May 2006
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We both enjoyed our stay at Ayres Rock, Chip was able to climb the rock while I waited at the bottom. We stayed at the rock for three days before leaving to have a night at Curtain Springs. The next morning we left on our way to Kings Canyon having a accident on our way. A large coach was overtaking us on his way to Kings Canyon and side swiped us as he passed. We got the wobbles up but was able to bring the car and van to a stop safely. Chip was a little shook up after the accident. We stayed at Kings Creek Station for three days on our way to Kings Canyon as that was the closest place that had a public phone for us to report the accident to the Ayres Rock Police. I enjoyed Kings Canyon better than the rock probably because I was able to do the walk with Chip. We arrived in Alice Springs on the 5th May a month earlier than we had planned. We arrived earlier so we could arrange for the van and car to be repaired. The drive out to Palm Valley is not only very scenic but has a little 4 wheel driving experience included. By the time you visit Hermannsburg an Aboriginal settlement on the way, it is a big day. Olivia and Ray, lovely people we camped next to at Alice Springs took us for a drive out to the East Macdonald Ranges one day and onto Ruby Gap where we came across a small herd of wild donkeys. Alice Springs in the Northern Territory is a town of substantial size, around 30,000 people, it is hard to get a stable count with the continuous movement in and out of town with the Aboriginal people. Alice is the second-largest town in the Territory. Originally named Stuart, the town was established almost as a frontier for north-south travel by camel trains through the desert of the outback. A telegraph station was placed near a permanent waterhole called Alice Springs after the wife of Sir Charles Todd who was the postmaster general of south Australia after whom the Todd river which is normally dry was named. The Ghan railway from Adelaide reached Stuart in 1929, and the town moved away from the waterhole, but locals kept the name. In 1933, after much debate the town of Stuart was renamed Alice Springs. Alice Springs is almost in the exact center of the continent, Alice Springs is some 1200 km from the nearest ocean and 1500 km from the nearest major cities, Darwin and Adelaide. During the 1960s it became an important defence location with the development of the U.S.A./Australian Pine Gap joint defence satellite monitoring base, home to about 700 workers from both countries, but by far the major industry in recent times is tourism. Australian Aborigines make up approximately 20% of the population of Alice Springs, and 29% of the Northern Territory. As tribes of the Australian Aborigines often employ strict laws of their own, on rare occasions Australian Aborigines end up banished from their tribe. Since Alice Springs is the only major town in the region, many of these problematic Aborigines end up there. While they only constitute a minority of Australian Aborigines residing in Alice Springs, locals often warn tourists and visitors not to go near the Todd Rive after dark, as many Aboriginals live in the river bed. When driving around at night you can see them with their fires going to keep warm. The American influence in Alice Springs comes primarily from the proximity to Pine Gap, a US satellite tracking station, located 19 km south-west of Alice Springs. While Pine Gap employs 700 American and Australians, there are around 2,000 people in the Alice Springs district who carry citizenship of the U.S.A.. American influence can be seen throughout Alice Springs, which celebrates all major American festivals, including Halloween, Independence Day and Thanksgiving. There is also a large influence of American culture in sport, including baseball, basketball, and American football competitions, alongside more Australian sports of cricket, Australian football and rugby. Alice Springs has a large number of tourist resorts, a casino, the Araluen Centre for Arts and Entertainment, nightclubs, clubs, pubs, restaurants and cafes. Visitor attractions include a Desert Park wildlife centre, Hot Air Ballooning, Royal Flying Doctor Service, School of the Air, Camel Tours, a Reptile Centre, the Olive Pink Botanic Garden, and a cinema. Also supporting the tourist industry are many hotels, caravan parks and backpacker lodges, as well as tourer operators that run tours to Hermannsburg, The Olgas, Ayers Rock, Kings Canyon, Wallace Rock Hole, Chambers Pillar and many more places. Much traditional Aboriginal artwork from the neighbouring Central Australian communities, including artefacts and Dreamtime stories is for sale to tourists in Alice Springs. Alice Springs has a booming economy and is one of Australia's wealthiest towns. Major inputs to the economy include: Tourism, especially related to Ayres Rock, which gives Alice Springs 500,000 tourists per year, the significant government funding in relation to the high traditional Aboriginal population, income derived from Pine Gap adds $12 million per year to the economy. Temperatures vary by an average of 20°C from minimum to maximum on any given day. In summer, the temperature typically reaches the low 40s, but can be as high as 48, while in winter it can drop to as low as -7°C and has been reported as low as -10. The climate is arid, with little or no rainfall, although the amount of rainfall varies enormously from one year to the next. In 1985/1986, 70% of the prison population was Aboriginal. The majority of crimes committed by Aborigines in Alice Springs was against other Aboriginal people, often alcohol-related. Attempts have been made to allow Aborigines in Alice Springs to use customary law as a defence, for example, payback or traditional customs but thus far this has failed. Alice Springs has been linked with the Azaria Chamberlain disappearance and the Peter Falconio disappearance in nearby Ayres Rock and Barrow Creek. |
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