Rocks - the ultimate time travel

 


More than just rocks

By Malcolm McInerney

At times during our trip to the Top End I heard some quizzical comments about my infatuation with rocks. Yes, they are rarely seen by most as something to dote upon, but they do stimulate the imagination in terms of time and please the eye in regard to beauty.

With many others, one of the highlights of the trip for me was the boat trip in Katherine Gorge. Although at other times on the trip we saw some wonderful landscapes, the experience of floating past ancient rocks of such grandeur was awe-inspiring. Not only because they looked so beautiful but also because they told an amazing story. A story of time beyond our comprehension, and there we were in 2021 admiring them in all their glory. Their story involved being laid down in an ancient sea 1650 million years ago (get your head around that), then consolidated and hardened over millions of years, before being cut into by what we now call the Katherine River. As we travelled through the Katherine Gorge, the layers, shapes and colours of these sandstone rocks were something to admire whilst thinking about  the time involved in them being exposed.  Hard crystalline rocks like these erode so slowly and probably have not changed at all since Europeans arrived in Australia 233 years ago, and here we were in deep ravines hundreds of metres high. How long did that take? Again, a time scale beyond our comprehension.

The reason I chose the photograph of the students in Katherine Gorge and not the rocks themselves is that the smiling faces may indicate that the experience turned some of you onto the awe and wonder of rocks by visiting such a place. I certainly enjoyed seeing you all rubbing your stone at the Zebra Stone Centre with such interest and vigour.  Whilst some of you already appreciated rocks and geology, I hope the trip helped the rest of you to see that rocks have a story to know and a beauty to appreciate. 

Regardless of your perception of rocks, you were a wonderful group to travel with and always showed a keen desire to listen, learn, think and reflect on what you saw and experienced at all the places we visited. Thank you for making this one of the most memorable Premier’s Anzac Spirit School Prize study tours that we have had.

 


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts

Plans in place for the 2022 Darwin trip

Image
  Getting ready to head-off to Darwin and surrounds on 16 Apri l The 2021 Premier's Anzac Spirit School Prize students will be travelling to Darwin and the Top End of the Northern Territory during April 2022.   The historical focus is learning about and commemoration of the Bombing of Darwin during World War 2.  As you will see from the itinerary below, the study tour also has a strong cultural and geographical focus as the group travels from Darwin to Kakadu, to Katherine and then onto Litchfield National Park.  The trip is booked and the itinerary is as follows: Sat, 16 April 2022 Depart Adelaide Airport to Darwin. Arrive Darwin. Larrakia Cultural session Overnight in Darwin at the Double Tree by Hilton on the Esplanade Hotel Sun, 17 April 2022 Darwin Bombing Cruise and Darwin War Museum - tour of Darwin environs. Overnight in Darwin at the Double Tree by Hilton on the Esplanade Hotel ...
Read more

Away to the Top End

Image
  First group photograph: At East Point after the Larrakia Cultural experience with Tony and Trent Lee. A  great day in Darwin - the following photographs show some of the highlights from the day. Trent welcoming the group Getting ready for the Larrakia salt water ceremony Throwing spears Making fire Tony playing the Didgeridoo and students accompanying Didgeridoo healing                                                                  Body painting with ochre Dinner at Stokes Hill Wharf Tomorrow  we will learn about the 1942 bombing of Darwin on the water, at the wharf, around Darwin and at the Darwin Military Museum - another busy day!
Read more