Ruby Gap

One of my first camping trips was to Ruby Gap. In the East mac-Donnell`s, it`s a 2 hour drive from Alice, Half bitumen and dirt.
The 4wd was not so hard till you get to the national park. I remember when i entered the park, i stepped out of my car to check the road. It was my first real 4wd on my own, what the hell do i know, i just did a course 4wd back in Melbourne. When you enter the park it crosses over a dry riverbank, pretty sandy.


I stepped back in the car, at that moment i started thinking about a name for my Toyota, and the landcruiser glides in the sand. We had to go another 5 k`s one way track in the park . I travelled very slow across little rocks, big rocks and sand. Beautiful rough landscape was passing by the window. The track follows the Hale river till a dead end . There are two signs on the way , one that say`s ` cars are not advised to travel further` , the second sign tells you ` no cars allowed behind this point`. I stopped the first time by the first sign. Those days i slept in the back of the car. A good thing ,thou, because that night it start`s raining. My car was parked in the middle of the riverbed, and story`s how the river suddenly comes to life, were spooking in my head. So it was not one of my best nights. Every hour checking shining with the torch on the sand, to see if i could discover water runnung in the riverbed.

I spend 3 days at this paradise, painting and walking around. The last morning i woke up with a flat tyre, was a good thing i bought 2 new ones back in Townsville, so i had 2 extra`s that moment. I changed the flat one, and was heading back to Alice.

I came later again with Luke and Byanka, my aussie brother and sister. That time we went whole the way , we passes the second sign , till we couldn`t drive further anymore.But it was a perfect spot, even a little waterhole, and a great view at the gorge.
My most precious memory comes from there.

In the morning , i was drinking some coffee, when suddenly two dingo`s were travelling on the other side of the riverbed. I stood up to get a bit closer, but while doing that, i scared one of the animals. One dingo ran back and the other just moved on. After a few seconds he realised his partner was gone, and sat down brusquely. What the hell. He started howling . Then i noticed some movement in the bushes on the rocks a few meters up , there she was . Trying to find a safer way to get to her partner. The male dingo noticed it to, stopped howling and proceeded his way. And a bit further of our campingspot they were back reunited.


We spend the whole day finding some fake ruby`s in the sand, garnets they were, visited the lonely grave of a ruby miner. Till it was time to get back. The part between the two signs is serious 4wd. Big rocks, and i mean , big rocks, a high clearance was absolute necessary. Both cars were shaking there way trough the rough riverbed. Luke`s car ended up with a leak in his fueltank. but we arrived save in our homestead.