Day 19 Alice Springs

If we sent all the European back-packers and tourists home, the outback economy would collapse. While we see our fair share of Australians exploring the country, quite a few like us, with children in tow, the vast majority of Caravan Park visitors are Europeans. They’re mostly pairs of all ages from Germany, Britain, or The Netherlands. Many are traditional couples but there are also same sex couples or travelling companions and in some cases, they’ve come to Australia for a second or third visit. The self-contained camper-van business such as Maui and Britz is thriving. I’m full of admiration for these young adventurers who’ve flown half way around the globe to explore what must appear to them to be a harsh and dangerous place.
We began the day with our 1st bacon and eggs breakfast since leaving Sydney. It was a pleasant change from Wheetbix and as I cooked the bacon on the communal BBQ’s, it was good to chat to some of our fellow travellers. We then took Ed’s advice and headed in to Desert Park. Everyone had a great time and the boys were enthralled with the set-up and the enclosures. They learnt plenty about the desert environments along the way and we even found a Mala in one of the aviary’s which came as a total surprise to a young aboriginal girl that had been working there for 19mths. Some of the desert birdlife is extraordinary and we have native birds I didn’t know existed. The boys noticed a bird that looked like it had a pair of small spectacles on its nose and they’ve renamed it the Barrybird.
Back at the Caravan Park, we’d become quite friendly with Warren, a retired Ambulance Paramedic who’s been on the road for the past 18mths. His wife passed away and he decided to sell up the family home at Condell Park and tour the country with his pet Lorikeet, Bully. As you would imagine, Bully was quite a hit with the boys once they worked out that he would sit on their shoulders and pose for photo’s. Warren packed up and left for Melbourne today. He’s heading to his daughter’s home for Christmas.
Our days are quite long and it’s difficult to get the boys to bed at the end of the day, although it hasn’t been a priority for us I suppose. Jacqui and I sat outside tonight with a bottle of red wine while watching the boys in the playground. I casually glanced down at my left wrist and noticed that it was 9:15 and we still had to get the boys showered and settled for the night. It’s all very relaxed and I’m not surprised that people settle easily into this lifestyle.
Cheers,
Jorg