In the Outback!

We are flying over a barren red swirling landscape on our way to Alice Springs almost in the middle of the Australian continent.  It is odd when I see a rainbow below and only one lone dirt road with an occasional crimson tendril snaking off.  I don’t see asphalt almost until we land!

Officially, we are in South Australia Northern Territory, but everyone calls it the Northern Territory.  When Australia was divided into states, the NT was given its own time zone…1/2 hour behind the eastern part of the country!  Some said this was to give cricket players an extra half hour of daylight to play.

Alice Springs airport is the largest in land mass in Australia.  During COVID, it was covered with parked aircraft.  Airlines sent fleets here since the isolation made it inexpensive and the dry environment wasn’t damaging to the planes.

30,000 people currently live in Alice Springs.  In 1970’s, the US took advantage of this  landlocked city to build a listening station knowing that enemy ships in coastal areas couldn’t intercept signals.  American servicemen brought Halloween to Australia and celebrated here first.  Aussies love a good time, and now it’s a big celebration!

We pass an abandoned train car from the “”Han” line named after the Afghans who use to run supplies to Alice Springs.  Originally camels were the only method of transporting goods and at times people.  After the Han Line replaced the need for camels, their owners were told to shoot them.  Reluctant to do this, they  sent them into the desert where they have flourished!

Today there are approximately 700,000 to 1 million wild camels.  Ranchers shoot them on sight since they damage fencing and compete with cows for food.  Evidently, camel skin is 5x stronger than cow skin!

Alice Springs is really a semi-arid zone rather than a desert which receives less than 10” of rain each year.  For the past two years, it has rained 3x the normal amount resulting in green hills… “with their party dress on”.  The animal population has boomed since they won’t breed during a period of drought which can last 8-10 years.

Todd River is the major water source, but it is primarily a wide dirt riverbed.  When settlers first came, the river was flowing from the hills and they thought they had discovered a spring.  However, it only flows after rainfall.  They say if you see the Todd River flow 3x then you can call yourself a native.

Alice Springs was established for one reason…a telegraph station.  Years ago a line was run from south to north Australia to connect the continent with Europe, but repeater stations were built every 115 miles.  These 12 stations used ineffectual steel wire, but when copper wire began to be used, only the station in the middle - Alice Springs - was necessary.

Initially wood telegraph poles were used, but they were eaten by termites.  The metal ones were successful, but the porcelain insulators on the wires proven another problem.  The aboriginal people would break them and use the sharp shards for arrow and spear points!  Maintenance workers started leaving a pile of broken insulators at the bottom of the poles!

Todd, the original developer, named the area after his bosses’ wife, Alice.  It is ironic that Alice never visited her namesake since she refused to travel by camel, and the “spring” doesn’t exist!  However, the name of the telegraph station and the post office remained.  There is still a large red English postbox here, and I mail postcards to the grandchildren and wonder when they will arrive.

We visit The School of the Air, an educational system developed for remote learning to provide a quality educational experience.  Started in 1951 through a pedal radio system, it now operates with satellite internet and computers using Zoom.  Six educators teach about 120 students ages 4 - Year 9 with live interactive lessons, instructional material, home classrooms, and a home tutor usually a parent.  Students go to boarding school for high school.

The program was developed for students living further than 31 miles from their closest school, and some live hundreds of miles away.  It is the largest classroom in the world covering over 521 square miles or double the size of Texas!  They also gather together 4x/year in Alice Springs to take field trips and enjoy time together.  Many of us purchase a library book while making a donation to the school, and writing a note which will be placed in the book.

We visit a grocery store for supplies for our campout tomorrow night.  I’ve been talking to God requesting no rain and good weather!  We also see several aboriginal women selling paintings they have done on canvas.  I want to buy one, but I’m not familiar enough w/ aboriginal art to know what I like yet.

Interesting facts…

The KFC in Alice Springs is the busiest one in Australia and applied for a Michelin Star.  It was turned down!

I walk past a truck with a license plate “Snakes”.  We are told that Australian snakes are venomous but do not have fangs just teeth and bites are rare.  Hummmm!

There is a yearly river race each year in Alice Springs where participants build crazy boats.  Since there is no water to float the boats, they run them down the riverbed!  It’s the only race with flood insurance!

I have discovered Ginger Beer!  It’s non-alcoholic, and I actually like it!

I see a Jeep with “NT Outback Australia” on its plate.  Guess I’m truly in the outback now!