It was an early start today with the bus picking us up at 7 in the morning. It’s fortunate that Bron visited the Beanie festival over the weekend and got us all warm beanies. We definitely need it in the mornings.

The first stop was the John Flynn memorial. John Flynn was sent by the church in the early 20th century to investigate the needs of the indigenous in the NT. The Australian Inland Mission was created as a result of his report with him as a pioneer and founding member. He features on the Australian $20 bill.

We then drive out to Simpsons Gap and walked along the dried bed of the river. We learnt about the Upside Down Rivers in the Simpsons desert. When the rains stop the water seeps below the porous sandy river bed. It gives the illusion of a dry river, however digging the bed unearths clear running water underneath.

Simpsons Gap in itself was impressive. Seeing the effects of water erosion on rocks this size makes you realize the sheer force of nature but also the changing landscapes over history. The rocks seem to jut out the higher you go and would be a rock climbers dream.

Our final stop was at Standleys chasm, which featured a 20 minute windy walk through to the chasm. The sheer walls of the chasm were incredibly smooth. The little ones even found a rock that was smooth enough to use as a slide. It’s hard to imagine that only a few months ago, in February, there had been so much rain that the chasm had over 2 mts deep of water. You can still see the watermark on the edge.

The walk to the chasm also had remnants of trees that had perished and, in some cases, survived bush fires. In some cases it seemed like the trees had burnt out from the inside and then regrown.