Zebedee Springs and Emma Gorge

Life in a van: Appreciating the small things

That night we were happy as we had a little kitchen at El Questro Station to cook our stuff, we had showers and we had a bar to get a beer from! We had only been travelling less than a week but we could definitely appreciate that. Since we broke the key of the trailer, at the beginning of the trip, we also didn’t have access to the camping tables and benches, so we missed even that. Having dinner without needing to hold your plate while sitting on a stool felt awesome.

After dinner we went over to Tracy and Mark’s trailer to leave them a little gift. They weren’t there so we left the wine on the chair. We were excited, as we were about to go to a bar and even if it was empty we were craving the idea of sitting on a proper chair and drinking a beer while listening to some artist performing. As soon as we got our first drinks we were invited by some young Aussies to join them on their table. There were two guy from Tasmania and a couple in their late 20s from Sydney who had been traveling for the last 3-4 months around Australia. We shared a few funny stories, some plans for the next couple of weeks, and exchanged contacts.

Next morning we headed off to Zeebedee Springs on our way to Emma Gorge. I was excited both these places especially Emma Gorge. It was going to be one of the highlights of this trip. I had been saving pictures of it on Instagram as a place I want to go next. And maybe if you believe in the law of attraction, you might think this is a case :)

We made it through the creek crossing again, and again, we were celebrating like kids would. We stopped at Zebedee Springs, got our swimsuits on and started our walk along the trail. We were told to get there as early as 7am because it gets busier after (and they close around noon). It was around 8am when we got there and although there were a few groups of people we were able to chill a bit. The were thermal waters between 20 to 32 degrees, located in the middle of rocks and palm trees. It was such perfect scenery, even if the water was warm it was a very refreshing morning. That was until an old man told us to be careful with the leeches and showed us his blood covered foot. Thank God we didn’t know that until we were about to leave.

We spent about an hour there before we left for Emma Gorge. As soon as we got there, we filled up our water bottles and started our walk. We made it in about 45 minutes, between bushes, rocks and small creeks with turquoise waters. It was around noon and we could feel the heat.

When we arrived, I was amazed, we were amazed… Emma Gorge was more than I had expected it. A spectacular gift from Mother Nature! The vibrant orange of the gorge up the top, the green plants as you look up, mixed with a waterfall, the reflection on the walls and the water coming from above like occasional rain drops. It felt like we were in a movie, except that this was completely real. Everything felt so peaceful.

We had a few snacks and went for a swim in the cold water. Well to me the water is always cold, so maybe I’m not a good reference. We took a couple of photos, and Jordan enjoyed the last bit of sunshine laying on a rock. After 2 hours hanging out there we started to head back. It didn’t feel like a long walk. That’s the thing, there are so many beautiful spots to observe that you don’t realise you’re walking, you’re actually cruising.

This was written by Daiana Fernandez. Check out her blog (in Spanish) here!