PALM VALLEY

Last Sunday we travelled to the Finke Gorge Gational Park to walk through the majestic Palm Valley.
The road in follows what is regarded as the oldest river in the world..The Finke. Definitely needed to engage low 4 wheel drive in the really sandy patches!
We spent the best part of three hours walking through Palm Valley with many breath taking spots to sit and take in the panorama.
Palm Valley is home to a diverse range of native plants many of which are rare and unique to this area...including the Red Cabbage Palm and cycads.
We even came across a  black footed rock wallaby who picked a great vantage point for us to take photos of.
You'll see him and other great moments of our walk in the attached animoto!


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Rock Art and Petroglyphs

Just spent a wonderful afternoon exploring the Wallace Rockhole; the local kids were our tour guides…what better way to view it!

Complete with handprints and petroglyphs from long ago the rock hole is a very special place to visit and the kids were very proud to show us. They even showed us how to grind the local sandstone to make a rich red paste used for decorative purposes.

Hand prints

petroglyphs

Rob and kids in cave

kids creating own rock art

handprint with ochre



beautiful rock formation



Albert Namatjira

Spent today exploring Hermannsburg that has its origins as the first aboriginal mission in the Northern Territory. It was set up by the Lutheran Church and served as a refuge for aborigines from conflict with white settlers as well as providing food, shelter and water as their traditional hunting lands began to be taken over by pastoralists. The aborigines link to the Lutheran church is still very strong today…even in Kintore where the locals are proud of their faith.

Hermannsburg is also the birthplace of Albert Namatjira with his life story and artworks on display at the historic precinct.

The coffee, scones and apple strudel served in the tea rooms were delicious and a much welcomed treat.

Tomorrow we’re off to explore Palm Valley!

Hermannsburg Mission

An original

The Church.

Wallace Waterhole

This next part of our adventure sees us at Wallace Rockhole, an Aboriginal community in the West MacDonnell Ranges approximately 120 kilometres from Alice Springs.

Our three week stint at Kintore was cut short by a few days owing to being needed at Wallace Rockhole to cover a vacancy (or else the school closed).  We were a bit sad leave to Kintore so suddenly as we had more we wanted to do with students and they have so much to offer us.  Gracie cried when we got the news that we were needed at Wallace Rockhole and would be leaving the next morning!   Comforted in the knowledge that we’ll return though for the last 3 weeks of term after this coming week at Wallace Rockhole.

Term 2 here finishes on June 19^th and we then have a 4 week break…which I think we may have earned after the Kintore experience. Kids are delightful….but challenging in their unique ways. They certainly have free spirits…and a willingness to climb….tap drum beats with sticks, pencils, M.A.B. rods – you name it - that can do your head in….and very inquisitive natures (so much so that every door in the school had to be locked to keep them out!)  These kids know no boundaries!!!

Wallace Rockhole is a totally different community and school. Streets and houses very tidy, children look well cared for and their English is excellent. School population is in the mid-twenties…although on Friday it was only 4 (Gracie included) as most of the community travelled to Alice Springs to attend the funeral of a respected elder.

The Rockhole which we haven’t explored yet is apparently well known for its rock art and petroglyphs. We will see it this week after getting permission from locals… and paying $5 each!

Tjangala, Nungurrayi and Nampitjinpa

(..our skin names given to us by Ampi, teacher’s aide and important person in the Kintore community. Very honored! Each aboriginal is given a skin name…a fascinating tradition well worth researching. )



Launching paper helicopters with Wallace Rockhole kids



Boora and Kangaroo Tail

We  were very privileged last Saturday to be taken out by two local indigenous members of the community…Reg and his barefooted mate Raymond Maxwell to view some sacred sites, waterholes and a fascinating outstation fully set up to allow members of the community to have some time to themselves.

On stopping to take some photos Raymond drew our attention to a small bush on the side of the road that had small round balls on it. This was a boora bush. He split the fruit open, discarded the black seeds that he said you could go blind eating, then ate the flesh.

To me it tasted and had the texture of a rock melon.

At the outstation Raymond asked us to collect some firewood for him to take home. That night he was cooking a kangaroo tail. I asked him how he got the tail expecting him to tell me he hunted down the kangaroo.

“At the shop” was his reply, “My sister works there.”

Sure enough on a visit to the shop later I spotted a freezer full of kangaroo tails all priced around $25 each.

Robyn tasting the boora with Raymond

Rock formation on way to outstation.

YOU GO GOAL UMPIRE ROBERT

One week into our three week teaching stint at Kintore (530 kms north west of Alice Springs) and I have never kicked the football so much in my life!!!!

Every recess and lunch break the request comes out to play football.  So off I go onto the red, dusty, rocky football ground to be surrounded by about a dozen bare footed children donned mostly in a Hawks jumper and given the instruction that “You be goal umpire Robert!”

My sole jobs are to signal goals and points and to kick the ball back into play…hence the number of kicks I have because every kids focus is to kick goals.

If I dare go beyond the goal line to either mark the ball or pick it up..I’m met with a chorus of “Leave it…you be goal umpire.”

I’m amazed and in awe of their outstanding football skills…kicking left and right foot…baulking and ball handling.  Their favorite shot is from the boundary line on an impossible angle and invariably threading it through. Another favorite is when a kids marks the ball makes a siren noise then pretends that his shot after the siren will win the game (that’s another one of my jobs…to stand on the mark when this occurs!)

I now understand and appreciate the flair that the indigenous players in the A.F.L. exhibit and where the grounding may have come from.

And the reason I’m Robert (pronounced like a frog noise)…perhaps it’s got something to do with the many syllable names that these kids have…such as Jezeriah, Winston, Francina, Alolyscious, Vivica that makes Rob sound so plain.

Ernest Giles....definitely future AFL player



Red dust and bare feet



Huge cheers as the goal is signalled



Siren's gone! Need the goal to win