Our first major stop was Mungo NP. This park, once a large pastoral lease, is now a NP due to its unique archeological significance. The park centers on a now-dry lakebed surrounded on the east by tall multilayered dunes. In the photo below, you see the expanse of the lakebed, and the dunes on the far side.
What makes this park unique is the archeological finds in the dunes themselves. This area has been occupied by aboriginal peoples for over 40,000 years. The dunes build and erode at very predictable rates based on whether the lake is dry or not. This has allowed very precise dating of the various remains found here. Everything from bones to ancient fire pits.
Despite getting less than 12” or rain a year, there is plenty of life here.
Some Pink Cockatoos.
A hawk sitting on the highest thing for miles.
When the vegetation is disturbed, erosion begins. Here you can see the alternating sand and silt layers that were deposited over the last 100 thousand years during alternating wet and dry periods.
A red kangaroo doing what they do best.
Even in the desert, there is water if you know where to look. At this soak, water in the dunes pools just below the sand. Animals come from miles around during the dry to get a drink. Here you can see a flock of emus digging holes and getting a drink.
When rain does fall, grasses and wildflowers spring up from the seemingly barren earth.
Continuing on, we visited Broken Hill and the hilltop sculpture installation west of town.
We got to watch the sun set from the edge of nowhere. Flat enough that you can see the curvature of the earth almost.
This is mining country, and the next town, Cobar, is no exception.
You can see a pickup truck at the bottom, it pretty small at this distance.
We rounded outback NSW off with some ancient rock art in Gundabooka NP.
Beautiful!! That's got to be like driving through Kansas though LOL
ReplyDeleteIt is! Except that there are trees and tall bushes!
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