***PLEASE BRING YOUR OWN PEN***
This cache is located a little over 2km along the world famous Larapinta Trail. The Larapinta Trail is 223km long and consists of 12 stages, stretching from Alice Springs to Mount Sonder, the fourth highest mountain in central Australia. Section 1 of the Trail starts at the Alice Springs Telegraph Station and extends west for 23.9km to Simpsons Gap. It's a fairly easy day walk (takes me about 5-6 hours, but most people seem to take about 8-9hrs), which takes you into some spectacular country. To do this cache, you'll only be walking for approximately 2km out along Section 1 of the Larapinta Trail. Make sure you take the Larapinta Trail turn after you've visited the old cemetery (and picked up the Dead Centre #1 cache!), rather than the Trig Hill Walk.
Witchetty Bush (Acacia kempeana) is one of the most common plants you’ll see around Alice Springs. Growing up to 3 metres high, these plants are called ‘Atnyematye’ (pronounced ut-NYEM-atch -don’t say the final ‘e’) in Central Arrernte, after the Antyeme (witchetty) grub which lives in the roots of these bushes. In spring, and often after rainfall, these shrubs burst into colour with fluffy, yellow wattle blossoms, shaped like little fox tails.
To find the Atnyeme grubs, Arrernte women will look for telltale cracks in the ground, and then dig them up with a digging stick or crowbar. The grub is a creamy colour, and when cooked, tastes like egg yolk.
I will NOT eat them raw and crawling, but I can thoroughly recommend them cooked on coals with a litle salt to taste.
The cache is a small metal tin, approximately 5cm x 5cm in size. There is a log, and room for a few small swaps.
***PLEASE BRING YOUR OWN PEN***