Cruising the Western Macs..

  Glen Helen, Australia
Saturday, September 1, 2007

Heading for Glen Helen, the homestead marking the end of the bitumen, the first stop up at the road was for a perusal of what appeared to be a giant dinosaur egg from a distance. On closer inspection, it transpired that it was actually a tribute to and the grave of Dr John Flynn, the bloke who established the Royal Flying Doctor Service out of the Alice. I was quite taken by the architecture of this grave - much more aesthetically pleasing, and upbeat than the style of most graves I've seen.



A few k's on was Simpsons Gap, our first glimpse of the wonderful spectacle that was the Western Macs, close up. This gap was massive - one of those things where you're driving towards it for a while and it doesn't seem to get any closer! We walked up across a stretch of sand, marvelling at the sheer size of it, and experiencing vertigo of sorts, craning our necks to look up and see where the rocks met the sky. The gap itself was where two giant rockforms had been eroded away, with a little creek running between them. It was as impressive close up, as far away, with the enormity of it being completely indescribable - look how big I am compared to it...



At the fork of the track, we took the northerly most option, heading for Ellery Creek Big Hole over dozens of rolling hills, or "crests", as the signs liked to call them. The rocky red track up to the campsite was unsealed, and we traversed it with caution. We arrived towards the latter end of the afternoon, and opted to spend the night here, with the idea of going for a dip in the creek as the sun rose early the next morning. We first went to explore the creek, and dipped our toes in, which confirmed what the warning sign said, that the water here can get extremely cold in the winter. We then took the rest of the warning sign with a pinch of salt, and Lucy proceeded to climb one of the trees over the creek. They reflected beautifully in the water, it was such a serene place.



As the sun began to dip behind the Western Macs, we climbed up a small hill with views over the creek, and watched the glow of the sun hug the mountains before plunging them into darkness. It was so calm and undisturbed, proper out in the sticks, we loved it. The stars were glorious again tonight, and I went to bed, excited about our dip in the creek the next morning.



*566.5 km covered* (3764.5 km)

When sunrise came, we ran for the water, complete with towels. Instead of shuffling in, I braved it straight away and ran in. God, it was unspeakably cold, I could only get in up to my waist, and even then I could feel my legs, numbing, constricted by the ice cold water. I dipped my head in, but that was enough, without a hot shower to warm me up again. Lucy got fully submerged, the fool, and had a proper good dip! Shivering on our way back to the van, we bumped up the heating, wishing for the sun to pop up and heat our little limbs up again.



We zoomed off to Serpentine Gorge, finding it completely deserted at this early hour. The gorge itself lacked any water, and lacked the size of Simpsons Gap, but we only managed to fully appreciate it after a steep climb up one of the sides, offering awesome views stretching out into the gorge below.



Up the road were the Ochre Pits, which, although seemingly simple compared to our other breathtaking stops, blew me away with their myriad of colours. Apparently, the Aboriginals use these colours in paintings or tribal tattoos, mixing them with animal fat to make a suitable substance. There were dazzling greens, shining where the sun caught them, with flecks of silver poking out, coupled with electric yellows, fading into darker oranges and browns. I just found it amazing - again pictures can't exemplify how stunning it was...



A little further on was Ormiston Gorge, and from the Gum Tree lookout, this was the deepest and most impressive gorge we'd seen thus far.



For the sheer enormity and diversity of scenery, this place was one of the best, and showcased the Western Macs in their best light. Jagged red cliffs diverging, split by green waters and sand pits filled with rocks of all shapes, sizes, and colours. I went for a paddle and got stuck in swamp land, having to fish myself out, only to land in more mud!



Perhaps the most disappointing stop... or maybe thats only compared to the wonders of Ormiston Gorge... was the end of the sealed road at Glen Helen resort. A smaller and less impressive relative of the other gorges, it did at least boast a large waterhole, lined with reeds, making it quite pretty in its simplicity. A sign told us the rocks within the gorge resembled organs, but this was impossible to see, given the quantity of water in the creek.



The final stop on the sealed road was a lookout over Mount Sonder, the 4th highest peak in Central Oz, which supposedly resembled a pregnant woman lying on her back with her legs open. With some imagination, it was actually possible, although I imagine from the right angle this image may have been more vivid.



Then came the dilemma of contemplating whether we wanted to end the Western Macs experience there, or continue on, off-piste, for whatever lay in store...