Those of a certain vintage will recall the 1956 British drama film "A town like Alice" based on the eponymous 1950 novel by Nevil Shute. Somewhere in my early teens I saw the movie which indelibly imprinted in my memory database an impression of the town of Alice Springs along with a desire to one day go there. It might have taken over half a century of time for that day to come around but this afternoon, following a smooth 2-hour flight north from Coober Pedy, the Bazflyers arrived at Alice Springs.
Preparing to leave Coober Pedy
Flying over Australia's centre normally reinforces a stereotyped image of an arid red earth territory. However, that is not how it looks at present. Recent rains are transforming the land. Water courses beginning as creek sized tributaries snake across the earth amalgamating into broadening ribbons of greenness that seemingly stretch endlessly to the horizon. Those in the know keep telling us the land is greening like it has not done for many long years.
Rivers of green
The town of 'Alice' boarders a normally dry Todd River, so dry that the annual regatta is a spectacle of boat races made possible by the motive of multiple legs. So replenishing have the recent inland rains been that for the Bazflyers visit to Alice the Todd River had a seldom seen water content.
Down town Alice Springs
Oh, for the record 'Alice' didn't match up to anything like my long-held impression of the place, its a leafy laid-back small town and seems like an interesting place to explore over the next three days. Three days of "Living next door to Alice"......!
No comments:
Post a Comment