A Town Called Alice

We catch a 6:30 A.M shuttle to airport for our flight from Melbourne to Alice Springs. Except for a 30 minute departure delay, our flight is uneventful and we land at 11:30 A.M. A shuttle bus waits outside the unassuming airport and I purchase two round trip tickets for $38; $20 less than the posted rate, even when I tell the aging, stocky and weathered driver that John is 17. She cackles and says that he looks more like 14 unless I just want to pay more? When possible, we sit in the front of a bus but I soon regret our seating choice as this woman chatters continuously, suggesting sightseeing excursions for us during our stay. Her demeanor sours somewhat when I tell her that we have already booked a three day “Way Out Back” camping safari. She tells me that husband leads adventure tours and I surmise that chatting up travelers on the shuttle into town is a good way of snaring clients for their business.

Our All Season’s Oasis Hotel is quite adequate except that the main pool is empty for the winter. As it turns out it will be too cold to want to swim, but I am somewhat disappointed. We drop our luggage into the room and walk the 15 minutes into town. Todd Street is the main drag with a number of outdoor cafes, several pubs, many tourist shops and a few fine art galleries showcasing Aboriginal art. There are three main blocks along the outdoor promenade and we choose the Red Dog Café for lunch. John orders a kangaroo burger and a coke and I order a quiche with salad; $34.00. His Kangaroo burger is quite good; probably a better choice for this territory than the quiche.

We stroll through the shops and galleries and I am quite impressed with much of the Aboriginal painting. The price tags are certainly impressive and the range of talent is diverse. One can buy a small un-stretched tourist quality painting for under $100, or spend anywhere between $6000 – 48,000 on some larger works by famous Aboriginal artists. We head towards the Reptile Center, passing through a park where small groups of Aborigines sit, picnicking. Most of the women are quite overweight with barrel shaped bodies and spindly legs. They wear knee length, colorful print rayon skirts and miss-matched blouses and sweaters. The men are also barrel chested with very thin legs. Their facial features are unique; flat featured, with very round cheeks and chins.

We visit the Reptile Center, a privately owned establishment with a good collection of Australian snakes and lizards. John and I immediately fall in love with the small, Thorny Devil Lizard. They are between 5”-6” long, armored with a camouflage pattern of orange, brown, black and sand; a coloring that presumably makes them invisible to predators in most desert habitats. They have a false head at the back of their necks and walk with slow contemplative steps. John reaches into the open topped enclosure and picks one up gently.

Returning to our hotel, I wash clothes and we eat an unmemorable dinner in the hotel restaurant. We will be picked up at 5:50 A.M. tomorrow morning for our three day camping safari to Ayres Rock and vicinity.