Monday 8 June 2009

Mitchell Plateau

Monday 8th June. Spent the day walking to Mitchell Falls. After about a 40 min drive from the camp we started walking down the track to Mitchell Falls. First crossing a small creek called Little Merten Creek then coming to Little Merten Falls. Underneath Little Merten Falls there’s some aboriginal rock art in a style called ‘Bradshaw Art’ or ‘Gwion Gwion’. This is some of the oldest and most mysterious art anywhere. There’s a debate about whether it really is aboriginal in origin or whether it was done by some older people that have long since disappeared. The characteristic of Bradshaw Art is the alien-like stick figures. This region has been explored so little that there are 100’s, possibly 1000’s of these sites that no one has ever seen.

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We carried on down the path for another few Km’s and came to Big Merten Falls.

 

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After crossing the Mitchell River, which isn’t very difficult at this time of year, we stopped for a swim in the pools above Mitchell Falls. Then we carried on walking round to a spot where you can see Mitchell Falls itself.

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Due to the remoteness of the area Tim kept a close eye on us at all times.

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Rather than walk back out, there’s a helicopter pick up service, to get people back to the start of the track. Me, Diane, David, Ray and Phylis opted to pay a bit extra to do a loop out over the coast. From up here you got a real feel for just how remote this region is, 10,000’s of sq. kilometres that is completely uninhabited or even unexplored.

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The helicopter looped out to the coast then flew back up the Mitchell River giving us a good view of the falls.

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Arrived back at the Ungolan camp with the feeling that we’d seen somewhere that not many people get to see.

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