Devils Marbles
Trip Start
Mar 16, 2009
1
40
48
Trip End
May 24, 2009
Wauchope, Northern Territory, Australia
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
We awoke to find the roadhouse camping area deserted! It seems Aaron's constant snoring was too much for the poor people alongside us. Just joshing! We'd overheard some people saying they were leaving before sunrise, to presumably see the sun rise somewhere slightly more aesthetically pleasing than the roadhouse.
We headed into Tennant Creek where we parked up for a couple of hours. We used this time to get some grocery shopping done, upload the blogs and ring the parental units. We drove passed the Devils Marbles turn off to Wauchope (about 10km down the road) to pick up a vital supply of amber ale.
We eventually arrived in the Devils Marbles Conservation Reserve around 1.30pm and pulled into the car park area. We took a stroll around the boulders which were magnificent! I thought the formation of the marbles was unknown, but we read up in the information shack and found out they were once all a big sandstone layer (about 1400 million years ago). Over time the elements have eroded the stones away to create the illusion that they are single boulders sitting on top of one another.
We then headed round to the camping area where we deposited our $6.60 (nightly fee) into the money box. Having a compass on board was great as we positioned ourselves in what I believe to be the optimum spot in the park (sun setting behind us, therefore sun rising in front). We spent the afternoon wandering through more of the park (located conveniently right next to us) and supping amber ales.
A wild dingo came through the park (obviously searching for some munchies) but the signs around clearly stated not to feed any wild animals and thankfully everyone abided by the rule (unlike Katherine Gorge). We set about getting dinner sorted - it was Cobb Oven time. Let's just say Bruce "Briquette" Dingo (to be explained later) could smell our previously cooked meals. He came right up to within 2 foot of us to have a sniff. He clearly endorses the Cobb Oven as well. Check out the picture - I reckon if I send that to Cobb along with our blog we'd be quids in.
As the sun started setting we took umpteen photographs of the ever changing sky and rocks. It was amazing. Just as it started to get dark, 3 Aboriginal guys pulled up next to us and set about lighting a fire in the designated fire pits (complete with hot plate). It turns out 2 of the guys are local rangers and the "old fella", or "Black Hat" as he's known, was going to speak to everyone about the local history. I was slightly amused sitting there with my amber ale and chill-out music on, when the big, burly ranger started whistling along to Jason Mraz!
We sat around their camp fire for an hour listening to stories of the area. The old fella was hilarious! During the ranger's speech he was falling asleep, then he woke to ask for a sweet black tea, and then (after doing his speech) he promptly asked what time "they knocked off". The Devils Marbles is actually a scary place in Aboriginal Dreamtime, as they believe little people live beneath the rocks tempting people in, only for them never to return! Imagine our shock when this morning (at Three Ways), after discussing our crap sleep, Aaron told me he dreamt about little Aboriginal people coming to take him away! Now we were here...very freaky! We trawled through the local guides to see if he had perhaps read about it and that's why he'd dreamt it...no mention of little people whatsoever!
After the talk we ate dinner and went to bed around 9.00pm. During the night I heard a noise and asked Aaron if the dingo could be at the Cobb Oven, to which he replied no. I promptly went back to sleep. Check out day 58 for Bruce "Briquette" Dingo!
Comments
Little people!!
That was really spooky about Aaron dreaming about the 'dreamtime story' before he knew about it. Perhaps he was a 'little person' in a previous life or a person who had been stolen by 'the little people' in a previous life, anyway it is all rather spooky. I think I would have enjoyed sitting round the campfire listening to the stories (apart from looking over my shoulder all the time waiting for some little person to appear and spirit me away - presumably someone smaller than me. Bruce the dingo looks really skinny and it must have been very tempting to feed him something. Talking of photographs, I think you have found your hate 'attire' for the races this year - you look divine.