Alice Springs 23:42.00 S  133:52.93 E

14^th-16^th July 2007

Following a great time with yachtie friends in Darwin, we were met at the airport by our friend Brian  Bateman who is the local surveyor for Alice Springs.

Alice Springs is not just this desert that surrounds it, it is a vibrant, clean and nicely laid out town, full of tourists this time of the year.  Brian stacked our bags into the back of his Toyota Land Cruiser, which he has specially adapted with highly specialised GPS surveying equipment he uses for going to the outback to plan for schools, roads and  any other work he may be called on to perform.  Brian can spend up to a week at a time in the outback surveying, cooking on a camp fire and sleeping under the stars in a swag

The Road Trains are an everyday part of outback life some of them can be over 50 metres long!

Surrounded by a sea of red sand the size of Europe, Alice Springs attracted many famous pioneering characters, miners and cattlemen searching for fortune.  Ambitious projects included the laying of the Overland Telegraph Line that opened up inland Australia to the world, the Old Ghan railway, the Royal Flying Doctor Service, being the first aerial medical organization of its type.  This pioneering spirit lives on in the people of Alice Springs today

The hilarious Camel Cuup being one of the quirky events.

Do you choose the camel by the look on his face or what?

The Camel Cup in full racing mode

One camel lost it’s rider at the start making it a fun event to watch

This is the Aboriginal clans story of the beginning of Alice Springs, and the painting representing their story

The memorial to Rev. John Flyn the founder of the Flying Doctor Service in 1939 he also introduced the pedal radio (SSB) to allow remote Stockmen to keep in touch with the town

Our next stop was the desert park full of wonderful flora and fauna thriving in this very harsh environment

The area represents the different micro climates within the desert so well, it gave us more understanding of the plants and animal life we were about to experience.  The deserts was in full flower, after some unusual rain.

There were amazing Thorny Devils a plenty

This black kite showed off his arial skills with his keeper

Whilst this buzzard showed us how he cracks open the emu egg by breaking it with the stone which is in his beak

Being 14^th July, we enjoyed an excellent French meal at Lanes Restaurant with Brian and his wife Josie

Who is the computer braines behind their business, turning Brian’s work into the finished drawings and reports.

The MacDonnell Ranges stretch all along the road  from Alice Springs out to Glen Ellen Gorge for 150 km