Redbank Gorge is actually the furthest in a series of gorges that run west from Alice Springs in the West MacDonnell Range. To get there you have to take Larapinta Drive west out of Alice Springs and just keep going. In fact, this is also the way to Hermannsburg, an aboriginal settlement even further west. As it is the furthest of the gorges, not many tourists get to it which is always a little fun. I guess because humans are explorers by nature we feel a sense of strange satisfaction if we come across something few others see. Somehow, we feel better about the experience.
Anyway, we all walked from the parking lot to Redbank Gorge's beginning. We changed into our swimsuits and had to run across the hot sand to make it to the water. That's how you get through the gorge; you have to swim for while before walking or grappling up to the next place. Think of it like a series of locks on a canal.
We swam for a while before we met our first obstacle, a rock face with a log that we had to climb to get to the next level. It wasn't an easy climb and I dreaded how we would get back down when returning. The next thing we noticed were these incredibly large yellow spider webs with what seemed like massive spiders in the center. They went all the way up the rock wall to the top of the gorge. This seemed somewhat disconcerting, that there could be vicious spiders lurking just above us. I said that I finally understood why it was called Redbank Gorge. If they'd tried Colossal Deadly Spider Gorge, the tourists simply wouldn't come.
We pressed on and continued to swim along the stream. There were a few more places where we had to climb up but eventually we reached a sheer rock wall that we couldn't pass. This wasn't the end of the gorge but it was pretty close and we all felt a sense of accomplishment. We turned around and started to swim back. Along the way, Isabella became terrified of an object in the water she was sure was a snake. Now, if it was a snake, this would be problematic as many snakes are venomous. Luckily it turned out to be a perentie, a large lizard. We made it out of the gorge without further incident and eventually got back to the car.
Our hosts and their friends wanted to check out another place further away but the road was only suitable for 4WD vehicles so Isabella and I decided that we would drive back to Alice Springs. Along the way we would visit some of the other gorges we had passed. The first one was Helen Gorge which has a much larger body of water in it so we just admired it from afar. We next stopped at Ormiston Gorge where we took a hike up to a viewing platform. Our last stop was the Ochre Pits where aboriginal people used to get ochre from. The ochre was used as paint for various reasons. If I recall correctly, this ochre has been found in ancient sites as far away as Western Australia and Queensland. Clearly, aboriginal people had long trade routes across the country centuries before Europeans arrived. At this point, the sun was starting to set so Isabella and I set off for Alice Springs.
On the way back we had an encounter that I think was very poignant and telling. About 26 kilometers out of Alice Springs, Isabella and I noticed a car on the side of the road. We stopped and noticed that it was an aboriginal family of about 6 or 7 people. We asked them if they needed help and it turned out that they'd run out of gas. We offered to take some of them into town to buy some gas and then return them to the car. Isabella cleared the back seats and 2 women and a young boy jumped in. They didn't speak much although we did talk about this and that. It turns out they were a family from Hermannsburg going to Alice Springs to visit relatives. When we got to Alice Springs I dropped Isabella off at Coles, a local supermarket, and then drove my aboriginal passengers to a BP service station. There they filled up on gas in a jerry, got 1 or 2 food items and then we got back in the car. As I drove back they told me something that has stuck with me. They said that they'd been waiting for 2 hours and no one had stopped to help them! I could scarcely believe my ears. Larapinta Drive is by no means a well-travelled road but there are cars occasionally. I couldn't believe that no one had stopped. I dropped my travellers off at their car and then drove back to Alice Springs with a sense of disbelief.
Anwyay, that night Isabella and I had agreed to treat our hosts to a Canadian dish as a thank you for their hospitality. We made them poutine, that quintessentially unhealthy Canadian dish. In return, our hosts had prepared a dinner of kangaroo meat, so it was stereotypes all around. Chris, Jo and Yuk said they liked the poutine and I can assure you that the kangaroo meat was first class too.
Our last day in Alice Springs would be spent in the city, but at a very interesting place. As much as I like to travel, I knew that the constant movement was beginning to take its toll on Isabella, and myself, I suppose. It felt good to be able to stay in one place for a few days and really get to know it, and its people, the good, the bad and the ugly.
1 comment:
I would have bashed that tarantula with a rock . . . after snapping a photo of it.
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