Days 6-7.
We followed the Mereenie Loop road from Kings Canyon to our next overnight camping spot at Redbank Gorge. There are lots of Thorny Devil lizards soaking up the heat on the road and they often get run over, but Chris spotted one which we were able to rescue and take back into the scrub.

We saw a few mobs of feral donkeys and wild brumbies as well. The National Parks cull them fairly regularly as they cause a lot of damage to the fragile ecology of the area.

We arrived at Redbank Gorge and selected a campsite from the many that have been set up there. Got all our camping gear off and out of the Prado, leaving it unattended while we drove to the Gorge for an afternoon walk.

The track into the gorge was rough and not very well defined, but we made it there. The flies were driving us all mad though. Made our way back to the car and headed back to camp to set up for the night. Chris and I left the girls and drove 20klm out of the park to collect some firewood, as gathering it within the park boundaries was not allowed. The campsite had a big firepit and a big gas bar-b-que, so we lit the fire and sat around it while the dinner cooked. Chris made a damper and a beef stew, which was pretty good.

The night arrived and was getting colder and colder. We rugged up and had a second sleeping bag to cover us up, but I have never been so cold. Around 11pm, the silence was shattered by the loud, angry bellow of a scrub bull heading up the valley towards camp. The sound echoed around and was immediately answered by a dozen others.

Feral bulls are quite dangerous and these ones were heading our way. I have never heard anything so deep rumbling and fierce as they bellowed out challenges. There was crashing of trees being knocked down and loud impacts as the bulls fought amongst themselves. The rocks in the river bed were also being tossed around as they came to within 70 metres of camp. Chris got up and started the car and turned headlights on to try and encourage them to go elsewhere. Didn’t work really and the mob kept heading off to where ever they were going.

About 2am they stopped bellowing and I got back to sleep. It was short lived though, as they soon started up again and headed back towards us. Some of the bulls did go through the campsite either side of ours. Some culling is definately required here. Got up at daybreak, teeth chattering in the 5 degree temp and stoked up the fire. We had a big breakfast of bacon and eggs and started to pack up for the run back to Alice. I mentioned to Alison that the bulls got very close to camp during the night and she asked, ‘what bulls’. She didn’t hear a thing, including Chris getting up and starting the car.

We drove out and soon hit bitumen for a smooth ride back to town. Stopped at Standley Chasm and had a look around for a bit. There was a Ghost Gum at the mouth of the chasm, where I had taken a photo of Beryl in 1975 and it was still there but much taller and wider in girth.

Also looked in at Ellery Rockhole and then hit Alice Springs. Picked up the bags we had left behind at Chris’s work place and booked in to our rooms at the Casino and had dinner at one of the eateries in there. Huge servings which even I couldn’t finish. Had a nice, long shower, watched some of the State of Origin football and had a good nights sleep.