Henley on Todd

What do you do if you live in the desert where the river rarely runs but you want to raise money for the community? You have a charity boat race...of course!

I attended the 55th Henley on Todd, in Alice Springs, with a few thousand other townsfolk and tourists. There were 'boat races' of all sorts from single person kayaks, canoes, rowing boats, small sailing boats up the the combative finale between the Vikings, the Navy and the Pirates.

 The whole event had the atmosphere of a family sports day. Anyone could take part in the races with all classes of 'water' conveyance. 

The battle was wet, floury, dusty, smelly and very noisy.

The winners of the battle, decided by crowd enthusiasm, were The Navy

Blooming Desert

It is winter (well so called, winter) in the centre. But to a southerner, it seems warm.  Well, there were a few sub zero mornings but the days have been mild,  although the locals bedeck themselves with all the accoutrements of winter....beanies, scarves, coats, jumpers, leggings.... The dessert, however, clearly believes it is spring and following the rains earlier in the year, it is an absolute garden.

Alice is electric

Here's something I haven't seen before, electrical outlets on all the power poles in the Todd Mall in the middle of Alice Springs. They are utilised by the stall holders at the fortnightly market but are available to all.

Kata Tjuta, not the Olgas

Kata Tjuta is an amazing outcrop of 36 domes rising from the desert in the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. Kata Tjuta is Pitjantjatjara meaning 'many heads'.

Kata Tjuta viewed from the dune lookout

Some of you may know of, or have walked,  the Valley of the Winds. There is another shorter and easier walk, Walpa (windy) Gorge. It is a 2.6 km return Grade 3 walk. The gorge is a desert refuge for plants and animals. The track is rocky and rises gently with bridges over an impermanent stream.

The beginning of the Walpa walk.

You will be happy to know that there are no ugly trolls under any of the bridges on the walk, as we Billy Goats Gruff  dispatched them in the traditional fashion

The Sun sets on Uluru

Any mention of Uluru would not be complete without the obligatory sunset photos.  However, communing with the rock at sunset is not the solitary, spiritual experience you may imagine. It is to be done in designated areas...one for folks in cars and the other for paying bus/coach types. Check out the picture below...see all those shadows in the foreground?  That is only a tiny sample of the couple of hundred people who joined me to gaze in awe the night we was there.

It is an amazing thing to see and different every night. Well worth elbowing others out of the way.

Horizons #6 and # 7.

Somewhere along the Lassiter Highway - a celebration of the red!

View of Kata Tjuta and Uluru (if you look closely) from the dune viewing area on the way to Kata Tjuta.