Hiking Mount Gillen

One Sunday afternoon back in early August, we decided, perhaps somewhat foolishly, to climb Mount Gillen.  We had heard it was a good trek, and given how close it was to our house, we thought it would be the perfect afternoon activity.

We decided to bike out there.  It was an easy 6km bike ride out there, most of it along a bike path that follows Larapinta Dr.

The trail is unmarked, but we'd been told to head to John Flynn's Grave, and that the path was just west of there.  It was easy enough to find.  There's an unmarked gate you walk through, and then you start to slowly ascend, up, and up, and up.

It took us a good hour to climb to the top, but it felt like it took far longer than that.  It was hot, there was no shade, and it was steep.  At one point it felt like we were never going to make it, and we seriously considered turning back because we thought the sun might set before we made it back down!

But once we made it to top, it was completely worth it.  The views at the top were unbelievable!

And the next time we go, we'll start early in the morning and wear hats!

Here is the full album of photos: https://goo.gl/photos/vVugdhcZQkSf8age6

First Camping Trip

There are endless camping and hiking possibilities here. I absolutely love it. At the end of July, we decided to get into the car and head east, along Ross Highway, and into the East Macs (East MacDonnell Range). We packed our tent and sleeping bags and headed out.

From a prior drive out this way, we knew there was a nice little spot for lunch at the Ross River Resort. It's located at the end of the Ross Highway, about 83 km from home. 

After lunch, we backtracked just a little to get on the Arltunga Road. We drove for about 2 hours along a dirt road, stopping a little before 3pm. We wanted to make sure we had enough time to explore the area and set up the tent before it got dark.

As you can see, we're sort of in the middle of nowhere. 

And it was great. After we set up the tent (in the clearing below), I wanted to do a little climbing. So we climbed the hill (pictured) opposite the hill where we pitched the tent.  

We climbed for about an hour. The views at the top were stunning! 

That night we saw the Milky Way! 

The next morning we packed up the little tent, and headed out to Arltunga. 

Arltunga was officially founded in 1887 after gold was discovered in the area, and it was Central Australia's first town. Miners came from all over to mine for gold, but the harsh landscape would prove to be too difficult to manage. The lack of water was the biggest hardship, making even basic survival a challenge. This ghost town once supported 300 people and there was a community that was established, equipped with their own police station (below). 

It was a great weekend! For the full album of pictures, check them out here: https://goo.gl/photos/8FSoeP3sWRtv7DM6A