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SCOTT FREE
As we've already said, Alice is a really nice place. We enjoyed an evening in town to suss out the place before Tam arrived on Thursday and the beer, wine and food was up to scratch.We picked Tam up at the airport (very swish and modern) about 1pm and without so much as - where's your baggage? - we whisked him off to the Royal Flying Doctors HQ and Museum (and for a much needed flat white). Afterwards it was off to the excellent Alice Springs Desert Park where Tam picked up a motorised buggy to zoom around in (he was just like his Mother). We managed to pick up a bird of prey display before trying to see as much of the park before it closed and more importantly for us, before we froze to death! It had become very cold since earlier in the week and was to remain so for our stay in Alice (apparently the wind had changed to a southerly and will be a reason we might amend our onward travel plans). But a BBQ and a few beers soon warmed us up that evening back at Annie.We had good neighbours at the caravan park - Cath and Col from Northern NSW who had not long set off on their own Oz adventure. As Col had managed to acquire a set of golf clubs in a public toilet in Darwin (don't ask how or why) the next day we agreed to have a round at Alice's great desert course. We'd tried out the course on Wednesday before Tam arrived and it is really challenging, being the 8th best desert course in the world and the 80th best golf course in Australia. After scrape greens Alice's were like glass). But before the golf with Col, we were up at the ungodly hour of 4am to get ready for a balloon flight on Friday morning. It was decidedly chilly as we set off but once we'd had our legs over the side (of the balloon basket that is!!) and were in the air it got warmer. It was only then that Tam told us he was afraid of heights !!!!!! So hanging on to him (in case he jumped) we managed to keep warm and have a good sight of the plains below. As he put it afterwards - we saw 3 kangaroos and loads of coos. Breakfast followed with champers, chicken, ham & egg quiche, fruit and chocolate cake. We then took in the very excellent Reptile centre where we saw the best collection of fossils and reptiles where we able to handle many lizards - blue tongue, scaly backed etc and an Olive Python. Afterwards, we had a good round of golf with Col and he and E snatched victory from the jaws of defeat on the last hole. Then to complete a very long day we headed out for a night on the town where Tam fondled a friendly pokies machine that paid out handsomely. Then it was to the Camel's Hump Restaurant for - yes - some camel. Delicious!After a leisurely Saturday around town it was a first for all three of us – a night at the rodeo. But as we were waiting outside the campsite for our taxi a couple of other couples came out to wait for theirs and, as you do, we got talking. Eric had just been reading in the papers the latest about the pulp mill that Gunns are aiming to build in Tasmania (this was a big controversial issue when we were there and we’ve been following it with interest ever since). Basically the issue is that this huge pulp mill will bring lots of jobs, industry and income to Tasmania. But Tasmania now depends (and thrives?) on eco tourism and associated industries such as wine production, organic farming and healthy outdoor pursuits. As with the rest of Australia it also has a fragile eco system. The Tasmanian Premier took a big decision in March to approve the project subject to certain conditions because Gunns threatened to pull the plug. The outcome of subsequent reviews are due shortly. Well, finding out that the two couples were from Tasmania, Eric proceeded to express his support for the rejection of the pulp mill in his usual forthright and forceful manner (all you who know him will know what we mean!). One of the men seemed keen to engage in the discussion expressing the opposite view and saying that it will go ahead. ‘How do you know that for sure?’ asked Eric. ‘Because I’m the managing director of Gunns’ was his reply! Now that Eric had his teeth into the argument naturally he wouldn’t give up so Tam and M were mightily relieved when our taxi arrived to whisk us off to the rodeo. M would say that the score at that stage was deuce. The rodeo was at Blatherskite Park on the southern outskirts of Alice. The Park is an interesting name and it would be good to find out how it came about because it’s so close to the Scottish term ‘bletherin’ skite’ which means a person who havers. The rodeo was good fun and had some good displays of horsemanship and cowboy skills, as well as bareback riding on bulls and bucking broncos. This reminded us of Karen’s story of her bareback ride in a famous London store cheered on by a group of Japanese shoppers. Also, as a point of interest our next door neighbour, Col, used to do the rodeo when he was a few years younger (that explains his funny walk!). Glancing along the seats to the left we saw him, with Kath, looking on longingly.
E+M xxx
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