Alice springs and surrounds............

It's time to update newsfromjude about the last few days here in Alice Springs. 

The countryside is constantly changing and I can't see how anyone would find it boring. 

To enter Alice Springs you drive on the Stuart Highway, through Heavitree Gap as in the photo below, and Alice seems to be nestled in amongst hills like this. The railway to Darwin is right alongside the highway here in this photo.

We are staying at the Wintersun Park on the north of the town. This is a very well maintained, very clean, and grassed park. 

The town has recently been in the media for troubles and there was even a night curfew, but we have experienced no issues while here..........
and you can see the razor wire fence that surrounds the caravan park...........and many other properties.....

                            .........security at this park is very tight and the gates are locked at 6pm. (There is a code if you need to enter after 6pm.)

We visited The Old Ghan Museum which was very interesting..........the map below shows where the Old Ghan track was and the towns it used to go through..........but in later years they changed the route to avoid some low lying areas that got very wet and held the train schedule up. (It now travels through Alice Springs on it's way to Darwin).

The Todd River flows through the centre of Alice from it's origin in the nearby Macdonnell Ranges, and most of the year it is a dry river bed, but after major rains it floods.

From internet..........Each year the Henley on Todd Regatta is held, the world's only dry river boating event. Engage in Flintstone-style 'boat' races on the sandy Todd River bed, and participate in a plethora of activities suitable for all ages.

We ventured up to Anzac Hill lookout.......

              The lookout offers a panoramic view of Alice Springs and the beautiful surrounding ranges.

We toured the Road Transport Hall of Fame..................

                              

.......what an amazing array of old trucks in this huge building!!

....and there are thousands of transport identities in the Hall of Fame........

...........including  men we know from Bordertown.......... you can see from the pic above there are many, and this is only a small part of the wall of fame.

This is the building with a display of Kenworth trucks, and they are huge!!! I did get to sit in one, and Barry missed a photo opportunity!!  I will tell you that the cabin was at ground level, so I could easily sit behind the steering wheel, otherwise I would never have been able to climb in!! I reckon you might need a universtiy degree, or Barry says a pilot's licence to be able to drive one, with the huge amount of gauges on the dash!

I did think this pink truck was cute, and I can't say I have ever seen a pink truck on the highway??

You need to zoom on this picture to see what the emu is made out of......very very clever!

Another day we headed east of the town into the Eastern Macdonnell Ranges and to Emily Gap.......I have to say that I find it very confusing as there have been many name changes to Australian places we have known, to the Indigenous names. 

(Ayers Rock has been changed to Uluru, Kings Canyon and ranges are in Watarrka National Park, and you can in the sign below the Emily Gap is now known as Anthwerrke.)

Emily Gap was beautiful, a very serene and quiet place and filled with water.........

I found this tree growing in the rock face very interesting, and wondered about a life lesson in determination and blooming where you are planted???

Jessie Gap was a bit further along the road and was very similar, although mostly a dry sand bed with only a small creek by the cliff face.........

Another day we headed towards the West Macdonnell ranges.............. and the first spot we found was John Flynn's Grave..............

John Flynn was the founder of the Flying Doctor Service.............Reverend John Flynn (1880–1951) Pioneered the world's first aerial medical service, now known as the Royal Flying Doctor Service. Today, there are 21 flying doctor bases around Australia, which continue to spread a 'mantle of safety' across 7.15 million square kilometres.

John Flynn features on our $20 note.

                                

I was quite fascinated with the scenery out this side of Alice, and am intrigued with the rock formations which are all running east west. It was hard to get a good photo as we drove along...........

and you can see the rocks on the top of these hills................

and often you would see piles of rocks like this, as though someone had been building a stone wall!!

The scenery was stunning. We certainly have some amazing countryside.

Our next stop was to be the Standley Chasm, and I had been looking forward to seeing this famous landmark..............but it was not to be, as it was closed, due to a death of one of the staff.

"Standley Chasm is a magnificent gorge in the West MacDonnell Ranges located 40 minutes drive from Alice Springs, Northern Territory. Known traditionally as Angkerle Atwatye, meaning “Gap of Water”, Standley Chasm is an icon of Central Australia, a cultural treasure amongst the West MacDonnell Ranges. Privately owned and operated by the Western Arrernte people, the traditional custodians welcome all respectful visitors to explore this beautiful and sacred piece of our culture."

(I have borrowed a pic from online)

This was our next stop........the Neil Hargrave Lookout which is high on a hill with amazing views of the surrounding country................ There is also a mobile hotspot tower here.................

..................and you put your phone on the red cradle yo see in the photo below............and wait for a ding............

......and bingo you can receive phone calls and messages. The reception in some of these areas is not reliable and further out into the country this is very important.

There were other travellers having a lunch stop at the lookout and Barry got chatting to them, and comparing where we all had travelled from.............and lo and behold it turned out that they had lived near Keith, the next town from Bordertown and we all knew the same people!! Talk about it being a small world!

Our next stop was to be the small settlement of Glen Helen and the gorge......but once again it was not to be...........we found a closed sign and fence...... 

Barry had visited this a few years ago, but now it has been dismantled.

                            From here we backtracked the same road to Alice Springs and found the sign to                                 Ormiston Gorge...........what a beautiful spot this was...........a camp site, shop, toilets, and a paved track down to the gorge............

If you crossed to the other side, by swimming, or crossing on rocks further up, there was a lovely sandy beach where many people were sunbaking after their swim.

Another peaceful and beautiful place in this country of ours. So glad this was not closed.

Late afternoon we met up with my Queensland cousin who was holidaying in Alice Springs and caught up on each others life events. Debbie and her hubby visited Bordertown back a few years ago, so now it must be time for me to go to Queensland??

This pic was taken in 2019 with Bob Hawke's bust, when Debbie and Peter came to Bordertown and I was a tourist in my home town.

I will finish this post here. There are no fantastic photos from today to show you, as it was a day of domestic duties, such as the washing, cleaning, making some phone calls, getting the car serviced and sorting more photos. The car has been hooked up and we are ready for a getaway in the morning to places further north. 

I am very thankful and appreciate the opportunity to be able to do this trip. It is a fantastic experience and there is so much to see. We can't do it all. The vastness of this part of the country is overwhelming. Most of the population of Australia lives in the coastal areas which is so very different to what is 'out here'.

Blessings, From Jude