Thursday, December 29, 2016

Redbank Gorge, Western MacDonnell National Park - December 2016


After our short walk out at Gosse Bluff we tracked a little further around Namitjira Drive to Redbank Gorge. Nowadays Namitjira Drive is sealed for its whole distance which was a bit of a help today, leaving only a few flooded causeways as the only obstacles in our way, well until we arrived at the access road anyway. The access road to the Redbank Gorge was a wet and wild affair today, with Redbank Creek flowing it meant one decent creek crossing and on the steeper sections it felt like I was driving a toboggan on a red mud slide sometimes. Pulling up at the car park we noticed a couple of walkers occupying the shelter trying to keep dry, it turned out that Simon and Zara had just spent 18 days on the Larapinta....in the middle of summer - that's pretty hardcore in my books! With the weather meant to seriously deteriorate over the next few days I was happy to be able to offer them a ride into town in case they got stranded out here, which turned out to be a pretty good call.
Redbank Creek near where the Larapinta Trail crosses over it.
Before heading back to town though I wanted to go and explore Redbank Gorge. This is a remarkable little gorge with the walls sometimes less than an arm span wide, I've tried to explore up here before but cold water, slippery rocks and some sore ribs from a close encounter with those same rocks meant that I've never got right in. Descending from the car park to Redbank Creek I wasn't filled with optimism today either, with the creek well and truly flowing just getting to the gorge was going to be a challenge. The good news is that there is now a fairly good pad along the west bank of the creek, the bad news was that after 2 or 3 hundred metres the creek claimed the pad.
We were able to make our way along the west bank of Redbank Creek for a little while.


Wandering upstream in my hardcore bushwalking attire, Sam decided to stay dry on this side of the creek.
Leaving Sam and most of my gear I stripped off and waded into the brown water, the water was only just over waist deep at its deepest but it was still easier to swim than wade as the creek bed is littered with big rocks which were impossible to see in the brown water. Emerging on the east bank I slowly made my way upstream, the red rocks interspersed with short sandy sections which provided a bit of relief for my bare feet. About ten minutes after leaving Sam I got to the waterhole at the entrance to the gorge, one of the advantages of Redbank Creek flowing in summer was that as the water was flowing down into the waterhole over kilometres of warm rocks which meant that the usually frigid water was actually quite warm today. Glancing at the dark grey clouds above I was quickly reminded of one of the negatives, a slot canyon isn't the place to be in a flash flood.
When you reach the life saving ring you've made it to the waterhole.
That's not hair on the top of my foot, its sand...honest.
The slot canyon that is Redbank Gorge.
I decided to swim in and see how I would go, I wasn't overly concerned about flash flooding as I figured that the slippery rocks and rushing water would stop me before I could get to far in anyway. First up though I had a swim across the waterhole, normally you can float across here on your back and admire the red bluffs against the blue outback sky above, the brooding dark clouds didn't look quite as good today. Once across the waterhole I felt to full force of Redbank Creek gushing out of the slot canyon.

The wet rock in the canyon had the grip coefficient of wet soap.
Wrapping the strap for my water proof camera tightly around my wrist I swam against the current as far as I could before gabbing the slippery red rock wall. Feeling around with my feet I was soon standing up with the waist deep water trying to spit me back out into the waterhole. By slowly using the natural handholds on the walls to help pull me upstream I slowly and carefully inched my way into the gorge. The first major obstacle that I got to was a small waterfall, there was no way I could climb upstream against the rushing torrent so my only option was to try and climb around it, this is how I hurt my ribs last time. 
It doesn't look much but this water was waist deep at it's shallowest.
Every so often I'd get into a quiet eddy.
This time I managed to climb up the slippery rocks without coming to grief, once above the first falls it was back into the water. The gorge here is only an arm span wide and I tried a few times to do it photographic justice, but to be truthful standing in a raging torrent on smooth rocks with about the same grip a wet soap while pointing the camera at the sky and trying not to get swept down stream wasn't the easiest photo that I've ever taken, I definitely wasn't mucking around with my exposures. The wet rocks on the walls of the canyon not only looked beautiful today but they were providing refuge to some of the locals, swimming under one overhang I found that I was sharing it with a water monitor, at least it wasn't a snake.
It's a fairly narrow canyon.
I was sharing the gorge with some locals.

The sound of rushing water was now getting pretty loud so I suspected that I was nearing another waterfall, pulling my way up against the current I soon could see the next obstacle. After a couple of goes at making my way up using the walls, trying to stand in the current and getting spat out downstream I decided I'd have to try different tactics. Wedging myself sideways to the current I chimneyed my way up onto a ledge using the sides of the gorge to brace myself, a manoeuvre that I would of found difficult in my twenties let alone in my fifties. Back on dry rock again I was able to stand up and get a bit of a look further upstream. A few metres further on the canyon narrowed even further but between me and that section was a more substantial waterfall, there was no way that I was going to go up this one against the current. So to cut a long rambling post short this is where I turned around, but not before getting a photo and vowing to return once again one day to explore Redbank Gorge a little further.
This is as far as I got today,
There is still bit of un-finished business here.

Floating downstream was a little easier but I still had to be careful the raging water didn't smash me into any of the rocks, luckily the waterfalls generally had some deeper pools at the base of them. Floating on my back, feet first, the currant spat me out into the wide waterhole at the head of the gorge and the adventurous part of the walk was over. All that was left to do now was to head back down stream to Sam who had been patiently waiting for me under a rock overhang.
Floating back down stream on my back....feet first.
I had to be very careful easing my way back down these small rapids.
I've just been spat out into the waterhole....that was definitely good fun!
The adventure wasn't quite over though, just as I got back to Sam the heavens really opened. We got drenched walking back to the ute, looking out over the foot hills of Mt Sonder the scene looked like Tasmania in the middle of winter, well without the fluffy white stuff, but you get the idea! After re-arranging the gear in the ute to make some room for Simon and Zara we headed back to Alice Springs on what was a fairly wet and wild drive, a couple of days later a car with two tourists in it would get swept off a causeway along here.
I still had to walk back to the car park, the rain was now getting fairly serious.
At least the desert in summer isn't cold.
The creek side pad was a bit rough in spots.
The Dirt.
I walked/swam around 2.5 kilometres on this excursion. If you are just walking to the waterhole and Redbank Creek isn't flowing then this is an easy walk. As I did the walk today it would probably be classed as a hard adventure, the wade and swim up the slot canyon being particularly serious. Redbank Gorge is far enough out of Alice Springs that its rarely crowded, especially in summer and being a permanent waterhole it makes a great spot for a swim on a hot day. The trail head also marks the beginning or end of the Larapinta Trail.
Relevant Posts.

The foot hills of Mt Sonder.
Sam's walking along thinking how lucky she was to hook up with this Feral bloke.....maybe.



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