Another clear sunny morning greeted us as we climbed out of bed on our third day in Alice Springs. A leisurely breakfast followed, while the sounds of packing up and moving on were heard around us. Instructions were being barked out as cars were reversed to hitch up caravans and trailers – “further… further… no, stop!”, “to the right… no, to the right!”, “back more… that’ll do… STOP!!” – and on it went.
The bogan family opposite our site packed and departed this morning. They arrived the same night we did and we noted they never left the park, except possibly to replenish their beer supplies. Matching pink beanies with large pompoms and ugg boots were the go with the ladies, while socks with trackie dacks tucked into them, thongs and hoodies were the uniform for the men. The opportunity of a new reality program, “Bogans on Tour”, came to mind! The park quickly emptied in time for the next wave of visitors, who were already queued for entry just after 10:00am when we left to visit the Alice Springs Desert Park located to the west of town on the road out to the West Macs.
We have visited the park on a previous occasion and enjoyed it enough to want to return. The park includes a meandering walk through different areas that are representative of woodlands, sand country and desert rivers; with examples of flora and fauna that are typically found in each region. Birds feature in the walk-through enclosures, with everything from the smallest finches and wrens through to bustards and emus. Three hours passed quickly as we eventually made our way back the park entrance and returned to the Tvan for lunch.
While eating lunch it was decided that we should go for an extended walk, since the next couple of days will be spent seated in the Prado as we push on to Broome. We had noticed a bike path that runs from the centre of Alice Springs to Simpson’s Gap, parallel to the start of the West MacDonnell ranges. The path also provided access to a series of geocaches which would be worth investigating.
We started the walk at the grave site of John Flynn – an impressive grave (see photo) in a beautiful setting, with the West Mac escarpment dominating the backdrop. Flynn was revered for the work he did bringing basic communication and health services to the outback. It was through his actions that we now have the Royal Flying Doctor Services.
The walking / bike trail meandered through the hills, all the time providing excellent views of the West Macs as they trailed off towards the horizon. The outback was (to our eyes) uncommonly green, with recent rains a week or so ago encouraging grasses and new growth on the shrubs and trees that manage to survive in what is typically a harsh landscape. Our tally of successful geocache finds grew to an impressive total of 7 for the day before we turned back.
A glass of wine helped see the sun down on our first warm day since setting out less than a week ago. It also seems milder this evening. Hopefully this is a sign of things to come.