Ormiston Gorge & Ellery Creek Big Hole

Glen Helen Gorge

6 May
We endured another night of mice running over the roof of our camper trailer but once again the nocturnal birds of prey plucked the annoying buggers off. Glen Helen Gorge was our first stop. This is right next to the Glen Helen Resort - they use the term 'resort' quite liberally. It used to be a mission and does not look like it has had any work done to it since then. The gorge itself was not accessible due to the water level being too high - usually you are able to walk through the gorge and see the Organ Pipe Rock formation as well.

Ormiston Gorge

From there it was a short drive to visit Ormiston Gorge. What a sight - beautiful red rock faces with a large amount of water at a sandy base. From the end of the short walk from the carpark we saw some people on the other side of the water. From there you could walk down further and take in more of the gorge. We walked back upstream and and crossed the dry creek bed and were confronted with magnificent views. We decided that the water was very cold and not particularly inviting but perfect for skimming stones.

Ochre Pits

After half an hour we packed up and headed off for the Ochre Pits. This area is used by the Aborigines for their various coloured paints they need for their ceremonies. The different coloured soft rocks have been exposed by a river eroding them. Beautiful contrasting colours in such a confined space.

Ellery Creek Big Hole

Ellery Creek Big Hole

We decided to have lunch at Ellery Creek Big Hole and after seeing it made the decision that this should be our campsite for the night. Having eaten we headed down to the water with Thomas and Declan's blow up surf mats in tow. Once again the water was extremely cold but the lure of drifting between the large cliff faces was too great. We all had a go and were pleased that we had endured the initial shock of the freezing water. The campsite was good with flushable toilets something we had not expected in a National Park.