So I took two friend camping in Rainbow Valley this weekend. We left about noon and headed south on the Stuart Highway about 78kms before turning off on a 4WD track for 22kms. The track was not a difficult one, just really rippled, so bumpy with a few sandy patches, however nothing like the Palm Valley track where we got bogged. When we arrived there was no one at the campground, and then another few cars came and went while we set up camp. T'was rather windy as we did this, and we picked a site ended up having a lot of rock, so pegs didn't go in easily. I wanted to try out my new shade tent, which turned out to be HUGE and with the billowing wind, it was a bit tricky but we managed to get it secured after collapsing on us a few times first. Big tip - slender steel pegs do not hold well in sandy desert...but trees do.
Once set up we were off for a hike to Mushroom Rock. We walked over the dried out clay pans to explore a bit before heading to the rock. It was a very interesting rock, all honeycombed from certain kinds of rock being leached out of the sandstone rock. We didn't see much wildlife but did see a very large snake track through the sand...luckily did not see the snake. The flies were merciless, not biters, just damned annoying as they flocked to warm bodies. We wanted to walk a bit farther as the hike was pretty short, however there were no marked trails, and with snakes in the bush, not to mention venomous spiders, and I was in shorts, K. barefoot in small sneakers, so we opted to go back to the campsite and drink some beer.
Several cars came and went, snapped their photos, did the short hike, but no one set up camp. By the time dusk arrived, it was looking like no one else would be camping in the remote campsite but us! We went in search of the gas barbecues and found a pretty crappy one nearby, but then went for a look on the other side of the kitchen shelter and found a brand new flash barbecue and a wayyyy better campsite, so we made the executive decision to move on over. Just as we set up the last of it, a car pulled in right next to us and 4 people go out and set up for supper. They didn't use the barbecue, thankfully, so we started our own supper, needing to get it all cooked before the sun set.
We were treated to an amazing sunset with a fireball of a sun, just stunning. The clouds covered most of the sky though so we didn't get that bright blue sky to contrast with the rocks, so I was a little disappointed as we came out to Rainbow Valley to see the sunset on the mountains, however the sunset we did get in the opposite sky made up for it. Once supper was done, we lit the fire straight away as it would be the ONLY light in sight and with an overcast sky and no moon this week, it was bloody DARK! We managed to keep a good fire burning all night but trips to the bathroom were rather spooky and at one point K. flashed her torch (flashlight) down at the ground and we saw a huge spider walking about...that was enough for me, I was spooked! I tried to sit up after the others went to bed and read by the fire, but the thought of that big spider or others climbing up my leg creeped me out. The others were worried about strangers coming and murdering them in their tent while I was truly concerned with that damn spider. I flashed my light down at the ground after they went to bed and the damn spider was about 2 feet from me...alright, we're OFF to bed!
The next morning we got up early, cooked a good breakfast scoff, packed up the car and went out to the claypan for another hike, this time straight across it (despite the signs telling us not to but we were incensed with wanting to explore it!) and we each wandered about, snapping tons more photos. F. stayed on the clay pan for her photos while K. and I wandered up over the hill to a rock standing alone and checked it out. The ground had been burnt there, and there was a fence to climb over, but we continued to be oh so naughty and kept going. The rock had so many contours and fallen rock was so very interestingly shaped, we snapped and snapped our photos before returning back to the campsite. While we were gone, F. was able to watch some kangaroos feeding not far from where we had jumped the fence. Lucky gal! I haven't seen any feeding in the wild, just in the parks.
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| snake track! |
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| just a little lizard |
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| our second and final campsite |
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| claypan feet |
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| fire burned the tree but then flowers busted up through |
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| rock balls |
So we had a great time, more bug bites of course, lots of photos, and one spooky night to tell about. Can't wait to go camping again.
Once set up we were off for a hike to Mushroom Rock. We walked over the dried out clay pans to explore a bit before heading to the rock. It was a very interesting rock, all honeycombed from certain kinds of rock being leached out of the sandstone rock. We didn't see much wildlife but did see a very large snake track through the sand...luckily did not see the snake. The flies were merciless, not biters, just damned annoying as they flocked to warm bodies. We wanted to walk a bit farther as the hike was pretty short, however there were no marked trails, and with snakes in the bush, not to mention venomous spiders, and I was in shorts, K. barefoot in small sneakers, so we opted to go back to the campsite and drink some beer.
The next morning we got up early, cooked a good breakfast scoff, packed up the car and went out to the claypan for another hike, this time straight across it (despite the signs telling us not to but we were incensed with wanting to explore it!) and we each wandered about, snapping tons more photos. F. stayed on the clay pan for her photos while K. and I wandered up over the hill to a rock standing alone and checked it out. The ground had been burnt there, and there was a fence to climb over, but we continued to be oh so naughty and kept going. The rock had so many contours and fallen rock was so very interestingly shaped, we snapped and snapped our photos before returning back to the campsite. While we were gone, F. was able to watch some kangaroos feeding not far from where we had jumped the fence. Lucky gal! I haven't seen any feeding in the wild, just in the parks.
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