It rained all night. Then it kept raining when the sun came up. The RA staff who were here in May for the event will know what I mean – non-stop rain. Only this time, I’m camping. No warm dry rooms to hang out in.
Here’s how it looked on the radar when we got up.

Alice Springs Reptile Centre was first on our list for today. It is a privately run, and houses heaps of venomous snakes, lizards and even a crocodile.
The displays were really good, and almost all the reptiles were easy to see.

They do a great demonstration with a goanna, Blue Tongued Lizard, Bearded Dragon and an Olive Python. Then we all get to hold the reptiles!

We also went to the Royal Flying Doctor Service Base where they have a great display of the history of the service. There were some old medicine packs that were issued to outback stations which contained quite a lot of pharmaceutical history that I found quite interesting.
There’s also a display plane like the ones they use in the field, and a huge screen showing all the RFDS aircraft in Australia and where they are at any time, updating every minute or so.
Next up was the School of the Air. Here you can see the studios that the teachers use to give their lessons, and a huge display of historical info about School of the Air since it started in 1951, using the radio system that the RFDS started with. Things have come a long way, and now it’s all done using satellite internet connections, with web cams making a virtual classroom. They even have aerobics and Zumba classes on line as their PE ! The Alice Springs School has 140 students across 1.3 million sq. kilometres!

I think you could say today was very educational! And to celebrate two weeks on the road, we went out for dinner! It had nothing to do with the heavy rain and freezing temperature. No, nothing.

One of the events we run is here in Alice Springs each year, and one stage in particular finishes atop Anzac Hill where the view is panoramic. It’s always windy and cold when we run the event, and today was no exception!

You can see the Macdonnell Ranges, both east and west; Heavitree Gap in the Ranges through which the Ghan Railway, the Todd River and the Stuart Highway all pass; all the central area of Alice; and views to the north as well.

The war memorial here is honoured with a special place.

Alice Springs is home to the tourist attraction, Desert Park. This is a NT Government run worldclass facility. It showcases the huge variety of flora and fauna and landscapes within the arid heart of Australia. The bird enclosures were fantastic and we have actually seen many of these birds in the wild.

They also had a Birds of Prey show featuring the Boobook Owl, Brown Falcon, Whistling Kite and even good old Galahs.
There were great wildflowers blooming, and a huge variety of native trees. The boys really enjoyed it.

After the return trip from (the disappearing) Hugh Gorge, we travelled towards Alice Springs along Larapinta Drive enjoying the West MacDonnell Ranges.

We pulled in to Standley Chasm, named after the first school teacher in the Centre, and marvelled at what nature has carved out of the earth.

And we also marvelled at what children will find to have fun with.