West MacDonnell Ranges - Finding our Next Camp

Had a very quiet night -quite a few sleeping in tents on top of their cars, tents on the lawn, 2 caravans (including ours) & 4 Chinese people sleeping in the back of their cars - they were very friendly & quite chattie 😜.  Left around 8 am to try & get a camp at Ormiston George but on arrival found they were all taken & were all huddled in together 🤨 



Heading into Ormiston Gorge 


We decided to keep going to Redbank Campground to see if any sites there - it was a dirt road in & once there, we found plenty of sites.   The roads around were very tight for caravans (bollards on both sides of road) & looked like they were hard to back vans into!   On looking around there was one camp full of “I think delinquent kids” camping for the weekend & throwing rocks at whatever they could find 😫 it looked very hot in there as well (35 deg today) & I was feeling a bit anxious about staying so decided to keep moving!     Our Plan C was to go to Glen Helen Discovery Park which has only been opened for a week.  We couldn’t get powered so are camped in the unpowered sites which has a lovely backdrop of the hills.


Our camp tonight - T-bone steaks on the camp fire 🔥 


We set up camp & walked over the the restaurant/bar & were pleasantly surprised - outdoor tables, umbrellas, kegs to sit around overlooking the Finke River & a restaurant (with table cloths & candles) which looked quite good. 




Quick bite to eat & spoke to Rochelle & Thor 😀 Rochelle is doing well & looking like she is ready to have bubs 😜but we have told her to keep it in 😂😂

Went for a walk  to the Glen Helen Gorge this afternoon walking along pebbles & rocks in the river bed.   Lucky I took my stick.   Found our way through some thick grass & paths which had been created by people walking to the gorge.  No signs 🤨

Further on this walk we came to the Gorge where you can swim although everyone said it was very cold.   There were people swimming to the other side as there is a 15 min walk to the “pipe organ” which looked spectacular in the pictures.   Tony may do this tomorrow but too cold for me to swim over.





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