1. Cities
2. Beaches
3. The Bush
4. Nowhere, aka the Outback
Alice Springs decidedly qualifies as No. 4. Middle of nowhere, baked red desert, aborigines, check, check and check. But, here's the thing, like all deserts it's full of life and because it's Australia that life is weird and interesting.
Exhibit A:
Western Bower Bird
Nothing attracts a mate faster than berries and plastic, just ask Fred
That's his bower pictured there and his collection of objects that he thinks will attract a female. Bower birds will typically pick a color for their collection of objects and this one chose white and green. Not to criticize but there is no shortage of color in the desert so he's gonna have to throw in a couple candy wrappers to really pull this off.
I don't know why people think there is nothing in the outback.
It's quiet way out here, peaceful really, which makes it easy to hear the constant, ever present, teeming swarms of flies that fill your eyes, ears, nose and mouth.
Between the flies, the dust and the heat, you can pretty much have the whole outback to yourself which allows you to hear the unique sounds of the desert.
A central netted dragon climbing up a stump
A fairy wren hopping up on a log
Flocks of black cockatoos taking wing
Rock wallabies jumping from rock to rock
A green tree frog, well not making any sound, but easy to spot anyway
Another common sound often heard way out here far from cell service and road side assistance:
The oh-so-sweet sound of rubber separating from steel rims
And the sounds of boots trudging through red sand, with possibly a low, soft whine thrown in for good measure
Memorial to all the intrepid soles that didn't make it
My favorite beverage here
I was loving this ginger beer at every lunch and dinner till I looked at the back and tried to figure out the calories. Since they were listed in kilojoules, I did a quick conversion and discovered it has about 164,000 calories. Then again, my math could be slightly off but I decided to cut back anyway.
The drinks are great here, the hamburgers which sometimes come with fried egg, beets and/or pineapple elicited a few furrowed brows.
Our destination this day was Simpsons Gap a small oasis in the otherwise arid vastness in the West MacDonnell Range National Park.
Fred seems pretty happy with himself for wearing shorts on such a hot day, but we are about to head out into spinifex country. What's that you ask?
Spinifex is a merciless plant unique to this part of Australia that is basically a clump of hypodermic needles. The spiky ends are tipped with silica which, if embedded in your pant-free legs, causes a constant stream of "Ow, dammits". Why subject yourself to this torture? Because, hello, did I not mention this is a birding trip.
I can't leave Alice without extolling the virtues of the Olive Pink Botanical garden where, much to my delight, I got to see a plant I have been wanting to see since I first heard about it.
Sturts Desert Pea
As peas go, this ones a beaut. Reading the description of the garden's namesake and doing a little googling will quickly inform you that Olive herself was quite the looney tune.
It's true that Alice Springs is in the baking middle of nowhere Australia and I have to admit to having somewhat low expectations but I'm glad I came. Everything you hear about the place, good and bad is all true. But at the end of the day the heat, flies and remoteness do provide a certain allure. Will I be back, well not willingly but as a compulsive wanderer and someone who appreciates the subtle beauty and emptiness of a Mars landscape I rather liked the place.
👍🏻
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