So we were there, but there was no sign of a tour bus.
Proceeding according to instructions I wandered over to the kiosk, found it deserted, wandered back past a parked car that had no sign of any occupants, and headed back to the remaining vehicle, where a bloke in an Outdoor Education Centre T-shirt was in the process of negotiating a cup of coffee with the Missus.
I was still figuring out what to do and ascertaining this couple's intentions when, lo and behold, a tour bus and trailer pulled in of the highway and pulled up behind the previously noted unoccupied vehicle.
It was an obvious case of heading in that direction, and I arrived to find the bus disgorging its occupants while a nuggety Aboriginal bloke in faded blue shirt and denim jeans was looking in my direction.
Roy? Ian? And a handshake concluded the introductions, I quickly ascertained we were to tag along with the tour group, so I headed back to impart news, apply sunscreen, collect bottled water and get my stuff together. Roy, I noted, was carrying a water bottle, confirming my suspicions that I'd be needing two.
By the time we reached the tour group, the bus had totally disgorged its elderly occupants, and from a look at the gathering it was obvious we weren't going to be doing anything over strenuous.
As we set off we found ourselves at the end of what used to be termed, in English schoolboy stories, a crocodile, though given the issues associated with fitness and agility with this party, one was certainly hoping the saurians were thin on the ground up in these parts well away from the water.
The climb wasn't quite as straightforward as one might have presumed, and there were frequent stops that served the dual purpose of giving Roy a chance to talk about bush tucker or point out something of botanical interest and giving less agile members of the party a chance to catch up.
There were a couple of smaller galleries on the way up, faded by weather and partly obscured, as Roy explained, by dust from the previously unsealed road but arriving at the actual Split Rock gallery we found ourselves on a large wooden platform with seating on the outer rim. More...