Day 12 Kings Canyon to Redbank Gorge

 After a slower morning, we headed off from Kings Canyon, and onto the first stretch of dirt road for the trip; down the Mereenie Loop Road (now named Red Centre Way). We had done our best to cover up and reduce the risk of the Clipper filling up with dirt, but we knew it was inevitable, that things would get covered in red dirt, and they did. It was over 150km of corrugations and a few rutted sections where recent rains had washed out the road. We were travelling about 50km/hr, along the stretch and spotted wild donkeys and horses along the way. There was many amazing escarpments of varying types and it was all very green too. Every 5 minutes or so, I was up closing all the windows that were being rattled open along the bumpy road, and it was very loud inside the Clipper. Eventually we reached asphalt again, and it was quieter, and I could enjoy the views without worrying about self-opening windows.

We had lunch at a lookout that had views out to Gosse Bluff, which reminded us of Wilpena Pound in the Flinders Ranges. We continued on until Redbank Gorge, where we had booked to camp for the night in the National Park. We ventured into the gorge and walked along the creek bed, until we reached the water holes. We spotted some fish swimming in the puddles along the way, some up to 15cm long. Not sure what happens to them, when the water dries up. David and Matt explored the water hole further, while Brenda and I sat and enjoyed the quiet. We were able to watch a little finch fluttering about being busy, in one of the small gum trees, which had managed to thrive with its roots firmly entwined into the rock it was growing out from. Brenda also spotted a black footed rock wallaby, hopping up around the cliff walls. The cliffs around the gorge lived up to their name and were orange red, but the lower rocks that had been washed smooth by water over time, some were burgundy red, and others purple and others had faded to a pale grey.  It was really quite beautiful. If you were quiet enough, all you could hear were the trillion flies buzzing around. Some grey clouds appeared overhead, and the colours of the rocks became more intense. The whole area was again very green and healthy looking, with a few shy wildflowers emerging. We headed back to the Clippers and then went up the lookout towards Mount Sonder, part of the Larapinta Trail for avid bushwalkers and the fourth highest mountain in the Northern Territory. 

We headed to the campground and had a quiet evening in and waited for the sun to set and the trillion flies to dissipate, before we attempted to cook dinner on the BBQ. Another lovely day on this adventure..