5 x 7 in The Alice

Following one day in Alice Springs and then one day exploring the West MacDonnell Ranges, we'd spend the next day in town again. First of all, to satisfy the two biggest train buffs of the family we drove 5km's north of town and found a rough dirt / rocky track that took us to the edge of the rail line to watch the south bound Ghan train arrive in Alice Springs. The train was around 38 carriages and just shy of 1 km in length! 

 After our train encounter we went and paid a visit to the largest classroom in the world - the School of the Air. These days the school relies on the technology of satellite dishes, internet, video conferencing etc. A lot different from the old radio technology which they only did away with in 2005. We enjoyed an interesting tour, including watching a teacher working with her class. It would be weird teaching this way... but one advantage they said that they could literally mute a student at any time... wouldn't any other classroom teacher love to be able to do that sometimes?

Below is the last radio unit that was decomissioned in 2005... the silver microphone next to it was used by the school, but was kept as it was used by the Queen when she visited the school and chatted to students over the airways.

Our next stop was a wander along the Todd Mall and other shopping areas of Alice Springs. Not many people around and looking more tired and run down than I'd remembered, it was a quick look around. We noticed... and how could you not... the huge number of CCTV cameras around... 

This pole was one of numerous... check out how many cameras on it! I think they have got everything covered!  Despite this, I've never felt like walking around Alice Springs was unsafe... maybe we should be more concerned.

We'd had a look at The Ghan the first afternoon we'd arrived in town and a lady in the station area suggested we come back on Thursday afternoon and they'd let us have a bit of a look on board the train. So we did. We got to see some of the dining areas and hear about the logistics of getting a train like this running. Although nearly a kilometre long, the train only has around 130 passengers - no wonder it costs so much to travel on it.  

Our final visit for the afternoon was to the Reptile Centre - yes we'd seen a number at the Desert Park a couple of days prior, but this place was great last time, so we decided we'd take the kids. Plus you get to hold a couple of lizards and a snake. 

Jeanette thinks this little guy looks like some sort of creature from The Hobbit... he's actually a ghecko.

 This is 'Bullet' the Olive Green python - and he really is a beauty!

Not one to hold or pat - this is Terry the salt water crocodile, captured in Darwin Harbour in 2002 and here in Alice Springs ever since. 

 Finally, the kids enjoyed an evening swim in the pool at the caravan park.

It is fair to say that visiting this part of the country you could be 'gorged out' - sick of gorges, a bit like the whole castles and cathedrals thing in the UK... after a while they begin to look the same and loose their wow factor... but for our final day in Alice Spring, despite seeing a few gorges already, I wanted to take the kids to my favourite gorge - Ormiston Gorge. A truely gorgeous gorge! 135 km west of Alice Springs, but worth the hours drive.

We took the 20 minute walk up to the Ghost Gum lookout, then continued the loop walk that led us down into the dry river bed for the return journey. Pictures can't really represent how magnificent this place is - how majestic a gorge Ormiston is!

 The kids enjoyed playing in the freezing cold rock pool.

On the way back to Alice Springs we stopped to look at Serpentine Gorge, purely because we had never been there before. A lot less majestic than Ormiston, it was quite picturesque though. 

By the time we got back into town, it was decided that we'd eat out. We ended up at the Alice Springs Golf Club. We got the last table available - the place was packed. Apparently Friday night is the meat raffle, wine raffle, beer raffle, spirits raffle and anything else that sits still long enough raffle. Despite the chaos, noise and crowds we did enjoy our dinner!

Saturday morning, after refuelling the car and getting some last minute supplies from the supermarket, we left Alice Springs and drove south, heading for the Uluru turnoff. 

 We had a morning coffee stop by the dry, sandy Finke River.

At Erldunda Roadhouse we turned right, heading due west. We had a quick lunch stop at the ghost roadhouse - Mt Ebenezer.

Everyone travelling this highway things they've spotted Uluru - when in fact they have spotted the top of Mt Connor - a mesa rising from the flat desert floor. We stopped at a lookout atop red sand dunes to admire the view. 

The resort town of Yulara was our destination - the only place to camp within cooee of Uluru. The next closes official campground is 87 km's away. They have a monopoly on access to this area and they know it! For example - diesel was $2.10 a litre, despite being $1.60 up the road in Alice Springs - a place that is equally isolated and requires a bit of freighting to get the fuel in! 

Our site was behind some red sand dunes which gave the place some atmosphere. A very busy camp ground, with several school groups, family groups - for the first time on this trip it seems the grey nomads are in the minority.

After setting up camp we drove into the national park and enjoyed a sunset complete with snacks and drinks, with the imposing Uluru as our special guest... and a few hundred other people from all parts of the globe...

It was spectacular - the colours are amazing and the subtle changes in hue on the rock as the sun sets is to be seen. 

Yesterday we explored Uluru by hiring push bikes and riding the perimeter of the rock. The hire place was 2 km's away at the Cultural Centre, so that meant our ride was 15 kilometres. It was a great way to experience the different parts around the rock, including some rock paintings, caves, water holes and the natural art - the rock itself.  We had the bikes for 3 hours - between 8:30 and 11:30 and we found that was just enough time to get round with so many places to stop and admire.

We returned to the caravan for some lunch. After lunch, Gemma and I were booked into an indigenous dot painting lesson in the town square of Yulara. We were greeted by a local Anungu woman who showed us drawings in the sand, explained some of the traditional tools and equipment. She also explained the different symbols typically used in the paintings. All this was interpreted into English for us. We then got to have a go at 'telling our own stories' with our own dot painting. It was a great session that lasted nearly 2 hours. 

Above is Gemma's finished piece - below is mine which tells the story of our family (at home top left) and our various travels to different locations...

Meanwhile, J and the boys explored other parts of Yulara village and then drove back down to Uluru and looked at more of the Cultural Centre that we had not seen earlier.

Not sure about these signs though... above - is it a no humped camel? Whatever it is, you've got to watch out because they need to merge into one lane? And below, I'm all for not running over wildlife, but the picture almost looks like Flat Stanley Goanna... and it could be dangerous out there if you comine these and have to beware of goannas on bikes - not sure they have a lot of road sense!

 We took our dinner up the sand dune behind the caravan to enjoy the sunset on Uluru from a different, further away point!

 After dark, Jeanette went on a Field Of Lights tour - it is quite expensive, so we sent her along as our cultural ambassador. It's an art installation that was meant to be temporary but it has been extended a few times as it is so popular - a whole bunch of solar powered colourful lights among the red dunes and spinefix grasses...

Today was our last day in this area and we spent it out at Kata Tjuta (The Olgas). About 50 km away from the Ayers Rock Campground. 

We walked both of the walks - the longer Valley of the Winds (7.4 km and rated difficult as it is rocky and steep in places) and the shorter 2.6 Walpa Gorge. The first in particular was very spectacular. I'm not sure I can find the words to describe it - so check out the pictures, which like so much out here still don't do justice to the immense size of the landscapes we found ourselves in.

It was cool to start with and the intial valley lived up to its name 'Valley of the Winds' but we soon ditched jumpers and jackets as it warmed up. 

After the second walk we had a look at the domes from the sunset viewing area - but as it was clouding over, we did not actually stay for sunset, but drove home for some dinner. Quite exhausted after 2 full on but great days... 15 km on the bikes and today over 10 kms of walking. 

Refilled the car with diesel and at $2.10 per litre it took $147 to fill it. Ouch, that hurt the wallet pocket. Tomorrow we head back to the Stuart Hwy then south again.