Sunday 28 July 2013 – Palm Valley, Hermensberg Mission, Ormiston Gorge

In the morning Bill showed us many sights to enjoy in Kakadu.  

Driving into Hermansberg, we saw the old mission and realised that it was Sunday so popped in to the Lutheran Mission Church and joined in the service – held in English and Aranda, the language of the Western Aranda people.  

Afterward we had a chat with Colin who told us about the history of the Mission, then went and viewed over the old mission church, school and buildings.  The Mission provided protection for the indigenous people when the pastoralists were killing them off and fought for aboriginal rights and the protection of their language.  This mission was fortunate to have two long term pastors who were interested in preserving the language and fighting for rights for the Aranda people, even though it went against government policy and lost government funding for some time.  It was unlike other missions who abused their position of trust.

Namajina learnt his painting craft here.

Leaving the Mission we encountered wild brumbies playing in a waterhole.

We then entered Gross Bluff Crater “Tnorala” formed from a comet or large meteorite then impact is estimated to have been the equivalent of millions of times that of the atomic bomb at Hiroshima.  Although a rich source of food, due to death and destruction of clans due to fighting, the area is no longer inhabited.

Visited Red Bank George – nice but not very special.

This picture shows why the indigenous people invented dot painting.

Called in at Glen Helen’s Resort to set tyre pressures back up to normal as we are now back on sealed roads and treated ourselves to a sausage roll and an icypole – Mel really enjoyed the icypole as it was such a nice change from bore water.

Moved on to Ormiston George for camping at night.