Anybody been to Rawlinson Ranges ? ? ?

Hi All ,

I have been reading the fascinating trip diaries of Ernest Giles who made two unsuccessful attempts to push west from around Alice Springs to Western Aust .
( These were just two of his many adventures )

The second attempt , in which he was away for 12 months , was mainly centered around the Rawlinson Ranges west of the then Ayers Rock . There was beautiful country in those Ranges with many springs , but every time they attempted to push west from there , they failed , because they could not find water . The Gibson Desert was named after one of the party who died in one of these unsucessful attempts.

After reading the diaries I have decided I must go there and have a look around . This may prove difficult because the Ranges are in Aboriginal land , and I might have a difficult job getting permission . I know the aboriginals were very unhappy about Giles trespassing originally - and no wonder because his horses kept drinking dry all the precious waterholes .

If you are interested in " great reads " you should do a search on Google for Ernest Giles . Another great read found by a similar search is the diary of Leichhardt's trip from Queansland to the Coburg Penninsula on horseback.

Willie