A series of water holes separate the camp site from the cliff face. It was our source of fresh water, and made for a freezing refreshing dip in the afternoon. By the water were boulders of various kinds, pebbles, sand, grasses, and logs from past storms.
The reflections on the water were delightful, particularly those of the trees.
They were particularly beautiful in the early morning when all was calm.
The trees at Running Waters were eucalypts of course, but very different ones to the ones found in the east. On the sand flats are the river red gums – red because of the colour of its sap. Here is a magnificent specimen.
They tended to grow in strands so there was plenty of shade by the water hole.
On the rocky escarpment were the ghost gums. They grew more singularly.
Sometimes they grew in the most unlikely places, like half-way up the cliff-face.
Our destination, and home for the week, was Running Waters. It’s a series of permanent waterholes on the ancient Finke River. It’s at the edge of the large Henbury pastoral station, almost on the boundary with Finke Gorge National Park. I had visited Palm Valley last time, but this was something very different.
The rocks of the escarpment were a highlight. Because we were camped beside it for a week, we saw all manner of light play upon it. This was later in the afternoon on our first evening.
Static and Silence 