Once again we had heard mixed reviews from friends about Alice Springs and we were beginning to realise more and more that how much you get out of a place is a lot about how much you put into it. We have been to many places where we have been told how dirty it is, how nasty the owners are and how there’s nothing to do there. And many times these comments could not have been further from the truth. In fact some of these places will always be major highlights of our trip. For example Duke of Orleans Bay in South Australia, Kakadu National Park and also Alice Springs.
We were really keen to purchase a piece of Aboriginal artwork and although we had acquired a few amazing pieces in Arnhem Land, we were looking for that one piece that both grabbed us and was in our price range.
Alice Springs is an interesting and eclectic community, filled with a real mix of races, cultures and funky cool people. There was quite a vibe about the place, one which we were interested to get more into. Again we struck it lucky as we were in Alice for the Desert Festival and there was a lot on that the community came out to celebrate.
On our drive to Alice we were incredibly surprised at the landscape, not at all barren or treeless. And Alice itself is surrounded by magnificent ranges called the MacDonnell Ranges on both the east and west sides. After a quick stroll into town and a stop at Woolies to get some supplies we were keen to explore the Ranges the following day.
We have not been disappointed with any of the Big 4 caravan parks and Alice Springs was no exception. A large grassed site, 2 great pools, jumping pillows, playground, go karts and free pancake brekky on Sundays. What more could you want! Considering Josh was to leave us again from Alice, it's always nice to know we are in a safe place. We were also surrounded by some really nice grey nomads who were very impressed with our children’s behaviour. It’s funny, some of the grey nomads must cringe when a family pull up next to them. We so often get people coming up to us after a week when they are pulling out to tell us how great our kids are. Not sure what they were expecting?
Before Josh left we had a few days to look around and explore the ranges. We spent a day looking at some galleries in town, checking out some of the unbelievably brilliant artwork and sculptures at the Araluen Art Precinct. As part of the Desert Festival the art gallery was showcasing some 150 artworks from various Central Australian artists. Some beautiful pieces which were able to be purchased, just a bit more than we wanted to spend. The gallery also held a small collection of Albert Namatjira paintings which were beautiful. And, after our trip out to the MacDonnell Ranges you can certainly see where he got his inspiration from. Included in the price of the exhibition was entrance to the Central Australian Natural Museum. We were hesitant to go as the kids were getting a bit restless but it was a very interesting visit with some wonderful exhibits of both living and extinct animals from around Australia, in particular Central Australia.
We decided to start our exploration with the West MacDonnell Ranges. Our first stop was Simpson Gap where we got a glimpse of some shy rock footed black wallabies.
Next stop was the Standley Chasm. It was a short but beautiful walk through a dry creek bed and ended at the Chasm itself. The colours of the rock were magnificent and apparently even better at midday when the sun enters the chasm and reflects on the rock. We didn’t stay around for that as we wanted to head to our next spot for lunch and a cool swim.
Ellery Creek Big Hole was a great spot for lunch. In the heat of the day it was welcome relief to know that amongst the dryness and heat of the day was a large freshwater swimming hole, very cold but very refreshing. The kids once again found some kids to play with and soon made friends with them. Oscar was keen to jump off the rocks where an older group of school boys were jumping and Jem and Rubes were happy to just have a very quick dip in the water.
We were in no rush to leave so the afternoon got away from us and we decided not to go further onto Ormiston Gorge and head back home. The Ranges in the afternoon were spectacular and Josh was keen to stop regularly to take photos. The colours of the Ghost Gums in the creek beds against the backdrop of the Ranges is just magical and obviously an inspiration for many local artists.
That evening as part of the Desert Festival, the Alice Mall was the central place for the street parade, stalls and street performances. We followed the floats down the mall to the big top tent where a group of young kids called the Ninja Circus from Mutijulu in remote Central Australia performed. They were led by quite an eccentric Frenchman who was their Ninja leader. They were an acrobatic troupe which our kids thought were fantastic. It must have been an amazing experience for these kids to come to town and perform, eat ice-cream and get so much attention We had a fun night and enjoyed being part of the Alice community.
Unfortunately it was soon time for Josh to leave us again. The week actually went by quite quickly with a few trips into town, the markets, and a lot of swimming. We had a favourite café that made great coffee as well as really nice smoothies which once again Ruby enjoyed.
Oscar was keen to get a didgeridoo so we went to have a lesson with an expert in town. Even though he hasn’t quite got the circular breathing he has managed to master some animal sounds and the correct sound through his blowing. Jem also got a didg and insists his rap playing is just as good.
After a bit of school work we headed out for the Desert Park to see some Centralian animals. Trace had been bragging to the kids about a project she got an A+ for in Primary School on the Thorny Devil. And, although we had not seen one as yet in the wild, she was keen to see one at the animal park. After many bird shows throughout our trip, the Raptor show was not really a highlight but interesting nonetheless. We saw many other great reptiles and a fantastic nocturnal house which had some very interesting snakes and of course a very cute Bilby.
Thankfully, Josh was on his way home and we were on our way the next day to Uluru.
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