Mereenie Loop

We woke a number of times over the night and the last two included the sound of rain hitting the tent.  Yep, it does rain in the desert.  I told myself not to worry about the road ahead, just go back to sleep.  By 6.15am I was up to catch the sunrise.  It was a magical moment to sit beside a waterhole, all on my own, and watch the birds greet the morning. Absolutely magical!  A moment I had hoped this holiday would bring had arrived! 

Back to the tent to find Will still not feeling well but prepared to continue our journey forward even when I said we could just stay here for another day.  “Nope,” he said, “King’s Canyon is way too important to you, we’re not staying here.”  So we packed up, except, oh oops, seems we may have forgotten the castle, and headed to the now wet Mereenie Loop. 

First stop, Tnorala – a meteorite site.  The rocks did nothing to impress but the ground was a sea of wildflowers.  Amazing! How lucky to be in the desert after rain on and off for a month or so! 

OK, deep breath, here comes the Mereenie Loop.  It wasn’t as bad as we had imagined, slippery in a few spots, low water crossings in a few spots but all and all nothing compared to last year’s Ernest Giles Road.

Lunch was at the only designated rest area on the Mereenie Loop – with a magnificent view of misty rain all over the Kings Canyon region.  By 2.30pm we were in at King’s Canyon Resort enquiring about a room for the night.  Seems many others had too due to the rain but there was still a standard room available, a shared kitchen and bathroom, but a bedroom and TV to ourselves.  Will made himself comfortable on the bed and I went exploring.  A quiet evening ensured as Will was still struggling with headaches and body aches.