I had a little time off between projects at work, so I decided to go camping up in Murray-Sunset National Park. The full story is after the break.
Highlights:
Pink lakes
Red kangaroos
Orange sand driving
Innovative cooking
Hammock camping
Pictures:
I guess the road sign wasn't clear enough for some folks
Last Hope Track
Car poo
Selfie the first
One of the many dry lakes in Murray-Sunset NP
This was actually taken outside the park, but still pretty cool
Ditto
Mt Crozer (a.k.a. campsite #1)
The sunlight glistening off the red river gums was pretty amazing.
Sadly, the pictures don't do it justice
What do you suppose made those tracks?
Lake Kenyon, one of the many Pink Lakes
Remnants of an ancient inland sea
Lake Hardy
I forget exactly which lake this is, but it shows off the whole "pink lake" thing
The lakes are pink because they're so darn salty that only a single specie of alga can survive in them. Dunaliella salina happens to be pink in color.
It is one of the world's leading producers of beta carotene.
Porcupine grass (read the sign above)
What do you suppose made those scratches in the ground?
Red kangaroos have developed some pretty crazy adaptations for survival in the desert
Prior to establishment of the park, the Pink Lakes had a pretty big salt mining operation going
This equipment was abandoned when salt mining ceased
The pink lakes formed when an ancient inland sea receded
When the lakes dry out, vegetation moves in
In areas of high salinity, lichens grow in place of plants.
Nature is awesome
This bearded dragon was about two feet long, from tip to tail. He seemed pretty happy sunning himself, and wouldn't move out of the way. Thankfully, the track was wide enough that I was able to creep slowly around him, with my head out the window to make sure I didn't run over his tail in the process.
Mopoke Hut
Built in 1962 by Alan Henschke, a local cattleman
Alan built the place so he wouldn't have to haul a bunch of extra camping gear on his cattle drives
Campsite the second
The General's bullbar came in handy for tying off the rainfly
Porterhouse steak for dinner
with a little Slap Ya Mama for seasoning
It was too windy for a campfire, but I didn't have any fuel for the butane stove...
... so let's improvise!
Obligatory sunset picture.
The hammock was rather cozy, and the wind rocked me to sleep
Videos:
Gnarr Road - I came across this fella on the way in
