SUNDAY 16/06/13 - VISIT PALM VALLEY

We met up with Jon, Lan Lan , Peter & Sue for breakfast in the Woolworths Plaza, before going our seperate ways.

We headed off to Palm Valley some 23 klm past Hermannsburg [circa 126 klm from Alice].  Our first stop was a photo opportunity of a large wedgetail eagle sitting in a tree near the road.  This road is a lot less
spectacular than the road to Glen Helen Gorge - it runs down the middle of the valley between the West Macdonnell Ranges and the Owen Springs Range, both of which are well off in the distance.

We passed signs indicating wandering stock and horses.......saw no stock and only [2] horses.  However we saw a herd of donkeys [10 - 15] on the way out and again on our return.   We have been told you do not drive at night, as the horses & wild camels sleep on the roads at night.   Along the roadside at different intervals there are pooping stations where the stock constantly return.   The locals would have a trailer full for the garden very
quickly.

We chose to go by pass  Hermannsburg and go direct to Palm Valley.   The turnoff road provided signs to greet us - 22 klm   - severe 4wd route - allow 3.0hr [return].   The road base varied from rounded river stones, to sand and rock shelfs.  Many occassions we were driving across the very wide river bed or beside it, with weathered canyon walls to our left and right.  Speed ranged from about 5klm as we negotiated the rock shelfs and hollows to 40 klm  on the hard sandy tracts.  Even though our storage boxes have tie downs they were vibratting and wobbling all over the place in the back of the Prado.

The scenery is varied and spectacular all the way into and returning from Palm Valley.

After 1hr 20 minutes driving the track, we stopped on a very large rock shelf, below the canyon wall,  about 1 klm from the end of the the valley, for our salad lunch.   A great photo spot with 2 different Palms growing around the rockface and the waterpools.  We spoke to others returning from the end of the valley, who felt it was disappointing and of no value to continue given condition of remaining track.  Given this we headed back to the tarred highway.

A brief visit to Hermannsburg Historic Village section, and then back to Alice.

A tiring day, but very satisfying seeing this unique area of Central Australia.