As appears to be our routine, we woke at dawn and started rustling up breakfast after a read of the Sunday papers (online) and checking of emails and text messages. We made the most of a reliable Telstra signal, knowing we will be out of signal for the next few days while crossing the Tanami.
After breakfast we drove into town and stocked up on fresh fruit, vegies and dairy items. We returned to the van and quickly had them all stacked away, so decided to walk back into town for a coffee and a casual browse of the shops. It’s interesting how much you take in when walking – all the sights, sounds and smells have enough time to grab the attention of your senses and stamp an indelible mark on your memories of a place. Personal hygiene apparently didn’t feature highly on the priorities of some we had the misfortune of following.
The Red Dog Cafe in the Todd Street Mall draws the crowd and also came recommended by the bookshop owner on our previous visit to Alice Springs. A table in the warming sun was in order while we watched the locals and tourists pass by. The cafe latte Chris had was more than acceptable but the iced mocha Wendy chose came more from a can than a cow – mostly whipped cream from an aerosol can! We finished our drinks (leaving the cream) and headed to the bookshop for a browse before moving on to one of the more credible indigenous art shops where we spent ages going through the pieces they had on display. We found a piece we liked and hopefully it will beat us home via registered (and insured) post.
We returned to our caravan and camping ground via a quick stop at the Tourist Information Centre to see if there were any reports on road conditions across the Tanami Desert. The report said “caution – water across track between Tilmouth Well and the WA border”. Grey clouds are building in the south as the sun sets with the threat of rain a potential. We will stop at Tilmouth Well tomorrow and get the latest (and hopefully most reliable news) regarding the Tanami Track.
After lunch we ventured over to the Royal Flying Doctor Service centre and museum, taking in the informative video before wandering through the many items and partial aircraft on display. It’s a service we give little thought to, living in a big city with hospitals and doctors never more than a short drive away. We then drove the short distance to the Anzac memorial and lookout located just north of the CBD to get our bearings and take in the 360 degree views.
On returning to camp, we have backed up photos, packed a few things in preparation for our departure and generally taken it easy, knowing we have a few days of desert driving ahead of us. The next few blog entries may take a couple of days before they appear on the Internet – be patient while we go into a mobile-free zone for a while.