What, with it being our final day in ‘The Alice’ today, we decided to enjoy a leisurely lie in, followed by a heart stopping fry up of bacon and eggs for breakfast. What better way to start the day, even if we were starting it relatively late. We figured that it wouldn’t hamper us to any great degree, as we have only a little bit of last minute shopping planned for this morning, before starting the ominous task of stripping the annex from the flank of the van, ready for travel tomorrow.

Therefore, it was already past midday before we managed to scuttle out of the park, heading for town. We made a few stops at different stores, including the oft advertised ‘Desert Dwellers’. It might sound to the casual reader, a little odd that we have been visiting with possibly undue relish, places that we have seen advertised on TV. The reason is, even at home, we run our little satellite box to watch TV and the bulk of the advertising we see is from Northern Territory businesses. It has been a bit of a running joke, pointing out all the places we’ve become familiar with as a result of watching a little bit more TV than necessary That’s why it was almost in jest that we found ourselves at ‘Desert Dwellers’ where “the camping guru says, if we don’t have it, you don’t need it!” As it turned out, I must have needed another neoprene can cooler, because sure enough, they had it.

Our next halt was at the little craft store that had been closed yesterday. Thankfully today, we were warmly welcomed by the little old lady in charge of the collection of crafty works available for purchase. We walked away with an original watercolour painting of Uluru. While not essentially the Aboriginal work of art for which we have been searching, nevertheless, we both thought it would look good dangling on a wall back home. We now just need to decide exactly which wall that will be.

On the way out, as we walked through the car park, Bec spotted some bushels of the resplendent Stuarts Desert Pea. We wandered about, looking for a prime huddle of buds to photograph, finding a stunning stem in full bloom. As I finished taken a few close up pictures, in an effort to display them in all their grandeur, Bec began trying to separate the blooms from the bush on which they grew. I told her that it was common bush acumen to take only flowers as I quickly walked back towards ‘The Beast’ in embarrassment. Not Bec though, who followed a few steps behind me, saying: “Well take a photo of this then” as she proudly held up her ill gotten bunch of vivid red Desert Peas.

Found It. The Perfect Specimen.

Working On Getting The Perfect Shot.

Take Only Photos I Said.

It was back to the Todd Mall then, to have a last viewing of an artwork that we have both decided that we do like, but that is not only outside of our limited budget, but also too big for us to envision being able to hang at home. A traditional dot painting work, by an artist from the wilds of South Australia, it had us mesmerized. Even putting our budget aside, figuring out how to suitably display it is the principal factor in it remaining on the wall of the gallery.

We then had a quick blast around the supermarket, stocking up on tucker to last us for the next week. After we leave Alice Springs, we will be roughing it to some extent as we travel further north. For at least a week, we are not expecting to be within easy range of any sizable communes at which to replenish our supplies, so everything we are going to need, we need to buy today. We just had to do it quickly, as time had gotten away from us and despite our relaxed start to the day, we were quickly becoming harried in our endeavor to fit in everything that we needed to. I feared that there might be certain things that we might have to give miss to, such as my promised dip in the pool. How was I to know that the temperature would actually top 20^oC before we left here? It actually topped out at almost 22^oC, which was made even more the stimulating when we heard from friends at home in Melbourne, telling us just how cold and miserable the weather is that we were missing. Oh, the sheer delight of it all!

Back at the van, as Bec unpacked groceries, adroitly filling every available nook and cranny with our new purchases, I set about pulling the circus tent down that is our annex. The job was easier than I had expected, and we quickly went from having a canvas clad second room, to having nothing more than a patch of sun starved grass and dirt beside us.

It may have well been a reasonably quick task, although it still precluded me from donning my swim trunks as a consequence of the deficiency of time and a desire to use our last evening in Alice Springs to trek up the nearby ANZAC Hill Lookout to view the setting of the sun. Much to Becs chagrin, I was to stay dry.

With barely minutes to spare, our work done, the van mostly ready for travel tomorrow, the dogs feed, watered and walked, we mounted up in ‘The Beast’ and took off in haste, in an effort to beat the sun. By the time we reached the crest of ANZAC Hill, just on the outskirts of the Alice Springs township, the golden orb had already disappeared from view, sinking behind the silhouetted hills in the foreground, but the view was nonetheless spectacular, as the sky came to life in a vibrant hue of orange in one direction and a range of blues, violets and pinks in the opposite.

Dusk Over The Alice.

Before heading back to the van, we stopped in town for a final restaurant dinner, stopping at the also advertised on TV ‘Red Ochre Bar and Grill’. The food was delectable, but was far from a budget feed. Two bits of damper and a pat of butter was $9.00. In the same price bracket, we were served a small bowl of chunky fries, alongside another $9.00 bowl containing a few steamed greens. Regardless of the price, we left fully sated, having had the opportunity to taste test kangaroo, emu, camel and for Bec, the chicken. At least we can now tick off our list of things to do, eating both side of the Australian Coat of Arms.

Finally, it was time to head for home, where at last we could relax. I am certain that we will need the rest, for it will be a big day on the wallaby tomorrow. And just a reminder, we will be spending the bulk of the next week camped in out of the way places, where power is not even a certainty, so I can only imagine that access to phones and internet will be limited to non-existent, so I am sorry to say, much I am sure to the flagrant dismay of all, this may well be my last post for a few days. And on that note, adios, for now.

Until next time, have fun, stay safe and don’t forget to write.