ALICE - the return

When we return from The Rock etc we spend another few days in the Alice but move to live above The Todd Tavern this time, which is a remarkable and welcome upgrade from the backpackers and the car - well you can't really beat staying above a pub can you?! We take in the impressive Cultural Centre where we again check out the art of Albert Namatjira - the first aboriginal person to be granted Australian citizenship (if that can ever make sense when he is part of the indigenous population?) - an artist who does amazing watercolour landscapes of the beautiful red centre. It's great to have a few days to generally relax and re-charge after the whistle-stop desert tour; the heat is so insane here that it seems to zap all your energy after a while. The following morning we walk up to the Anzac Memorial which gives sumptuous views of the Alice and the surrounding McDonnell ranges, it's our last hour here and really cements in our memories what a truly unusual and beautiful place this is. We are really sorry to be leaving as this part of the trip has been so wonderful and memorable in so many different ways.