaped spikes too.
Arriving into Alice Springs through the scenic & narrow Heavitree Gap in the surrounding hills felt like a pretty good milestone but we were only staying one night to re-provision & wash. Time spent in Alice itself was one of the sacrifices made to squeeze things into our tight timeframe.
Can recommend the Stuart CP (aka Alice Springs Tourist Park), well maintained and decent facilities. alicespringstouristpark.com.au Plus it's conveniently located on the road out to the West Macdonnells (Larapinta Drive) where we were headed next.
Day 10 - 163km in the West Macdonnell Ranges Turns out the West Macdonnell's are as good as you read or hear. Beautiful places and interesting terrain, plus everything was at its best thanks to the rain a few weeks prior. We stopped in at Simpsons Gap, Standley Chasm and Ellery Creek Big Hole, working our way west from Alice. The only shame was that it was too cold for swimming. Simpsons Gap was first ....
Standley Chasm was the pick of the sites visited today. Really nice walking up into the chasm itself.
And further up into side gorges.
Beautiful subtle colours.
There is also an excellent lookout to be found by walking up to a saddle on the Larapinta Trail, which intersects with the chasm trail. Allow around 2-3 hours to do it all justice including the side track to the lookout on Larapinta Trail, which is signposted to your left when heading out into the chasm. This trail is a long through walk so just stop when you've got high enough to admire the view.
Our 3rd stop was Ellery Creek Big Hole, which would be fantastic swimming in summer but was nice for just generally hanging out. We stayed awhile but it was pretty cold and we headed on to Glen Helen Resort.
Glen Helen Resort is close to Ormiston Gorge, which we planned to visit on the following day. Glen Helen Gorge is an easy walk down from the resort and you can't get very far due to it being filled with water.
The resort was ok but not great. Very busy and pretty basic filled with annoying kids including one cracking a whip over and over. What we didn't know is that there is an excellent free camping spot literally across the road from Glen Helen. Known as Finke River 2 Mile, it is a large and flat area with plenty of trees along the river. Heaps of room but of course no facilities but you can pay for a shower at Glen Helen. You may be able to spot the couple of people setup across the river in the photo below.
We didn't aim for the Ormiston Gorge camp sites because of concerns about there being few sites and missing out due to late arrival. What we didn't know is that there is a quite large overflow camping area down there, so it would have most likely been just fine. So if I had my time again I'd either free camp at the Finke River site or head in to Ormiston Gorge. Not saying Glen Helen was rubbish, just that there are other probably better options nearby. www.glenhelen.com.au That's not a bad view though ....
Day 11 - 72km in West Macdonnells (Ormiston Gorge & Redbank Gorge) People are always asking me "Scott, if I can only visit one place in the West Macdonnell Ranges where should I go?" Actually no one has asked that but the answer is Ormiston Gorge. You're welcome. Amazing scenery and a good walk, probably around 2 hours total maybe a bit longer depending on how much you stop to marvel at the colours and take about 1000 panoramic photos. We went anti-clockwise, starting out along the gorge floor across the sand banks, then some rock hopping, followed by a track weaving its way up the ridge line to a spectactular lookout. Found this really interesting two-tone spiral on an old tree.
Here's one of the many tenacious ghost gums we saw, way up high on the cliffs. That's a serious commitment growing there.
The water level was up a bit but we were still able to cross over and complete the full loop walk despite what the signs indicated back at the trailhead ("loop walk requires wading"). Signage obviously out of date, didn't even get wet feet. Given more time it would have been nice to keep walking further up the gorge exploring into the hearth of the West Macdonnells.
This is the view from early on walking up the ridge line track after walking the gorge floor.
Quite a few different types of wattle were out in bloom adding a splash of vibrant contrast to the dominant reds and greens. This one is quite common.
Looking down on the sandy beach that we started out on for the gorge walk.
We really liked the design of the lookout, as well as the spectacular view. The rusted steel blended sympathetically with the natural setting.
From the lookout it's a climb down back to the starting point where there's a small cafe and information centre. Saw these little guys back down at the kiosk after the walk. Spinafex Pidgeon. Very cute.
Here's the birds guide in action, trying to identify the heron that had been spotted earlier. "They all look very similar."
Redbank Gorge is a short drive from Ormiston and almost as good. It would have been an excellent place for a swim, except for it being freezing cold. Sadly, the brand new inflatable floating rings didn't see any action.
And then it was a short drive back to Glen Helen for a second night and this quite amazing sunset. These days are why you travel in the outback.
Day 12 - 141km to Palm Valley Campground via Mereenie Loop
Palm Valley in the Finke Gorge NP was a place on our list to visit right from early planning stages and it did not disappoint.
We had read that the entry track was quite difficult/slow and the valley walks reasonably long so had allowed two nights. It seems that most people only spend one night and that would be ok too but we were glad to have the extra time in what is an amazing place. Two nights meant we could go on a great loop walk from the campground as well as do the full Palm Valley walk the next day with no pressure to be moving on.
We visited the Gosse Bluff meteor crater on the way to Palm Valley and can highly recommend it. Actually hadn't really looked into this place, so it was quite surprising to find such a large and well-formed crater. This aerial view is from the internet but it gives a good idea of things. You drive into the ring but not quite to the middle.
These panoramic photos we took sort of give the idea of what it's like to be inside the crater but or course it's more impressive "in the round" rather than a flattened photo. There is a lookout in the centre and another on a small fringing peak that is part of the ring. Both provide excellent views.
The track in to Palm Valley Campground follows and crosses the dry Finke river for around 20km. It presented no difficulties for us and was a really nice drive. We've read reports of it taking three hours but can't figure that out really. It took about 30-40 minutes to get to the campground without pushing too hard. The campground is excellent and our lunch time arrival meant an excellent site right by the creek.
Not sure if this level of water is normal but it made for a great outlook from just out the front of camp.
The campground has good facilities, including showers with solar hot water if you're early enough and gas bbq's. There's plenty of good sites and even those away from the creek side are of a high standard, overlooking towering red cliffs. Plus there's an overflow area for latecomers to still fit.
This is one of the pair of parrots that lived in a hollow in the gum tree right above our camper. We watched them come and go throughout our afternoon sundowners.
This is a panoramic overview of the campsite taken early the following morning. In the distance (left side) is the outcrop that we walked around that first afternoon.
You wouldn't have time for this if staying only one night.
The walk took around 2 hours and the afternoon light was just stunning as we returned from the saddle and lookout. It goes out via the old ranger residence to the river and then steadily up to a saddle in the surrounding range before finishing at a lookout that reminded us of Utah in the USA. Panoramic view from saddle.
The lookout selfie.
The colours don't fully come out in these photos.
We saw a few palm tress by the river after passing the old ranger house but the main game for palm trees was to be the next day. And it seemed that each day on the trip was just getting better.
Day 13 - 9km return into the Palm Valley walking trailhead. The track into Palm Valley from the campsite is about 4km and pretty rocky with a couple of shallow creek crossings. Only used low range for fun, nothing too challenging really but very nice country to be driving through.
We did the full Palm Valley Loop walk by firstly climbing up to the escarpment that surrounds the valley, which is really a river bed.
You're presented with some stunning vistas on this part of the walk.
Something interesting was the spinafex. We saw lots of the older ones that become rings, growing outwards and pushing out other plants.
Lots of really pretty flowers were out. Not sure if that's normal or as a result of the recent rains. Surprisingly delicate blossoms for such a harsh terrain.
We stopped at this great panoramic view before going down into the creek bed/valley. This is the furthest point out on the loop walk but the creek continues on into the distance to the left and you could explore up that way if time allowed.
Then you walk along the creek, hopping over rocks, skirting waterholes and getting down in amongst the palms generally heading back towards the start.
I'm sure geology nerds would be loving it here. This is a close-up and looked like lava.
At one spot we did a little bit of rock climbing due to the higher water level. Easy to get around so just for a bit of fun.
And then you arrive at the main cluster of palm trees and it is quite different to see these trees in this environment. Here's a panoramic view from the cliff side.
So that's another iconic place that easily met the hype.
Spent an easy afternoon back at camp. Pete had a look to see if the diff was still leaking and found it dry so happy days.
I opened his beer for him.
Nice overalls, well paired with safety crocs too.
Day 14 - 247km to Kings Canyon via Mereenie Loop
So the end of week two would see us arrive at one of the two major drawcards of this trip when in the planning stages (Ayres Rock & Kings Canyon). And today was what I consider a classic outback driving day. Lots of different road surfaces to negotiate, plenty of epic scenery and even some wildlife to avoid. The Mereenie Loop had everything from hard and flat to rocky & dusty, to corrugated and potholed. Nice start to the day driving out of Palm Valley.
Typical scene from driving the Mereenie Loop that day.
The craziest thing was the 5 wild horses that came across the road at full gallop from right to left without slowing up.
You can just make out a couple of them on the far left and obviously the one on the road. Look at the dust to get an idea of his speed. They were running well before coming into sight and didn't stop once across the road either. Not many others photos from that day but it was interesting. Had lunch at a lookout about 20km from Kings Canyon which seemed to be used as an overnight camp as well. Worth stopping, good view. We had decided to stay at Kings Creek Station, which is just outside the Kings Canyon National Park rather than at the Kings Canyon Resort. When we had researched the options it seemed that the station had more of an outback camping feel compared to the busy resort but good things were reported about the resort too. Anyway, the station was excellent. The campsites are well setup with plenty of room and privacy particularly for the non-powered sites.
We found the amenities to be in excellent condition for an outback camping experience. Plenty of showers and toilets and good hot, running water. In comparison, the resort looked to be packed with people but to be fair we only called in briefly at the servo shop.
We had dinner at the station diner that night, which was a nice change. The backpacker service was a bit slow but the food was good. For reference: fuel was 1.97 at station and 1.98 at resort. There's a good little shop at the resort servo for basic supplies and nothing much at the station other than snacks. Also did not see or hear a single dingo despite reading that they were everywhere.
Go to Week 3 for continuation of this trip report.
