And so it is all over…

We followed the caravan for quite a way along this dusty, rough road on the way to the last highlight of the 4 days. FOUR days? We seemed to have been on the go for much longer. There is so much beauty and unforgettable scenery in the red centre of Australia.

We are walking along a track to Ellery Creek Big Hole. I have never heard of this place.Look at the interesting rocks and the colours striped through them. Then I round the corner…And stop in my tracks. All the clichéd phrases pop into my mind, stunning, breathtaking, jaw-droppingly beautiful. I thought the reflections at Glen Helen Gorge were superb but just look at these. A photo cannot capture the pure magic of this place. What a finale to a very memorable 4 day tour of some of the highlights of the outback.

Ellery Creek Big Hole is one of the most popular and picturesque camping, walking, swimming and picnic spots in the Tjoritja / West MacDonnell National Park.

The spectacular waterhole is fed by the West MacDonnell Ranges (Tjoritja) and surrounded by high red cliffs and sandy Ellery Creek.

Thousands of years of massive floods have carved out this waterhole, which is recognised as an internationally significant geological site.

The Aboriginal name for Ellery Big Hole is Udepata. The permanent water made it a special meeting place for the Aranda people on the fish and honey ant dreaming trails.

There is one last place to visit on this tour, and after the Ellery Creek Big Hole it is almost an anticlimax as I have been here before. Simpsons Gap is on the way back to Alice Springs and, of course, the rest of the group  had not been here before. In a way it ties up the two weeks as this was the first place Jack and I stopped on the art tour last week.

It is late afternoon as we wind our way along the track. Looking for the wallabies that come out at this time of night.Some with sharper vision spot some, but they are too camouflaged for me to see.

So it is back to the bus and the end of a really great tour. A big thank you to Jake.Our driver, leader, great cook and teller of dream-time stories. After all it is the people we meet and share experiences with that make the days so memorable and enjoyable.

I can totally recommend “Wayoutback tours” check them out if you are looking for an outback safari adventure.

That was 4 months ago. Now I am settled back home and the days are flying by to the end of the year.