Palm Valley

Overnight, it POURED. We had been saying to ourselves that it was probably time to replace our tent (being something like 10yrs old) – when we started feeling misty rain on our faces during the night as it bucketed down outside, the “probably” was upgraded to a “when we get to Alice Springs”.

When we finally emerged in the morning (damp, but not actually too wet)(not too bad given the amount of rain), it was to find that the pleasant little creek was now a roaring torrent. Unfortunately, both the road to Palm Valley itself, as well as the road back out both involved crossing the creek. So we ended up stranded (along with around 50 other campers). The ranger (whose house was on our side of the crossing) estimated that the first crossing out was running at about the height of a landcruiser, and advised that we all make ourselves comfortable…

We did some exploring – two of the walks which hadn’t been cut off (both actually very nice – especially since there were waterfalls streaming off all the rocky hills), then spent most of the day (like everyone else) trying to dry our gear and making trips back and forth to the creek to see if it was rising or falling (actually continued to rise until about midday, before it finally started the recede a few inches at a time).

There was also one camper who seemed to be developing pneumonia, who I was asked to come and check out once someone figured out I was a doctor (Ryan joked that we were the most unlikely-looking couple in the campground to offer assistance with out mud-splattered BT and me having chosen to wear my superman T-shirt that day). He was sick but not too sick, so they shifted him to the Ranger’s House in the hope that we would all make it out the next day. He ended up being choppered out not long afterwards (everybody thinking it was probably better to have him out of there).

So now we are currently sitting next to our tent (which has been shifted to higher ground), next to our pleasant little creek (which is about 10m wide and has the occasional tree branch floating down it) wondering how many days we might be stranded here (and all without actually seeing Palm Valley).