Gem Tree is about 70km off the Stuart Highway and north-east of Alice Springs. There’s a bitumen road all the way although at times it a bit narrow, especially when another vehicle is approaching from the opposite direction. As the name implies, there are gems to be found; most are garnets.
The managers were really friendly and they know the Port Adelaide area as they have a sister (sister-in-law) who lives in West Lakes Shore. Once again, Bobby taught their niece!
Throughout the CP there are spindly she-oaks and a few eucalypts scattered and they provide a bit of shade as well as some boundaries for the very large sites (powered and unpowered). Not much grass grows here which is understandable. The facilities are well-maintained and ingenious method of heating the water has impressed Bobby very much. It involves 40 gallon drums, pipes, concrete storage, wood, a fireplace and water. That’s as technical as I’ll get. We have power from 6:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.
At this time of year, there aren’t too many campers but earlier on when friends came here in May/June, it was packed. I can imagine that it would be a bit uncomfortable in high temperatures. The wind blows at almost gale force and in the early afternoon, it’s lovely. Robert has erected a bit of a wind break.
Last night, the temperature was expected to be below zero – a very stark contrast to just a couple of days ago.
We had the heater on and found a couple of winter woollies. I don’t know if we’ll need our bathers much longer but I haven’t packed them away (just in case). I was planning on reading a bit this morning before breakfast and my eBook reader was “frozen”. I’d only recharged it a couple of days ago so the battery wasn’t flat. Jokingly, I said that maybe it didn’t like the cold weather to which Robert replied that they can be heat sensitive. A sharp pin to reset it and it was back in action.
There are tag-along fossicking tours here where you dig for garnets or for $25 a bucket may be bought that saves all the digging. I opted for the bucket. The process is to dry sieve a can of dirt and stones then wash them with a wet sieve; take them into the sun and look up through the bottom of the sieve to spot any red colour. Pick out the red stones that are garnets and collect them in another tin. Sounds easy! Nah!
With the wind strongly blowing, I knew it would be a dirty job. Rubbing through the dry stuff then squishing and sorting through the wet isn’t kind to hands. At the end of 3 hours, I looked as though I’d smoked rollies all of my life. When you find a garnet, it’s black until it’s held up to the light then the colours can be seen. I found a lot of little ones (and I mean little ones – about the size of a pin head) and about 5 OK sized ones. Once cut, they will only be 3mm and 4.3mm in size so they are definitely not whoppers. Each stone is $44 to cut and then the jeweller will set them in a setting of your choice. ;My garnets, cut and set, would cost me about $200 so I’m not going to bother. I like longer earrings and these would just be studs. They’re a nice souvenir and if they are placed in a small glass container with some baby oil under light, the colours are rather beautiful.
No TV or internet but Robert listened to the West Coast Eagles and Collingwood game on the car radio – bad luck that Collingwood won. The managers are Port followers so we’re in friendly territory.
You know that you’re getting further south when flocks of galahs start to appear. We didn’t see many of them up north. We’ve also got piping shrikes with their bandit masks and top-knot pigeons. Of course, Bobby has made friends with them – they like cashew nuts (who doesn’t)!
Alice Springs tomorrow.
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