Newsletter - Issue 10 - December 2000
Newsletter - Issue 10 - December 2000
I would like to take the opportunity of this last newsletter of the year to wish to all of you a Happy New Year 2001 and to thank you for your support all along this year.
Soon on Aussie World some new 'free stuff' is coming such as a great Aussie screen backgrounds serie, Aussie banners for HotBar, … I will keep you posted.
I hope you will enjoy this newsletter …
Kind regards,
Alain
 |
Once again thanks to the Internet that gave me the opportunity to meet Charlie and experienced an overnight walk in the Mac Donnel ranges National Park. |
The
Larapinta Trail is an extended walking track running approximately 220 kilometers
from Alice Springs west to Mount Sonder. Eight sections of the Trail are opened,
offering over 150 kilometers of track through this arid landscape of the West
Mac Donnel Ranges.
Recommended by one of my French friend who had the opportunity to participate to such an experience I contacted Charlie by email and after few exchanges we finalized our plans. Date was agreed for an overnight walk in the Ranges followed the next day by a 4WD trip to Palm Valley. A very special place inaccessible with our campervan.
Walks
in the Outback organized by Charlie (photo on the left)
are an opportunity to enjoy the spectacular MacDonnel Range National Park ,
birds, wildlife, plants, bushtucker, geology, history and culture.
You benefit from his 30 years of experience in Central Australia. Charlie has
also a doctorate in biology and a first hand knowledge of Aboriginal culture.
And here we are!!!. When we arrived at Alice Springs we gave a call to Charlie giving him the details about the carvan park. The day after early in the morning Charlie was there.
We
drove up to the start of the walk located near the Alice Springs Telegraph station
(which represents the birth of the town). After some historical explanations
related to the place and some digging done in the bed of the dry Todd river
to show that water is still there, not so deep, we started to walk. Early in
the morning is the best time to meet the local fauna: kangaroos, birds, …
Later in the day, you will not see much animals but interest will be re-focused on the geological aspects of the region and to the flora. Charlie was an excellent guide. He knows as well the geological evolution of the region as the local wildlife and plants. His contact with the aboriginal people and his knowledge about their culture also brings some very interesting comments.
But
we are also there to walk, walk, and walk ... If you are not use to walk in
such an environment (we were not) I can tell you that it will not be easy.
During this day you will walk around 8 to 10 hours for a total of 15 kms. Not
so much, but … it is in the ranges. I can tell you that it is hard but
it is also very rewarding… If you have a look to the photo on the left,
you will perhaps notice some white dots near the horizon line. It is Alice Springs,
the place from where we started the walk. And we are not yet at the end of the
day :-)
I just give you a tip here. If you are joining Charlie for one of his trek and if at the end of the day he is asking you 'Guess what we have behind the hill?' Don't think the answer is 'the camp' … Most probably the correct answer will be ' … another hill ' :-)
But don't worry, finally, behind one of these hills the camping area will appear. One of Charlie's team drove the trailer there. You will be very surprised by what can be hidden in such a trailer. The first think going out of it and that you will probably appreciate after this hard day is a cold and refreshing beer.
You do not have to wait too long to receive one of the greatest rewarding of this day: the sunset on the Ranges. Just walk behind the hill ( yes, one more), sit on a rock and look to the sunset on the Mac Donnel Ranges. Just enjoy this incredible scenery, the silence … the moment. It will probably stay in your memory as one of the best moment of your trip.
Back
to the camp you will probably find Charlie transformed in a 'Chef'. A gas oven
and a campfire are his tools to cook you a great dinner. Wine is also available.
After dinner, Charlie still has some surprises for you. Out from his trailer he will present you a box full of books. Simply pick what you like, birds life, geology, history, …. He will also put in place a small telescope and will share with you some of his knowledge about the stars visible in the south hemisphere.
Time
is now to go to bed. Bed? Well, sorry, there is neither tent nor beds. Only
swags (stockman's bedroll) are available. What a great experience to be there,
surround by the nature, looking to the stars before falling asleep. Ok, some
(as my wife) will probably say that it was VERY COLD. Yes, I have to admit that
during this period of the year (August) it is a 'little bit cold' (around 0°C)
… but it is still a great experience.
Completely muffled in the swag, with only a small opening to breath, I can not say that the night was very good, but not bad. And after all, who cares … I have to repeat it … It was a great experience…
The next morning, after a quick breakfast, when everything was packed in the trailer we jumped in the 4WD brought by one of Charlie's team.
The second day with Charlie as guide started. Direction Palm Valley … But this is another story.
(more about this, soon on Aussie World - Photos & Travel Logs section)
Alain (admin@aussieworld.com)
ALICE SPRINGS ABORIGINAL CULTURAL PRECINCT
PRESS RELEASE DECEMBER
7 2000
To celebrate the completion of stage 2 of the projects development the Aboriginal tourism area at the rear of the Red Centre Resort will officially be known from January 1 2000 as the Alice Springs Aboriginal Cultural Precinct
New developments include
Visitors can only visit the precinct on one of these daily tours or in a pre booked group. All tours are presented by a team of professional fully trained Aboriginal Tour guides. Interpreters can be arranged for French/German speakers
Our new brochure should be out in the market place when you are reading these lines and Peter Kavanagh(AAT-KINGS) and Andrew Lockyer(AACC) will be only too pleased to answer your questions.
The Red Centre Dreaming Aboriginal Dance performers will be touring trade shows in Europe throughout January/early February 2000 for the NTTC and ATC promoting Alice Springs and this exciting new venue.
With the huge international interest in Aboriginal culture, Alice Springs at last has a world class attraction to cater for this demand.
I would encourage all Alice Springs operators to utilize this new facility
Our community enterprise wishes you and your family a MERRY XMAS and look forward to working with you in 2001
Paul Ah chee Ngala
|
PWERTE MARNTE MARNTE ABORIGINAL CORPORATION -AUSTRALIA ABN 641-619-33665 Trading as ABORIGINAL ART AND CULTURE CENTRE-ALICE SPRINGS TEL 61-8-89-523-408 FAX 61-8-89-532-678 INTERNET http://www.aboriginalart.com.au ABORIGINAL
DESERT DISCOVERY TOURS NATIONAL
ABORIGINAL TOUR OPERATORS DIRECTORY On-line
Sales/Information AWARD WINNING NT BROLGA TOURISM EXCELLENCE 1997/1999 AUSTRALIAN TOURISM AWARD 1997 TO-DO WORLD TOURISM AWARD 1999 |
This
article is reproduced with the authorization of Claudia & Dirk Lutrop
from DIVErsion Dive Travel & Training (http://www.diversionOZ.com)
Day 1 (20 June)
We boarded Sea -Trek early in the evening, had a nice dinner and a briefing about the trip. We were a group of 8 guests plus 3 crew. The vessel accommodates up to 10 guests.
As whale sharks can be very fast in the water, snorkelling is by far the best way to follow them, also about 2 to 4 dives per day were planned, with the spotter plane out there on two mornings to locate the whale sharks for us.
We departed Exmouth later that evening and travelled for approx. 2 hours to Ningaloo Reef through very calm water.
Day 2 (21 June)
We were told that the spotter plane would come out later this morning to locate the whale sharks. However, we had just finished our breakfast and were getting ready for the first dive, when suddenly there was one of the crew shouting that magic word “Whale shark about hundred meters behind the boat!”
Okay, that was it, forget the dive, grab the fins, masks and snorkels and go for it!
I swam through the deep clear water towards the whale shark….nothing to see yet, I hardly could imagine that I was swimming towards a whale shark. Then suddenly there he was….a 4-meter long male. This was one of the greatest moments in my diving life! After more than 10 years of diving finally I got to see what I had dreamed about for so many years. It was beautiful to be next to this huge gentle giant who looked at me with his tiny eye. Although it was not for long, the small whale shark deciding to disappear back into the deep, it was a fantastic experience!
We had just got back on board and were getting ready for the dive when there was another whale shark sighted! Again we got to see this one only for a few minutes, but it was great, as those were our first contacts.
Finally we made our first dive on the Ningaloo Reef. Beautiful coral bommies, mainly formed by pristine hard coral. We dived in fantastic swim-throughs, which are literally filled up with thousands of the transparent tiny cardinal fish. The school was so dense I had to wave them out of my face to see the way out ! Even if you follow your dive buddy closely, you can hardly see your buddy’s fins.
The area is rich in fish life such as trevally, groupers and schools of parrotfish that invade the reef for food.
We got back on board and saw the spotter plane cruising in the clear blue sky. Just out of the wetsuit and planning to warm up with some hot coffee/tea when there was the next whale shark in sight. No one needed any tea now, back into the water; I did not even take the time to get the wetsuit back on.
This one was right behind the boat, almost waiting for us…an 8 meter long male, game to swim with us for more than an hour. He swam pretty slowly, just like he wanted to make sure he didn’t lose us. From time to time he swam in circles to take a good look at all those funny creatures called snorkellers.
This was thrilling, the first few minutes with a whale shark are sometimes a bit hectic, because you never know for how long he will stay. Once you have one that is game to stay, just like this curious and friendly whale shark, you can relax and take your time to have a look at all body areas of this huge mammal. It takes a while and it does not get boring to observe them.
Next, when you duck dive underneath them, you realize how large they are, wondering if you can make it on your breath to the other side of the creature!
After an hour’s snorkelling we all needed a break. Still chilled out from the dive it was getting very cold without the wetsuit.
Back on board Sea Trek, as we were sitting on the foredeck in the sun, we suddenly saw a family of humpback whales, just about 100 meters away from the vessel ! They were breaching and it was fantastic to watch their show! Another whale shark just passed by our boat but we were all at a stage were we needed a break!
We did another dive in the afternoon, again at a site with nice swim-throughs, which is one of the features of Ningaloo Reef.
Day 3 and day 4 (22 and 23 June)
There was no spotter plane out during day 3, it was one of our “whale shark free days”. We did 4 dives at Ningaloo Reef. All fantastic spots. Typically the dive sites are 14 to 25 meters deep with the reef reaching up to about 5 meters below the surface. Coral bommies of different sizes are scattered over the sandy bottom. We saw a few grey reef sharks and heaps of the transparent cardinal fish, which fill the caves and swim-throughs at so many dive sites on Ningaloo Reef. Other typical fish in the area are groupers, schools of jacks and big schools of parrotfish invading the reef. There is certainly no shortage of nudibranchs and flat worms. The diversity of marine life is impressive here.
On day 4 we were lucky and got to snorkel again with a whale shark for almost an hour.
Another 2 humpback whales showed up, they breached and turned so that it looked like they were waving with their flippers. One of them swam past Sea Trek just below the surface, and we noticed him observing us.
Day 5 (24 June)
Last day of the trip and everyone on board was very happy, we had enjoyed more than our fair share of whale shark action! We enjoyed 2 nice dives in the morning, & to top the trip off, I saw a manta ray at the end of the second dive. Just when I was thinking how pleased I was with this trip, things got even better… the manta was just cruising away when a big shadow fell over me and the sun blocked out. Well, that was it, the rare but ultimate dive, a whale shark was above me! A curious 5-meter long male stayed with us for the rest of the dive. We dived with him for as long as we had air in our tanks. The whale shark had not had enough yet, and neither had we! So, at the end of the dive, we discarded our scuba gear and were back in the water to snorkel with him for another 30 minutes or so.
The last dive of the trip on the way back to Exmouth was at Blizzard Ridge, a reef set in only 15 meters and covered with soft corals…a very interesting dive site. There are a lot of cracks and gaps in this reef, look out for the most colourful nudibranchs, flat worms and molluscs. This spot is full with invertebrate species, with Lionfish, lots of olive-green sea snakes & we even saw a shovelnose ray sleeping in the sand.
Even the last dive of this trip was still full of surprises for us.
Diving the Navy Pier (Exmouth) 25 June
The 300-meter long Navy Pier is already one of the famous dive sites in Australia and serious divers who want to see it all in life have this dive on their wish list as one of “the specials dives to do in a life time”.
The Pier is a must for every diver who visits Exmouth, you cannot leave without it!
Plan at least one dive in for the Pier. Because of the tidal currents it is only possible to dive on high or low tide. The dive shops offer the dives at the right time according to the tides.
The beams and pylons of the pier are encrusted in coral and the life underneath this structure is unbelievable. Here is just a selection of what I saw in one 50 minute dive: 3 wobbegong sharks, a school of barracuda, 5 crocodile fish next to each other in the sand, some lion fish and stone fish, at least 6 nudibranches and 3 or 4 flat worms, a couple of snappers, box fish, coral trout, gobies, trevally, angelfish and so on and so on. The Pier dive is a concentration of everything that tropical waters have to offer and you could well call it “The Pier Aquarium”. The depth is a maximum of 18 meters with visibility averaging around 12 meters.
|
From 2001,
Diversion Dive Travel, Cairns, will publish two different
newsletters for interested divers. |
|
| DiversionNews This newsletter will be published 4 - 6 times a year and contain stories about: diving related events in Australia, Papua New Guinea, Solomons and Micronesia news on dive resorts, live-aboards, airlines trip reports and articles from our clients special deals, new features on |
DiversionDeals |
 |
DIVErsion
Dive Travel & Training |
More
information on Ningaloo Reef and region on
Aussie World - Western
Australia section
Australian Views by Doug Cotton
If
you are an 'amateur' of nice pictures you should like a visit to Doug's web
site.
Here is how Doug presents his web site 'My aim is to bring you the beauty of
God's creation here in Australia'
You will find on Doug's web site many pictures of Sydney and surrounds but only
the city, the nature is also present.
If you like photography you will also find on this web site needed information to join the Amateur Photography Club on Yahoo.
Australian Views - http://OzViews.homestead.com
Australia's aspirations for a republic live on at Whiskey Gully Wines, in Queensland's premier wine region, The Granite Belt.
For the second year since Australia's failed referendum on a republic, Whiskey Gully Wines has named one of its wines "Republic Red".
Proprietor, John Arlidge, says the 2000 Republic Red is a little stiffer than its predecessor and shows all signs of girding itself for a long struggle.
"Wine and politics are a heady mix," says Arlidge. "I have already registered the 2000 Republic Red as a voter in 26 marginal electorates and we are considering nominating it for Liberal Party pre-selection in Bennelong."
He says some people with a voice enter politics to have a whine. "In this case, a wine is entering politics to have a voice."
The 2000 Republic Red is eminently suited to its task. It has a full and fruity nose (who can forget Don Lane and Russ Hinze?). The palate shows blackberry for reconciliation but with no hint of apology. There is spice for the senate, balanced by a flinty, Harradinesque dryness. Over this, vanillan oak has the mellifluence of a Whitlam speech and the finish, like parliament rising before Christmas, is decisive.
In the bottle but not yet released, this wine expects to deliver its maiden speech in February after a restful break. In the meantime, a few bottles may be exchanged for preferences in Western Australia.
For further information:
Contact John Arlidge, +61.7.4683 5100; 0419 789 447; john@whiskeygullywines.com.au
http://www.whiskeygullywines.com.au/
 |
|
| Clauson
House, 1st Floor 13 Shields St. City Place P.O. Box 5740, Cairns. QLD. 4870 AUSTRALIA www.adventures.com.au |
Tel.
61 (0) 7 4051 4777 Fax. 61 (0) 7 4051 4888 E-mail. adventures@adventures.com.au |
Laura
set to shine
The Adventure Company to manage event
Within the shadows of the world's oldest art galleries lies a place of magic and beauty.
Every two years a meeting of ancient wisdom and youthful energy takes place and transforms this sacred area into a ring of music, dance, colour, hope and life……….
In an explosive celebration
of indigenous culture and history, The Laura Dance and
Cultural Festival 2001 - RECONCILIATION will be an inspiring call for an answer
to the nation's plea for reconciliation.
From June 22-24 2001, the traditional Bora Ground on the Laura River Valley will come to life in a unique gathering of Cape York and Gulf Communities. Showcasing the communities' dancing, music, imagery and singing, The Laura Dance and Cultural Festival will provide an unforgettable insight into the ancient wonders and priceless gifts indigenous culture offers all Australians.
The Events Division of The Adventure Company Australia ( Explore Australia South Pacific) has been appointed the Event Manager of the Laura Dance and Cultural Festival. Explore Australia S.P has a deep knowledge of the Laura region, a diverse and highly experienced management team and a commitment to the Tropical North Region.
The Adventure Company Australia specialises in top quality adventure and nature tours and the management of remote area Safari Camps. Expeditions include rainforest hiking, Rock Art Safaris, Sea Kayaking, Cape York, Cooktown and Cape Tribulation and Daintree 4WD Safaris. Predominantly operating in World Heritage National Parks, naturalist guides provide expert interpretation of these significant areas.
"In recent years the company has seen its role move from simply tourism operation to something of a 'One stop shop" for all things cultural, environmental or even just a little bit different. With a management team of professionals with complimentary backgrounds, this diversity of responsibilities has proven very successful. It is this success and the increasing requests for assistance that led to the creation of Explore Australia South Pacific." Said Company Director Murray Simpson.
"This is an exciting time in Australian history with the call for Reconciliation apparent in the city walks and other demonstrations taking place throughout Australia. The Reconciliation theme for the Laura Festival is timely and powerful and will serve to both raise the awareness of this important issue along with showcasing the incredible indigenous talents prevalent in this region and throughout Australia." Mr Simpson said.
|
Current promotions
proposed by the AHRC (Australia Holiday Resources Centre)
members are available via the notice
board. |
© Copyright: 2000-2001 A.
Saintpo , All Rights Reserved
Site Design and Maintenance A. Saintpo
