'Oaks' by the 'Creek'

Following on from yesterday's post I had to share this early morning with you. The location is Armstrong Creek in Northern Territory east of Docker River (on the WA/NT border). It is found between the Gibson Desert to the north and the Great Victoria Desert to the south.

'River gums' Eucalyptus camaldulensis in the 'creek'

The 'creek' was a wide bed of pinky orange gritty sand, with a pool of water downstream from our campsite, near the main road. It had a few small sand dunes nearby on which the desert oaks grew. We camped overnight in a thicket of acacia between the creek and the dunes. The stars were bright in the clear sky with scorpio swinging overhead. Before dawn we cooked a quick cuppa to warm and fortify ourselves against the cold before we headed out. The morning brought a typical desert sunrise - rich gold and indigo sky - icy cold - my hands could hardly operate the camera. But it is always worth it, to experience the awakening of the morning, to hear and feel and see it.

'Desert oaks' Allocasuarina decaisneana in the morning light

There were black faced butcher birds calling, their melodic call ringing through the stillness. Chattering yellow throated miners alternated between feeding on the nectar of the golden grevilleas and sunning themselves in the tree tips once the red gold orb of the sun had peeked over the horizon. This was a haven for parrots as well: they loved the aged river gums growing in the creekline. We saw and heard port lincoln parrots, pink and gray galahs and corellas with beautiful pale pink bellies. The river gums are a fantastic resource for birds, providing nesting hollows, nectar and a plentiful supply of insects.

Flowers of the 'corkwood' Hakea lorea

The 'desert oaks' bear no resemblance at all to the European oak but they do have a wonderful grain in their timber which is reminiscent of their namesake. The trees grow very slowly, becoming large and spreading in maturity, some apparently aged over 1000 years. Its deeply fissured corky bark protects the trees from fire as does the bark of the 'corkwood', Hakea lorea. These desert regions never cease to amaze me and I keep on going back. I remember reading Nicholas Rothwell and he or someone commented that the red centre captures your heart and you have to keep going back. I think it's true.