A Town Like Alice......

the 50's film, shows an Alice which would be unrecognisable today. In those days there was one quiet street, now Hartley Street, mainly rebuilt, which then was the main road running through the town. Nowadays that has been bypassed, the Stuart Highway runs some 200 yards away, and the town itself is a bustling modern city.

It seems to have grown considerably since we were here last- only about two years ago, although the cenre is much as we remember it. Unfortunately, like many places throughout the world in this recession, there are a number of empty business premises even here.

On our essential visits list was the Royal Flying doctor service, whose life saving service was started here in the thirties. They now have 4 aircraft here, and 50 nationwide, and not only rescues injured and sick from the Outback but tranfers the sick to major trauma centres throughout Australia.

Close by there is a reptile house with all kinds of snakes and lizards. It is truly fascinating (and frightening) the range of reptiles in this country. On show there are the most venomous snakes in the world, such as the Taipan and the King Brown, and some of the most beautiful lizards. We were able to touch a goanna, around three foot long, although we were warned not to touch his head or his tail, he bites. There was also a saltie crocodile in a large tank, we saw him lying on the bottom, coming up for air every 15 mins. But certainly the most fascinating creature was the spiny lizard, around 6 inches long, moved very slowly but used his shape and colouring as camouflage

A few kms further north is Telegraph Hill, where the first line between South Australia and Europe was laid in 1872, which had to be relayed 12 times in Oz alone, the went undersea from Darwin to Singapore.It was interesting to see the old buildings there and the way they had to transmit the messages in Morse Code. And remember this was only ten years after Stuart had crossed the continent for the first time! The line enabled news from Europe to be received in Oz in hours rather than the weeks and months it had taken before.

Then on to the School of the air- where children have been taught for 60 years by radio and latterly live by internet. The teacher can see the pupil, from 4 to 14 years old, and teaches them with packs which are sent out by post and delivered by air every fortnght. Some are as far away as 900 miles, on remote farmsteads which might be as far as 60 miles from their nearest neighbour, or even a road! The school covers an area twice the size of the British Isles, and only has 120 pupils of all ages. Four times a year the pupils come to Alice to meet the teachers, and at 14 many of the pupils come here to a boarding school to finish their education.

This evening we had a meal at the Overlanders Steakhouse, where we experimented with the local dishes. On our menu was crocodile, kangaroo, emu and camel, as well as barramundi, a local fish. I have to say I enjoyed them all, but the croc was my favourite. Snake next I think!

Finally this is the original Alice Spring, next to the telegraph office, named by the original surveyor for the line after the wife of the superintendant of telegraphs. Crawler!!!