Our first long stop in Northern Territory was at Glen Helen Gorge. This place is 130 km west of Alice Springs. It sounds a long way, but we drove to Alice and back twice while we stayed there!
The camp site is at the base of a beautiful cliff – all vertical strata. You can walk down to the gorge but there is a deep pool keeping us from travelling through. I had intended to use our canoes to travel through, but there was no point – it was a small pool.
Glen Helen Gorge from the far side
As you can tell, Carmel and Ash did a tour of the gorge from the air.
Dog and I felt like the doctors from M*A*S*H having to run to a dusty hill top when we came back to greet the travellers.
After crossing into Northern Territory, we reached the northern most point of our tour, just east of Tennant Creek, and then we turn for home, but stopped to walk around Karla Karla. (Well, poor dog had to stay in the car – he will not see much of the sights of NT alas.)
We reach the Devil’s Marbles
The walk around the stones is most pleasant, and quite astonishing. There are rocky outcrops all over the NT, but for some reason only here are large, nearly spherical boulders formed.
When you get close, you cannot see how it is happening, but you can see daylight as a new boulder separates from the base rock.
Ash enjoyed the climbing opportunities the boulders offered.
Termite mounds are quite common in the outback, but not ubiquitous. You can drive for 100 km with them everywhere and then another 100 with none. At one of the rest areas, I saw how they formed.
The termite mound starts on a piece of grass
At this place I saw them form on blades of grass. They also form on boulders, street signs and metal posts. Oddly, they never seem to form on dead wood.
From the simple beginnings, they seem to grow organically.
We said farewell to Queensland last week and crossed the border into Northern Territory near Camoonweal. This town is famous for its location and had the highest diesel prices we had seen to date.
Just over the border we pulled into a rest stop for the evening. So did everyone else!
Free camping NT style is done at a rest area. There is lots of company!
