Alice Springs

How appealing are these faces?
We stopped at a Camel Farm along the way and couldn't resist photographing these two.

Todd Mall, Alice Springs.  Tree-lined and shady.

Sturt's Desert Rose, the State floral emblem of the Northern Territory

Just one of the many beautiful sunsets here in the Alice, from the back of our motorhome

The distances here can sometimes be daunting

Part of the old Telegraph Station grounds, Alice Springs

Biking down the (dry) Todd River - must be some sight in full flood

The old Ghan train, Transport Museum, Alice Springs

Must have been fun to dine in style

Rare photo of Ray on old steam train, Transport Museum

Scary road train

Billabong, Olive Pink Botanical Gardens

View of Alice from the top of the Olive Pink Botanical Gardens

Port Lincoln Ringneck Parrot, Botanical Gardens

Some of the contestants in the Finke Desert Races which were run this weekend

All around us in our campground - an interesting week

Well, we wanted some down time after some of the long days driving in the Centre, so have spent the last week in Alice Springs at the G'day Mate Caravan Park 4.5 km out of the centre of the town.  Luckily we have our bikes, as it's a very pleasant ride along a well-constructed bike/walking track which continues for miles outside the town.  There is one drawback, however.  It runs alongside the dry Todd River, which is home to some of the "long grass" people (it's permissible here to call them "Blackfellas", as we're "Whitefellas"), which means that a good lookout is necessary for broken glass along the way.

We had biked into town a couple of times, and taken the history walking tour with a knowledgeable guide; ridden out to the old Telegraph Station, part of it through the sandy Todd River, and into the Sunday Markets at Todd Mall, but came a cropper yesterday on our way to watch the time trials for the Finke River Races (dirt bikes and buggies).  We made the 7 km there no problem, though the track further out of town was a little bumpy, but Ray must have picked up some glass along the way and his tyre deflated while we were watching the end of the dune buggy time trials.  To say that he was unimpressed is to put it mildly, and an hour later, having taken the wheel off and replaced the tube, and with both of us working hard on the bike pump, we were on our way back to the campground.

After a morning's work today cleaning the bugs off the front of the van we decided to ride into town and buy something special for dinner (our main stock up being tomorrow morning on our way out).  I'll draw a cloak over the SECOND puncture, but it involved Ray walking his bike home, and changing yet another tyre, thanks to a broken bottle scattered over the pathway.  I continued into town, bought some goodies and flew home to arrive shortly after Ray and his long walk.  Broken glass is a huge problem here in Alice, with both sides of the bike path glittering like the Crystal Highway.  There doesn't seem to be much visible trouble with clandestine drinking, but it is necessary to run the gauntlet at every liquor outlet, with two policemen standing outside checking that each buyer has a home address.  We were told that this is not a whiteman's law, but instituted by the Aborigines themselves (though not all of them I'd guess).   When there is drunkenness, it's very visible indeed, with much yelling and swearing, even in the Todd Mall.  There is also a mobile police force with pushies, trail bikes and cars.  It's a different world out here.

(Ray:  This is my paragraph.  I had sympathy for the plight of the poor aborigines when I lived in Brisbane but believe me it's very confronting when you spend time in a town like Alice.  Were had previously visited Cooktown and the Lockhart River when sailing but were not prepared for the hopelessness of Alice.  Blackfellas and girls everywhere sitting on the green grass all day with an incredible number of small kids.  No open sign of alcohol consumption but the after effects are everywhere - broken glass.  I did not see one aborigine who was working in any kind of a job and can only assume that they are all on welfare. I have talked to a number of locals who have tried to employ aboriginal labour and they say it is hopeless as they don't want to shift from benefits. I add this view only so that people can think about the problem.  I have no solutions and I don't think those in charge have a clue - Ray.)

Apart from the above, Alice Springs is also quite a cosmopolitan town with some good cafes, restaurants and coffee.  It's full of travellers of all nationalities, young and old, which makes sharing a table at a coffee shop interesting.  There are some very pukkah parts of town - there's even a Hilton - and more caravan parks than I've seen elsewhere.  It's a lovely time of year to see the place, though the last few days have been quite wintry and our first 2 days swimming in the lovely pool here have gone by the board.  The water was cold even then - it'd be frigid now!  We don't notice the night time temperatures so much because of our diesel heater, but when Ray climbed the ladder this morning to clean the solar panels, he said that there was ice on the roof!  Ice in Alice!!!

We're headed east or west tomorrow - either way we'll be visiting the Macdonnell Ranges for the next few days.  After that it'll be another restock at Alice before heading up to Kakadu and Litchfield National Parks.  No doubt you've heard the news about the fisherman taken from a boat in Kakadu recently - I promise we'll keep out of the water!