Palm Valley - Finke Gorge National Park

There are Red Cabbage Palm here that have no right to be here. “No right” is not exactly correct. But it’s truely amazing that they are. The nearest occurrence of these Palm are 1,200 kilometres away in the tropical north. Somehow over 10’s of thousands of years nobody told these guys that they should not be growing in the arid centre. Yet they do. How cool?
This National Park is amazing.
The Palms are not the oldest feature. The Finke River competes for the title of the worlds oldest river because it has flowed in the same course through the Krichauff Ranges for 100 million years. Does this stuff blow your mind too?
The rock formations, the colours, the springs proving permanent water, the sunrise and sunset, the antiquity of the place all catch your breath. It’s peaceful, but alive. The visitors agree, excluding those who were repeatedly bogged traversing the 18k of riverbed driving, then decide it’s all too much and turn back before arriving, they all marvel at the park and it’s facilities. The resident Park Rangers that we work with boast they have the best backyard in the country. Upon reflection, they concede that it is definitely top 5. We think they are right. You should see the vista, reaching up and surrounding the Ranger’s Station.
Much celebration after the arrival of a grader to work on the road. The track from Hermansburg has bogged more than 40 travellers (that we know about) in our first 12 days, which is probably about half of all users. Some can get in with a caravan, some get bogged in a 4x4 on a day trip.Read more