Eyre Creek and Simpson dunes

Image Could Not Be FoundImage Could Not Be FoundHi everyone, spent the day yesterday wandering around the eastern part of the Simpson, mainly looking for birds and flowers around Eyre Creek. Left before sun up so could sit on the dune east of Eyre Creek and watch the sun come up and over the water. Stunning! On the eastern side of Eyre Creek there are lots of yellow, orange and a few red chats but on the western side there are hundreds and hundreds of red chats. I have not seen the QAA line so chopped up for a very long time - it is atrocious. Most of the dunes have overtaking lanes on the crests (was it because of the people stuck on the top and the impatient people made another passing lane?) - even the eastern side of Big Red is a shocker. The blows on the top of the dunes are still there and people have made right, then left, then right crestings - that's fun, but the corrugations are terrible.
Eyre Creek is simply stunning - there is lost of water in the creek proper and in the channels either side. I was particularly keen to photograph the Mimulous Prostrata (Monkey face flowers) - very hard to find but did eventually. The dunes on the QAA were so bad that we found another way home - which was even more fun, no corrugations but vertical drops on the eastern side of the dunes.
The flood detour crossing is just a puddle now but very pretty and very busy - first photo and second photo; Ian is pictured in the freezing water of Eyre Creek (southern crossing of eastern channel - which is closed but some people have been playing in there), the photo of the dune is on the western side about half way from Big Red to Eyre Creek.
There are some beautiful camps along Eyre Creek proper and plenty of people have been enjoying the lovely water views.Birdsville is quite busy and the helicopter scenic flights are doing well as are the fixed wing scenic flights the weather is lovely, 3 degrees this morning about 17 now but no wind and clear and sunny.