Back to The Alice

Trip Start Jun 05, 2007

131

Trip End Jun 2009

Loading Map

Map your own trip!

Map Options

Show trip route

Hide lines

Flag of Australia Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia
Monday, September 22, 2008

We have a fairly decent room on our Return to Alice and after a freshen up and 40 winks, we head out to meet up with everyone including Beej for a meal and drinks at a local hostel. A couple of cheap jugs of the local brew and bangers and mash... Mmmmmm we head back to Annies Place where we are staying with everyone and drink a little more - I decide that Beej and myself need something to perk them us up and a number of Jaeggermister are consumed, leaving us both slightly worse for wear.
The following morning we are awake fairly early to ensure we are out of the room by 10.00am. The Ghan doesn't leave until 5pm this evening so we have a few hours to waste. We have some internet time, making sure that we have a bed upon our arrival in Darwin and catch up on the Travel Pod, I feel awful and am trying to rehydrate as quickly as possible.
We decide to take a wander around Alice to see the sights. We head first for the Royal Flying Doctor Services office where we have a great film show about the service and how it all began, followed with a short guide of the control room and how it all works - It is pretty amazing what these people are doing, espeically considering the size of the practice they have to work in. After the talk there is a little museum there showing you more information on how it all started and the evolutionary steps it has taken over the past 80 or so years. We were readying ourselves to leave when without warning the skies went black, the wind got up and the power went out in the museum - A storm had blown in. In the darkness we sat, in the small museum, looking out as the trees were torn up, the rain flooded streets and then thunder and lightning cracked and illuminmated the dark skies above - It was surreal to say the least. There had been so little warning that even birds had been hijacked and were sitting like drowned rats scratching their little bird heads with their wings wondering what the hell had happened. 45 minutes after it began, it was no where to be seen. The skies were clear and the sun was shining. We ventured out of the museum to view the devastation which had been left in the wake of the storm. Cars were sitting wheel deep in the puddles, birds sat on tree routes exposed by the strong winds branches, twigs and piles of leaves lay all around, winter had come early and all the trees were now bare. Talking to locals they usually had warning about such storms but even they were suprised, having not experienced anything like it for the past 10 or more years.
The strangest thing of all however was the speed in which the town went into clean up - Hundreds of men with chainsaws running around, lopping apart trees within minutes of the storm dissappearing - It was like they were all just waiting for the one in a decade event - sitting around, chainsaws on idle - "Come on Boys, The Alice Needs Us "!
An hour later the skies began to turn red - The sand storm whipped up as the storm had passed through the dessert on its way to Alice was finally upon the town - It was something Apocoliptic, not as fearsome as its predocessor, but with a menacing colour that made you feel the end of the world was indeed Nigh! Back on the Ghan it was a welcome relief to be leaving this crazy town.