Further evidence of water yet
there’s no evidence of native animals,
perhaps they too know that the wa-
ters here aren’t the best for survival.
We explore the ancient river before
heading back to the bikes to move
further into the Bungles and discov-
er yet more land formations, very
different to the domes despite being
the same land formation and environ-
ment. What we find are microenvi-
ronments created through seclusion,
locked off from the surrounding
world.
Echidna Chasm, an enjoyable walk
into a world that time forgot. Ancient
palms, unlikely in this area, flourish
amongst the rock formations and
deep walls, shaded from the heat
and sourcing waters deep below the
ground they highlight the trail into
the gorge.
We walk further into the void as
the walls close in, voices whisper as
we walk, the ancients perhaps or our
own voices echoing through the hall?
The trail winds further on, at times
we must walk sideways to slip be-
tween the rocks, before we’re present-
ed with a sight that seems more out of
place than anywhere else. A massive
opening, a beach, a waterhole. The
voices whisper louder, indistinguish-
able yet there. It’s an eery feeling,
disembodied conversations in this
void.
“There’s someone over there,”
Megan points to the far side of the
chasm, 100 metres away across the
water. I squint in the strange light
and notice a couple sat, deep in con-
versation. The voices.
The rounded walls of the chasm
form a perfect echo chamber, some-
one within a few metres is almost
impossible to hear yet someone on
the other side is very clear. We test
our theory; Megan walks away, the
further she walks the clearer her
footsteps become as she squelches
through the sand. While unique I
preferred the thought of being able to
hear the ancients.
Our time in the Bungles was over
and as I stepped from the shower
and dried I felt a touch of melan-
choly sweep over me, I wished we’d
spent more time exploring this land,
it seemed so far removed from the
glamorous camp we were now enjoy-
ing.
With beer in hand we sat on the
balcony, yes, this tent had a balcony,
and watched kangaroos move around
TRAVERSE
92
the area, they knew we were watching
yet didn’t care. They moved on when
a few large cows strolled into view.
The old and the new worlds had come
together. A 350-million-year-old land
hosting a whole new experience for
travellers who pass through in the
blink of an eye.
This land is constantly changing
and in the next blink of an eye we’ll
find new discoveries. A cow stopped
and turn directly towards us. She
watched, chewed, and with a know-
ing wink moved on to follow the herd.
Megan and I looked at each other,
in silence, and clinked our cans of
beer together.
“I’m off to use that toilet,” I
smirked.
This is glamping … LW
Leigh, our editor, travelled through
north-west Australia in 2018 with his partner
Megan. Together they discovered an ancient
land, an ancient people, an ancient culture.
They discovered that what one person says
is too tough, too dangerous often leads to the
greatest adventure. They also discovered
that ‘glamping’ is sometimes the best way of
camping.