(19 – 29 June)
Our first day here was a domestic one – cleaned inside the
van, washed linen and clothes and did some grocery shopping. Thursday night was
Sonja’s birthday, so we went out to a Thai restaurant with Len, Margaret, Ed
and Sue. A great night out – David had booked a table for the six of us – just
as well… we were the only ones there! An excellent meal that kept the staff
there for some time after they had closed (at 8:30)!
The wind had picked up whilst we were out and we put the
awning up when we were back at the van. We discovered part of the top layer of
the awning had come off – it seems it must be in layers and because the top
section is always exposed to the sunlight, the top layer has become brittle and
is coming off. Something to be looked at later when we get back home.
We visited the School of the Air (131 students in an area
the size of central Europe. The furthest student living over 1000km away. All
equipment - computer, printer,
webcam, satellite dish, etc, plus the technician to set it up supplied by the
school. Teachers visit their students twice a year – after a course in
four-wheel driving. Students and their families come into Alice Springs four
times a year for concerts, sporting events and other activities to allow the
students time to socialize with others they only hear or see via computer). The
children have designated on-air times as well as then spending the rest of a
school day with their tutor (parent/ hired tutor/ volunteer) going through work
materials that are supplied every fortnight. It was very interesting to watch
the librarian taking a lesson (reading and pointing things out via webcam) and
the children’s responses. As sponsorship is very important for the school, we
bought a couple of library books for them – our names and where we come from
will be entered into the book – some students have world maps showing where the
book-sponsors come from.
We also had a look over the Royal Flying Doctor Service
where Sonja received a phone call from her sister Wendy (then in Belgium).
Friday saw us having another rest day and a visit to the
Alice Springs Beanie Festival. There were thousands of beanies that had been
knitted, crocheted and felted in all sorts of shapes, varieties of colours and
unusual designs – all for sale. Lots of people attended and tried on many
beanies (nits!?)
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| Caterpillar Dreaming painting at Emily Gorge |
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| Corroboree Rock |
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| Trephina Gorge |
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| Partially restored Police Station and Cell at Arltunga |
We also visited the Pioneer Women’s Hall of Fame – very
interesting look at a wide range of women who were first in their field – eg
women who were the first lawyers (despite not being able to practice for a
couple of decades after graduating because the ruling body didn’t recognise
women)! We also spent some time in the Alice Springs market held every second
Sunday in the Todd St Mall – lots of clothes, books, artwork and food.
David decided to clean the van while the car was in for a
service and discovered one of the roof supports had come adrift – borrowed a
ladder and took a couple of days to fix (wood filler, new screws and silastic)
– won’t really know if it has worked until the roof is put down. We had another
enjoyable meal out with Ed and Sue.
We did a trip out to Rainbow Valley. This is 77km south of
Alice Springs and then 22km of unmade road into a very colourful reserve. We
were here around midday and believe it would be quite spectacular at sunset.
There are a number of campsites set, all having a fabulous view. We did the short walk to Mushroom Rock.
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| Road into Rainbow Valley - red sand and corrugations! |
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| Rainbow Valley |
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| Mushroom Rock |
From here we decided to head to Owen Springs ruins via 50km of great 4x4 driving. Lots of sand and driving along stony creek beds. Owen Springs homestead was the first cattle station to be set up in the Northern Territory. It had a series of owners (including Sidney Kidman) before it was bought by the Northern Territory Government as a Reserve.
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| It's important to read all signs when you travel in the Outback |
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| Track into Owen Springs |
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| More of the track into Owen Springs |
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| Ruins at Owen Springs |
We spent a full day at the Alice Springs Desert Park. This
was a fascinating day learning about the life of the aborigines of the area –
the bush tucker and medicines, plant and animal knowledge and aspects of male
and female roles we didn’t know about. There are a number of aviaries and a
great nocturnal house with animals from the area.
We have a domestic day today before we head north tomorrow.
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