SATURDAY

Was up at 0600 to work on my trip report and photos, then down to breakfast at 0745. They feature a buffet breakfast with scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon, tomatoes and mushrooms, as well as an assortment of cereal and fruit. Plenty there to start the day and no charge due to my Hilton Gold status.

On the bus just after 0830 with our first stop being the School of the Air. This is for remote students up through 9th grade to get their education via satellite and internet. When the program first started in 1951, everything was handled via mail pouch, then a radio network, and now the more modern system of internet and satellite teaching supplemented with home schooling with a tutor or parent. The closest student for the Alice Springs site is 60 miles away and the farthest almost 1,000 miles. There are currently 119 students at everything from cattle stations to police stations with a resident officer with children. These students do come into Alice Springs three times a year to meet their teachers and classmates for a week each time. Other states in Australia offer similar programs.

This is a panel sent in by students that reside in a rural police station and get their schooling from the school of the air, followed by some wall size panels from others:









Next stop was Alice Springs Telegraph station, originally built here in 1862. We toured the buildings and even had a viewing of the actual Alice Springs which had water at the surface. This was the original home of the first settlers here associated with the telegraph station. You'll also see a photo of the springs associated with Alice Springs ("Alice" being the wife of the original surveyor there).









On to Anzac Hill which is a war memorial with views of Alice Springs and the MacDonnell Ranges. The population here is about 25,000 and has been falling.






Then onto the Central Australia Aviation Museum which featured a DC3 and some older aircraft used by the Flying Doctors Service. They also had exhibits with old radio equipment.



Final stop was the Flying Doctors Service museum. Their aircraft serve most of Australia and they have 12,500 employees. We watched a video presentation and toured a small museum with old radio equipment and medical supplies. Their newest aircraft is made in Switzerland. On entry they have a video display showing every aircraft they have in the air whch is pretty impressive.





Dropped off in the city for a walk about and cafe stop for some to have BLT sandwiches. Purchased some supplies for our trek to Ayers Rock on Sunday (two big water bottles for me plus snacks), then a 2 mile walk back to the hotel which included a walk across the riverbed of the Todd River.



Drinks at the hotel bar at 1800, followed by dinner at their restaurant, the highest rated on in Alice, just after 1930. We enjoyed a number of items including a very good beef curry with rice.



Should mention that Alice is the midway point between Darwin to the north and Adelaide to the south, both about 1500km/900 miles away. In this part of the country you see “road trains” where are semis hauling 3 or 4 trailers to get supplies out here. There is rail service twice a week but it’s primarily a tourist train and not designed for shipping freight.

All of my Alice Springs photos start here:
http://tom911.smugmug.com/Travel-Aus...-inc/i-XNKcNZq