Alice Springs. - February 1, 2017

Today started early and we were on the move all day.   We were up at 6 am in order to get our big suitcases outside our room and to eat breakfast.  Then about 7:20 am we were on the bus headed for the airport.  We were leaving Melbourne and going to Alice Springs today.  Luggage was checked in at airport and we loaded on the plane for takeoff at about 9:30 am.  Our flight was about 2 3/4 hours long but time was moved back 1 1/2 hours, new time zone.  Landing in Alice Springs was a real treat.  This was a rather small airport so there were no jet ways to walk through into the terminal.  We had to walk down the steps to the tarmac and then go into the terminal to retrieve our luggage.

 A bus was waiting for us.  After everyone was on the bus we were taken to the town of Alice Springs to a shopping area for our lunch.  Alice Springs is in center of the country, the Outback, in the Northern Territory where it can be hot and today temperatures were over 100 degrees.  After lunch we then were taken to the School of the Air which educates the children in this sparsely populated territory by means of satellite computers.

 From there we went to the Royal Flying Doctors Service which provides medical care for folks in this area and even further when need arises.

 Then it was a drive up a big , Anzac, to have a panoramic view of Alice Springs and to see a military monument.

 Finally, we were taken to the hotel we would be staying at tonight, Chifley Alice Springs Resort.  Nice rooms with king size beds.  This evening we are to picked up about 6 pm to go to a Be Our Guest dinner.
The dinner, an Australian barbecue type meal, was at Earth Sanctuary World Nature Center owned by the Falzon brothers.

 Tom and Danny Falzon, after dinner, talked about the lifestyle they have established on this ranch.

 Nice evening although it was cloudy preventing a nice clear view of the sky and stars.