The Donkey Trip 2018: 5.7.18

Ruby Gap is named not after Ruby but because early prospectors found red gems thought to be Rubies. However it turned out to be Garnets.

A warmer night. All in bed early and a good sleep all round.

Seems that maybe just maybe we are staying two nights.

Getting ready to top up the water that emptied last night
after 5 showers.

Will this fit? Asks Steve.

Nope. Back to the blue funnel

It’s a job for two. Mary in her Beanie Festival beanie.

Breaky half eaten this morning. A tortilla boat
loaded with bacon, eggs and beans. Yum.

View from the loo

Our backyard this morning.

Plan for today is: drive to end of Ruby Gorge to Glen Annie Gorge, then walk to Fox’s Grave.

The drive down is quite a good one with both rocky and sandy sections. Some of it a little challenging, so we’ve left the camper and tents set up and going with just the cars.

Once at the end we had to get out and inspect the possibility of crossing the river and some pretty hefty rocks to drive further up the Gorge. Thankfully the meeting of the minds determined we were best to park the cars and walk.

Mary taking pics while the rest gathered to
decide if this was the end of the line for the vehicles.

There is water in patches of the Hale River and
filled with verdant green foliage. Reeds here

I climbed a tank like structure to find this.

The view from the top of the guaging structure.

Me at the top

Milani making the climb.

Up the top

After parking all our cars near the station we packed our backpacks, water, cameras, snacks and applied hats and sunscreen for the walk up the Gorge along the riverbed.

Cars all parked and we are off on our walk.

Shadows

Windswept and perfect circle.

Along the way we were fossicking for tiny flecks of the garnets. It was quite addictive.

Here is a handful that I painstakingly collected

Some of the lush green growth clinging to pools
of mostly clear water.

Here we all are gathered together, before we started
to spread like Brown’s cows

Plant life

Insect life - a grasshopper.

another angle

Wattle?

Paddy melons on the grainy sand.

Close up

A view of the Hale River bed.

Shadows. The day was pretty warm.

Ptilotis

Here’s the story of Ruby Gap

Looking up the Gap.

Amazing range of shades of green. The water was crystal clear
too, it was layers of different algae and plants.

There was a small flock of birds flying overhead,
then SUDDENLY out of nowhere came the
bigger bird and snatched a bird on the wing.
Poor little bird.

Being carried away helplessly.

Red Dragonfly

Looking into the crystal clear water. It was a 3D world of
different plant and algae thriving in the water. There was
also an active blog of backswimmer insects

Hard to capture it really.

Blue Dragonfly

Walking back Mary and I found another Ptilotus

A view of the Gorge.

Myself and Mary.

A stunning little model.

That holly like bush again.

Amazingly tough plants survive in the harsh conditions

Cumbungi in the River.

Our vehicles and a few more parked together while people
walked the Gorges

The Troopy climbs easily over a rocky section.

Phil and Mary had hit a rock hard on way in.
Here they are cloning over a rocky section.

Front wheel was spinning in thin air at one stage

Stef and. Milani cruised over it easily

After a good couple of hours walking and fossicking and photographing we returned to cars and a cool drink. In fact they were all waiting for Mary and I to return as we had been sidetracked by both the Garnets, and lots of photo ops - bugs, birds, rocks, plants, lizards, trees and so many vistas. Then we headed back the few kms to our camp for a late lunch.

Then it was confirmed that we would stay here another night. This meant time to chill and relax around camp - we read, phaffed, flew drones, had a drink, and generally whiled away the hours.