You often think of palm trees, a gentle breeze and a nice sandy beach in full sun as the essence of paradise - we've found a new rung on the ladder with which to compare. A 135kms up the West MacDonnell (apologies for yesterday's spelling) ranges lies the Ormiston Gorge complete with towering walls of reddish rock, a serene little lake or waterhole and sandy beaches. Although easily accessible by any Joe Blow, there were few people enjoying the tranquility of this impressive canyon. We felt a bit like loud Americans, with the occasional 'Aidan! Cole!' yelps into the echoing canyon, disturbing the otherwise quiet surrounds. The kids were in their element, enjoying the tepid waters and exploring to their hearts content. Alas we had to pick up and continue our journey up the road to Glen Helen Gorge - there was a resort there and the promise of ice cream! Although not quite as scenic or idyllic as the former gorge, the water was pleasant and offered us some respite from the heat. Small fish abounded in this part of the Finke River which curves through a narrow gorge of towering rock, and gave us plenty to look at. Piper was intent on giving Jen a heart attack as we had left her buoyant swimming vest in the car and she seemed keen on doing her best drowning impressions - not wanting the aid of a hand or shoulder. When she puts her mind to it she can actually get her little wormy stroke going and make some headway - needs a bit of refining but could be olympic potential there! We trundled out of the gorge and eventually back onto the road - destination Alice Springs Cinema to catch 'How to Train your Dragon'. It was a fantastic flick for the kids with everything a moralistically aspiring parent might want to engage their kids in. The cinema didn't have a 3D projector so we missed out on this feature of the film which would have added a stunning dimension. All tolled, it was a rip roaring weekend - a great way to spend our last weekend here in the Red Centre.
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