Wallabies and Kangaroos! West MacDonnell

We got to sleep in until 6am (whoopee!), and had time for a hot breakfast of eggs, bacon and tomatoes all on the BBQ griddle, and toast from the well-equipped camp kitchen. Other mornings we have had cereal, fruit and coffee/tea. All of the kitchens have had French press coffee pots and electric kettles. Some have refrigerators and all have had good counter space for laying out food, and sinks for washing up.

A 90-minute drive got us to the West MacDonnell National Park. The ~100-mile long park runs along a huge red-rock ancient mountain range and contains three permanent waterholes. Our first stop was at Ormiston Gorge, one of those waterholes. The 2-hour hike took us around similar terrain to Kings Canyon, but with less climbing. Because of the availability of water here, they say this park is a refuge for plants, some found only here, and some palm-like trees dating to the time when this was a lush, tropical area (~350 million years ago).

It was here we saw our first wallabies in the wild! Three black-footed rock wallabies were perched high up on the cliff, probably preparing to settle for the day in a cave or tree shade. It took Adam to point them out to us, as we were occupied with admiring the scenery.

Next stop was to Glen Helen, where some people opted to swim, but we were content with soaking our feet in the icy water. The temperatures have been warming by 5 degrees or so each day, but still very comfortable for hiking in the sunshine (and potentially too cool in the shade).

After lunch, we visited the Ochre Pits in the park. Ochre had many uses, traditionally. Mixed with water or animal fat, it is the paint used for body decoration in ceremonies and cave art. It also has medicinal uses (colds or muscle aches), and preservative powers when made into a paste and wrapped around berries or tools to protect from termites.

Our last stop in the park was to Ellery Creek Big Hole. This was the most picturesque of the waterholes.

Then it was off on a dirt road for 1-2 hours, which is not that fun in a vehicle built to withstand the bumps and dust, but not necessarily built for comfort. However, it was along this road, as dusk was coming on, that we had our only sightings of kangaroos in the wild, so far. These were the Red Kangaroos, native to the Outback — the largest kangaroo. Hop, hop!Read more