Day 23

Our pre retirement trial trip- day 23

The aim today was to complete Alice Springs Parkrun, held at the Telegraph Station 🏃🏼. Job done ✔️

Although we would’ve missed it if someone hadn’t told us it starts at 7, not the usual 8 😳. Anyway, we got there and the Seagull ran it a coming in second with a time of 21.33 😊
And caught up with another pom, Phillip from Newcastle currently touring with his dad 💙

With an expected 41 degrees we headed into the Tjoritja/West MacConnell National Park in search of a waterhole to cool off.

The ridges of the MacDonnell Ranges are the focus of the Dreamtime creation stories for the local Arrernte people and are said to have been created by giant caterpillars (Yeperenye), and you can see that in the ridge lines as you drive through.

We found our way to Ellery Creek Big Hole, a permanent waterhole which cuts through a gorge in the ranges. Arriving here was a big WOW moment and swimming through the gorge was spectacular 🏊🏻‍♀️🏊🏻. That water was freezing but it definitely felt good at the time

On our way back we stopped off at Standley Chasm, known as Angkerle Atwatye (the place where water moves between), which is owned and run by the Western Arrernte people.
There is an entry fee of $12 and a short walk along the creek bed to the chasm (3m x 80m), which was another WOW moment (there have been ALOT of them this trip)
We arrived just after mid day with the sun positioned perfectly so that the sunlight bounced off the walls creating the most amazing deep rich red and orange colours. And it is so cool in the chasm that you can just sit and watch the colours change as the sun moves position 🌄.

Justine even got to walk a little of the larapinta trail from here 😜

There were walks we would have liked to do around Ellery Creek and Standley Chasm, but due to the heat we had to give them a miss.

On our way back we stopped at the John Flynn’s Historic Reserve 🪦, the memorial and resting place for the ashes of the Reverend John Flynn, founder of the Flying Doctor Service and the Australian Inland Mission. The stone marking the site was originally taken from the Devil’s Marbles but has since been returned and replaced with a similar stone from a local Caterpillar dreaming site.

Returning home for a quick dip in the pool to cool off, before the Seagull embarked on the 3rd stage of today’s triathlon - a 17km bike ride along the scenic trail that follows the Todd River to the MTB tracks at the telegraph station 🚴🏻.Read more