Alice Springs, NT

Our main aim during our stop-over in Alice Springs was to obtain Transit Permits to enable us to travel through Native Title Land. Dealing with the Central Land Council (CLC) of NT was a breeze. They cheerfully gave us a 21 day Transit Permit to cover our travel in the NT. NO Problems!. I needed to apply On-Line to the Department of Aboriginal Affairs (DAA) in WA for Transit Permits from the NT Border across to Laverton WA. This is a distance of around 871 km on gravel roads. I made request for a Transit Permit for 5 days and explained the reasons why we needed that amount of time to travel the distance. I was initially estimating that the travel would take us 6 days but I cut it back by a day to enhance our chances. I received a direct (terse) reply that I had been granted a Transit Permit for less than 3 days, no longer, and I must be through before the expiry date. Well, I am not going to punish myself, our vehicle or our caravan to please some Bureaucrat sitting in an office some where. The whole purpose of driving across The Centre Road was to take in the country along the way and to see what the early explorers, surveyors and first settlers had to endure to open up this vast tract of land. NOT JUST TO GET FROM POINT A TO POINT B.

Much to my disappointment our route to Perth WA will now be via South Australia and The Nullarbor. I wonder how much business and public interaction the people and traders along The Centre Road are missing out on because of these closed minded DAA Bureaucrats with some sort of agenda are issuing insane and unusable Transit Permits to travel on a Public Road. What is more, I now vow never to spend a dollar in any Aboriginal Enterprise in WA.

This is our camp site in Wintersun CP in Alice Springs. We are situated under a "Rattle Pod" Tree. That is not it's real name as you would have guessed.

The seed pods from the Rattle Pod tree dry crisply and retain their seeds for a time. When a breeze shakes the tree all the seeds rattle like crazy. The pods are about 175mm to 225mm in length. Two seeds remain in this pod.

29 km North of Alice Springs is this marker denoting the crossing of The Tropic of Capricorn.

This marker 19 km North of Alice Springs denotes the point of the highest elevation on the Stuart Highway between Port Augusta and Darwin.

We took a drive out to Standley Chasm and walked through while the sun was shining in on one wall.

Many flowers blooming on the sheer walls of the Chasm.

Standing in The Todd River Causeway, Alice Springs.

Directly opposite the Causeway is, of course, The Todd Tavern.