Alice Springs Part 1
July 2022
Still withstanding the lure of overseas travel, Geoff and I nonetheless were yearning for a change of scenery and left Brisbane on Sunday 31 July at 6:45 am to arrive in Alice Springs at 9:50 am. We checked into the Mercure Hotel, which is located opposite the Botanic Garden and next to the bridge crossing the Todd River. What river? you might ask, looking at the photo below - a dry sandy surface, very wide, which snakes through the township. A township, marked by empty creek beds throughout, suggesting frequent flooding, yet the locals say that is not so, giving the impression of good town planning.
It seems to me that the Todd River bridge is featured in the Aussie movie 'Samson and Delilah', when both protagonists first arrived in Alice. Every time we crossed, I half expected to see them camping underneath.
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| bridge across the Todd River |
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| Botanic Garden in front of the hotel |
Alice is set in an amazing landscape. It exudes a certain magic that I find hard to describe. Be it the jump ups in the distance or the mountainous terrain below that ever-expansive sky, I almost feel as though I am witnessing the presence of pre-historic existence.
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| uphill |
It would not surprise me, if some dinosaurs grazed peacefully in my vicinity. Calm descends and I feel at peace. I don't recall experiencing such sensations anywhere else, though walking along the beach, while invigorating, is also calming in a refreshing sort of way.
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| and climbing further ... |
Only 20 million years ago, the inland of Australia was filled with fresh water lakes and streams. Lake Eyre was filled to brimming, and temperate broad-leafed forests were alive with birds and mammals stretching to distant mountains. Warm seas and a wetter climate was the norm. As Australia moved north away from Antarctica, drastic changes occurred in the climate.
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| yay, I reached the top |
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| view towards Mt Gillen - Alhekulyele |
By 6 million years ago the southern part of the continent had developed the Mediterranean type of climate common today. Between 6-3 million years ago, large numbers of plant species retreated from the interior to isolated pockets where moisture was available. Many plants died out. Today only the hardiest plants grow on these harsh weathered sites. Stunted shrubs, tussock grasses and herbs eke out a precarious existence.
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| surrounding landscape |
The Olive Pink Botanic Garden was founded in 1956 by Olive Muriel Pink, who was the Garden's first Curator and who lived in the Garden from 1956 until her death in 1975 aged 91. Olive was an anthropologist, an outspoken advocate for Aboriginal rights, a lover of art and flowers, and a botanical artist. She pinpointed the most controversial issues of her day, which continue to be important today. To honour her life and legacy the 'Olive Pink Opera' will be performed on 7-8 October 2022 in her eponymous Botanic Garden.
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| the gap towards the airport |
From the top of the Botanic Garden, you can see the gap behind which the airport is located and the area storing hundreds of aeroplanes. I vaguely remember that that happened when Covid put an end to air travel and put the industry to rest. The air there is dry not humid like in Brisbane.
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| just love this swaying tree, expecting it any minute to turn into a figure |
Interspersed into the terrain, various sculptures and artworks complement the experience of the Garden walk, some can be quite threatening. If you look closely, you can see that Geoff got his head stuck in the giant bird's beak.
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| Geoff caught in the bird's beak |
On Tuesday, 2 August we were picked up at 8 am by Sightseeing Tours for a day tour of the West Macdonnell Ranges, referred to as Tjoritja by the Traditional Owners. The shaping of this landscape is awe-inspiring.
Between 340 and 310 million years ago, a complex sequence of events occurred which shaped the land as we see it today. Massive earth movements pushed up a mountain chain 10,000 metres high. As amazing as it seems now, these ancestral MacDonnell Ranges were as high as the Himalayas. All around you can see evidence of this great mountain-building episode.
Massive earth movements folded the rock layers and caused great slabs of country to slide up and over one another. Faults, cracks and other zones of weakness were created as the layers were rearranged.
In the last 300 million years, the powerful forces of water and wind have eroded and shaped these contorted rock layers to produce today's landscape. The MacDonnell Ranges remain a spectacular desert mountain chain, but one that is only a shadow of its former self.
Our tour stopped near Simpsons Gap. While walking towards it, we took in the stunning natural scenery with its amazing waterholes and incredibly beautiful flora, delicate daisies in various shades of purple, red and yellow sprouting out of the rocky terrain.
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| you couldn't pick a nicer bunch |
At Simpsons Gap we marvelled at the waterhole and the surrounding scenery of these ancient lands.
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| Simpsons Gap waterhole 1 |
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| Simpsons Gap waterhole 2 |
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| Simpsons Gap waterhole 3 |
At Standley Chasm we had a break for morning tea. We then walked 1.2 km to the fantastic Chasm. The Western Arrernte people consider this to be the sacred place of their women's dreaming. This culturally significant and biodiverse Nature Reserve has remnants of Gondwanic ecosystems, and dramatic geological formations over 1 billion years old.
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| Standley Chasm/Angkerle Atwatye |
Soaring cliffs and ancient rock formations surrounded us on our trek.
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| rugged ancient terrain |
Our next stop were the Ochre Pits. Swirling near-vertical curves of colour seem painted on the 10m-high cliff face of the Ochre Pits. Wind and rain carved the layers when the MacDonnell Ranges originally formed, revealing dramatic designs. The different colours represent layers of mudstone and siltstone, once horizontal, but steadily heaved into their present near-vertical position.
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| Ochre Pits - near-horizontal |
The yellow ochre is the dominant colour of these cliffs. It is caused by a mixture of white clay and iron oxide (rust). The red-brown colours are formed by high levels of oxidised iron in very fine-grain haematite or limonite. White ochre has very little or no iron. The white colour comes from kaolin, a white clay mineral. Tiny fragments of mica and quartz give the ochre a shiny quality.
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| Ochre Pits - near-vertical |
Aboriginal people have extracted ochre from these cliffs for thousands of years. The ochre from there is still used by Western Aranda people, mainly for ceremonial purposes. Ochre is integral to the Dreamtime stories - stories of creation and Law - of Aboriginal people throughout Australia. The traditional Aboriginal stories and ceremonies for this site belong to Western Aranda men. Women and children are not permitted to dig the ochre, or know of the stories associated with the site. However, women are permitted to use ochre from the site in their ceremonies if it is provided by men or permission is granted.
Our next stop was Ormiston Gorge. Its strong colours have inspired countless artists since the area was opened to tourists in the 1940s. Geologists believe that 300 to 400 million years ago extraordinary events took place. The spectacular red cliff face is really two layers of quartzite, stacked like huge slabs of bread in a giant sandwich. The top layer was originally located 2 kilometres north of the Gorge. Then something amazing happened! It was thrust southwards. Now it's sitting on top of another slab of quartzite.
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| 1st pointer - original site, 2nd pointer - thrust surface |
From the top of Ormiston Gorge, I felt in the presence of the ancients and expected the appearance of a dinosaur.
Our last stop was Ellery Creek Big Hole, which was advertised as 'taking a refreshing dip in the deepest waterhole in Central Australia'.
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| Ellery Creek Big Hole |
As there were a lot of dead fish in the water, I declined that opportunity to partake in a refreshing dip. Though this is a natural cycle. In winter, fish become stressed due to a decrease in water temperature. As the water gets colder, a protozoa (micro-invertebrate) grows on the gills of the fish. When the protozoa increases on the gills, the fish die due to lack of oxygen. This process affects all fish species.
When the creek is in flood, water rapidly flows through Ellery Gap. The turbulent, rushing water is loaded with rock fragments and acts like liquid sandpaper, scouring away the walls and creekbed.
This fantastic action-packed day concluded with our trip back through the ancient landscape of the outback.
1 comment:
Didn't expect to see water and flowers out there in that landscape. Ormiston Gorge looks like a namajera landscape.
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