Chances are you’ll have the place to yourself, as I did until the first visitors arrived around 10 am. And there were only two of them.
Satisfied I had seen what was to be seen, I ventured towards Palm Springs, stopping to scale a tall ridge beside the track to gain an overall view. I pondered as to just how many would have been up here.
Palm Springs is the scene of a failed attempt by settlers but still has the attraction of a first-class swimming hole about 40 metres long, fed by a permanent spring with palms scattered roundabout.
I waited for someone else to arrive, just in case I had an emergency. And so it was that I met Thornstein, my new German friend from
Essen who happened to be a lifeguard and who kindly took some pictures of me as he was a keen photographer as well. He was the only German in the world who (a) doesn’t drink beer, and (b) doesn’t follow football.
It was somewhat confronting to think that not far away was another spot with lots of freshwater crocodiles.
After the refreshing dip was over, we parted company, and I made for the historic Old Halls Creek. This had a sad set of ruins, historic plaques and a horde of motorised equipment in varying stages of decay set around some basic accommodation and a caravan park.
It had been more than I expected, but it was time to move on.
40 | Bushwalk February 2023