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Published: December 7th 2011
Closer to the surprisingly green and eucalyptus-scented Alice Springs, we enjoyed walking, driving and mountain-biking around the MacDonnell Ranges.
There are various gaps in the steep-sided Ranges, some of which we visited to admire the scenery and wildlife. We arrived through one of them, on the Ghan, the legendary train the traverses the continent, from Darwin in the north, on to Adelaide, around 3000km to the south.
The trains in Australia are not particularly quick, but they are comfortable, and provide a good opportunity to see the countryside and its remote landmarks and subtle variations up close.
Our chaperone and guide around Alice was local policeman Dan, with whom we stayed either side of our camping trip. It was interesting to get his insight into Alice Springs life, a town of about 24,000 people, which has far more than its fair share of assaults and murders. It’s Dan’s job to solve these and other serious crimes. Thankfully, we escaped unharmed, and the only dead thing we saw was a galar.
The School of the Air was worth the cross-town cycle ride in the heat. It’s been broadcasting lessons to its far-flung classroom for 60 years. Skype has
The train connections
The Ghan is the red onereplaced radio, but the principle of providing education to remote pupils remains the same. Archive footage of rural children radioing in to pose questions to the visiting and recently-married Charles and Diana was particularly amusing.
Replenished and heartened by memories of home (for Ben at least), we reboarded the Ghan, and journeyed further south than ever before.
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