We have officially arrived in the Australian Outback! One small town located in the center of Australia...with nothing but desert, kangaroos, and the aborigines. We actually traveled on a dirt road half-way back to the hotel from the airport. It is definitely Outback country. The picture below actually shows the origin of how the town got its name. A spring used to run down from the boulder opposite this river bank...and the town was named after wife of the King.
Our first stop was the Alice Springs School of Air. This school is a distance-learning center for children who are located all over the Outback territories. Each child is equipped with $15,000 worth of technology (by the government) to use as they communicate online (Skype) with their teacher who broadcasts each lesson from the town of Alice Springs. We were certainly impressed with all the technology and how kids could communicate from their homes (miles and miles out in the country) with the teachers in the studio.
We then attended an evening "barbie" out in the middle of the Outback. Because it is winter in Australia, the sun goes down at 5pm and it turns completely black at night. The coolest part is the fact that Australia is the closest place in the world to the stars (and Heavens). The whole sky lights up with twinkling stars and we got to see the Southern Cross. Throughout our barbeque...we learned how to make Spotted Dog...which is a desert made of flour, water, and raisins (and lots of sugar!). It was baked over the campfire as we ate dinner. We had Aussie entertainment....and we learned (memorized) every verse to "Timey Kangaroo Down Sport" (we were singing it in our sleep all night! geesh!)
Brrrrr! Looks cold!
Lauren