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September 28, 2009 Palm Valley Tour

By Melissa Markham on September 28, 2009 7:27 AM | Permalink

Another long and exciting day today. We were up at 5:00 a.m. We had a tour to meet at 7:10 a.m. Phil, the tour guide, came to pick us up in a really cool 4-wheel drive shuttle. Check this thing out!

We picked up a few other people and away we went. After a quick stop at Dr. Flynn's grave, we headed to Hermannsburg. This was an 80 minute trip through the outback with Phil telling stories along the way. Hermannsburg is an Aboriginal settlement, and was started by a Lutheran Minister. We stopped here briefly for a comfort stop before heading off down the road to Palm Valley.

Phil warned us that the next hour or so would be bumpy, so we put on our seatbelts and prepared to be jolted. The first 20 kilometers wasn't so bad...it was like driving too fast down the road to our house at our home. Then we stopped for another comfort stop and morning tea (tea or coffee and cookies and fruit cake). Then he warned us the next 4 kilometers would be really bad (they would take as long to traverse as the last 20 kilometers). So we strapped in again, and this time the road was much more bumpy. It reminded me of the road up to my dad's cabin. The reason for the bumpy road is that we were riding along the Finke River Bed. It is the dry season here. The last time the Finke River flowed was in January of last year. And then it was 4 or 5 meters (12-15 feet deep). It stayed that way for about 5 days. It is just really hard to imagine and we would like to come back and see it when the river is running high.

After driving a bit, we got out and walked. Walking into Palm Valley was like walking into the Land of the Lost. The rocks exuded "ancientness." There were fig trees that were a mere 12-18 inches high that ranged in age from 5-40 years. And though we were walking through a dry riverbed, there were palm trees and areas that had that 'tropical forest' feel.

A tropical oasis in the midst of arid land.

A five year old fig tree (about 12 inches tall).

More tropical palms.

These palm trees are left behind from when there used to be a shallow sea here. They are truly amazing trees. From the months of November-January, they may be sitting in 12 feet of water or more for days at a time. Then the rest of the year - rain is rarely seen. As we walked along, we saw white deposits that made us think of concrete. It was actually 120 million year old remnants from a meteor hit and subsequent ash fall.

120 million year old white ash deposits.

We saw birds, lizards, and on our return, a black-footed rock wallaby. The hour or so that we spent walking through Palm Valley was like being on another planet. No planes overhead, no modern day sounds...there was a breeze and just being there was balm for the soul.

Lizard. His tail was twice as long as his body.

Black-footed rock wallaby

After our walk, we headed back towards Hermannsburg. We made a couple of other stops to see sights and pulled into Hermannsburg around 2 p.m. We watched a 16 minute movie about Albert Nmjitara (a famous Aborigine water color artist). We sat in a room where we could see some of his prints, which were available for sale.

After the movie, we had a "ploughman's lunch". There was bread, salad, quiche, and cheese. Then we had an hour to explore the buildings. The village was depressing. The art work that was said to be so wonderful, seemed child-like to me. Much like our own Native Americans, the Aborigines have problems with alcohol, depression, obesity and they don't seem to be doing a lot to help themselves. The buildings were dismal. I just really felt down after touring Hermannsburg. As we passed the homes of those who lived there, we saw dozens of cars without tires, windows or doors. They collect them for some reason. They also had small fenced in areas with horses and dogs. I am not sure what the horses were eating. It is a tough thing.