Ellery Creek Big Hole

The last stop on our coach tour was at Ellery Creek Big Hole. This is big swimming hole that is very nice. A big hole with calm, cool water and an inviting shoreline for picnicking.

Ormiston Gorge

Ormiston Gorge is another spot filled with color and deep cut rocks.

Mount Sonder Lookout

After lunch at the Glen Helen Resort, we headed to the Mount Sonder Lookout. Here we were able to get a grant view of the mountains.

Ochre Pit

Now that the sun is higher in the sky, we're off to a place with no water and no shade. Along the Larapinta Trail is a place of some importance to the indigenous people. The Ochre Pit is a place to gather pigments for rock art and body painting for the religious rituals.

Standley Chasm

The Jade Creek flows through the Sandley Chasm surrounded by Cycads of a sort that have been here for at least 900 million years (not shown in this photo).

Simpson Gap

The next stop on our coach tour was Simpson Gap. Here we see the Black Footed Rock Wallaby staring at me in an effort to intimidate me.

John Flynn in the MacDonnell Ranges

Continuing south from Darwin along the Stuart Highway brought us more clouds that we had seen on the way north, but it was clearer here than farther north and the humidity was noticeably lower.

The drive to Katherine was uneventful and our stay in the same hotel as when we went north was similarly pleasant. Air conditioning is a fine thing in the outback. The trip from Katherine to Tennant creek was also a long drive through beautiful country. We had another hot night at Tennant creek in our tent. We both got up around 10 pm (we go to bed early) because it was just too darned hot in the tent. It finally cooled a bit and then started to sprinkle rain. This forced me to close the flaps and then it got hot again. Miserable night.

In the morning, while E abluted, I struck camp. Afterwards, I headed to the ablution block for my shower. By the time we got out the gate to the BP station next door to buy ice for the esky, we arrived just time for a power failure. We bought the ice and hit the road just as the heavens opened. We had a seriously hard rain for the next 2-3 hours. Before we got to Alice Springs the road was dry and the sky was clear.

The next day we headed out on our coach tour of the West MacDonnell Ranges. The first stop was a John Flynn's gravesite.