Ok, how about another post featuring red rock and dirt? What's that, your sick of red rock and dirt, ah well that's too bad because I'm still in Alice Springs so its all I've got! I've got some good news if you're getting a bit jaded, this will be a short post as the walk is only a few kilometres long. Today we left Yulara and journeyed over to Kings Canyon, a nice short hop of just over 300 kilometres, to break the drive up a bit I decided to stop at Kathleen Springs and go for a walk to stretch my legs. Pulling on my boots it looked like the rain that had been threatening us for days was about to deliver, oh well with the temperature well and truly in the high 30's a bit of water falling from the sky wouldn't do me any harm.
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The track crosses this low ridge before an equally gentle descent into the gorge.
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| There is quite a bit of indigenous history scattered about. |
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The paved track initially climbs over a very low ridge, passing the turnoff to the longer Giles Track on the way. Dropping gently into the low gorge the track follows the normally dry Kathleen Creek up towards the head of the gorge, today however the creek had quite a few decent sized pools of water in it, always a good thing to see in the desert. The paved track soon comes to some old fencing, the early settlers used the gorge to corral their cattle at night, during the day the cattle were allowed to roam the flat country before they would return to the permanent water of Kathleen Springs at night. To keep the cattle from spoiling the spring they piped the water to a tank, the track passing next to the old tank.
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Looking up the gorge towards Kathleen Springs.
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| There is a bit of European history as well. |
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A little further into the gorge and I got to Ipitilki - Carpet Snake Dreaming, this is Luritja sacred site and is the place that Inturrkunya, the carpet snake rested on his journey through the gorge. Inturrkunya was responsible for creating the landscape that I was looking at. Leaving the sacred site the walls of the gorge start to close in a bit, the black clouds above threatening to dump their load on me at any minute, the clouds looking quite stunning above the ochre walls of the gorge.
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The cattle were allowed to roam during the day, returning to the water at night.
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| Ipitilki - Carpet Snake Dreaming. |
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A solid twenty minutes after leaving the ute I arrived at Kathleen Springs, the springs are permanent pool at the base of a waterfall. The Luritja people thought that the springs were home to the Rainbow Serpent, as the Rainbow Serpent kept the waterhole and others in the area safe, they were careful not to upset it. If the Rainbow Serpent left then the waterhole would reputedly dry up, for this reason the Luritja people camped away from the waterhole and never swam there, and it is for the same reason that swimming is banned.
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| Kathleen Springs. |
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| Racing the clouds. |
Kathleen Springs announces itself by the amount of green vegetation in the vicinity, the inky black water lined by thick reeds along with some giant Red Gums. The black walls of the dry waterfall, along with the black water giving it a slightly brooding appearance. The other thing that was slightly brooding were the clouds, heading back to the ute was a bit of a race between me and the weather. Being a retrace type walk the stroll back to the ute was slightly quicker then my amble into the springs, even so as I crossed the low ridge and sighted the ute I started to feel the warm rain on my hot skin. I just had time to put my boots into the back of the ute before the serious rain started.
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| I'm almost back and it's just starting to rain. |
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The Dirt.
I walked 3 kilometres and climbed 30 metres on this walk. The track is paved for the whole distance so would suit a young family with a stroller or even a wheel chair, there is only one very small hill. Kathleen Springs is in the Watarrka National Park, it is a nice spot to break the drive if you're coming in from Yulara. You'd have to say that this is an easy walk.
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| How soft am I? |
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| As quick as the rain came, it went. |
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