While our guide was giving us a bit of a talk on the gorge (see comment below) I was left facing this rock wall. I was mesmerised by the beautiful colours and patterns on display.
During the trip up the gorge, our guide, very wisely, had not said very much except to point out a couple of things along the way.
Once at the end, he stopped the boat and gave us
the history of the gorge and explained how the current tourist attraction came into being.
Cobbold Gorge is in a remote corner of the 330,000 acre Robin Hood Station owned by the Terry family. The family was aware of the existence Cobbold Creek as a watering hole for their cattle and had visited the spot over the years. However, because of its remoteness and the rugged nature of the country, it had remained largely undisturbed.
It wasn't until the early 1990s that the Terry's youngest son Simon and a couple of his mates decided to take a small boat to the mouth of Cobbold Creek and do some exploring. They paddled up the creek and were amazed at what they were seeing, the beautiful Cobbold Gorge.
Soon after, the Terrys started getting phone calls from people who had talked to the three lads asking if they could come up and see the gorge. It quickly became obvious that they had a very desirable tourist destination on their hands and they decided to develop the Cobbold Gorge tourist centre.
So for Oz 365ers, if you, like me, had never heard of Cobbold Gorge before, that is the reason why. While the gorge has existed for 1700 million years, we have only become aware of it in the last 20 years.
When our guide had finished, I made the comment that we had all made the drive to the gorge with a certain level of expectation and while we didn't know much about it, the fact that it was touted as a scenic attraction for which we had paid good money to see, we were prepared for something pretty good.
In the end, I think everyone was completely blown away by it. Imagine then, I said, the reaction of the 3 boys who had zero knowledge and zero expectations of what they were going to see as they paddled down the creek. They must have been absolutely bloody gobschmacked.
The colour on that rock is just incredible. I like how you, like the tour guide, have left the history of the Gorge until the end. Amazing place. Thanks for sharing it with us.
Once at the end, he stopped the boat and gave us
the history of the gorge and explained how the current tourist attraction came into being.
Cobbold Gorge is in a remote corner of the 330,000 acre Robin Hood Station owned by the Terry family. The family was aware of the existence Cobbold Creek as a watering hole for their cattle and had visited the spot over the years. However, because of its remoteness and the rugged nature of the country, it had remained largely undisturbed.
It wasn't until the early 1990s that the Terry's youngest son Simon and a couple of his mates decided to take a small boat to the mouth of Cobbold Creek and do some exploring. They paddled up the creek and were amazed at what they were seeing, the beautiful Cobbold Gorge.
Soon after, the Terrys started getting phone calls from people who had talked to the three lads asking if they could come up and see the gorge. It quickly became obvious that they had a very desirable tourist destination on their hands and they decided to develop the Cobbold Gorge tourist centre.
So for Oz 365ers, if you, like me, had never heard of Cobbold Gorge before, that is the reason why. While the gorge has existed for 1700 million years, we have only become aware of it in the last 20 years.
When our guide had finished, I made the comment that we had all made the drive to the gorge with a certain level of expectation and while we didn't know much about it, the fact that it was touted as a scenic attraction for which we had paid good money to see, we were prepared for something pretty good.
In the end, I think everyone was completely blown away by it. Imagine then, I said, the reaction of the 3 boys who had zero knowledge and zero expectations of what they were going to see as they paddled down the creek. They must have been absolutely bloody gobschmacked.