Day 60: Tue 21 Jul 26 - Alice Springs

July 21, 2026

Tue 21 Jul 26 - Alice Springs

3 Deg, apparent minus 1 Deg, partly cloudy and light winds reaching 22. While we think the mornings are cold, the locals say it is a relatively mild winter this year.

We dropped Olli off at Doggy Day Care at 0930, and by all accounts he was very well behaved, but very happy to see us again at 15:00 when we picked him up. After leaving him, we drove a short distance to the Alice Springs School of the Air to learn all about this amazing service, and the difference it makes to many who attend the school from near and afar. From here we drove to the Olive Pink Botanic Gardens where, where first on the agenda was coffee, then a wander around a very different Botanic Garden that we are used to, but very interesting nonetheless. A 16 hectare garden specialising in plants and landscapes native to the arid central Australian region. Olive Pink (1884–1975), was an Australian artist, anthropologist, and advocate for Aboriginal rights, and known for establishing the Olive Pink Botanic Garden. From here we drove another short distance to next on our agenda, a visit to the Royal Flying Doctor Service visitor centre. Operating since 1939, the RFDS is a critical aeromedical and primary health care hub serving the Red Centre. It runs emergency evacuations, telehealth consultations, and remote clinics, bringing life-saving medical care to isolated outback communities. The displays and presentations were very informative, and the virtual reality experience through the eyes of both a pilot and a patient were fantastic. It was great learning about another valuable service provided in remote Australia. From here we headed up to ANZAC Hill lookout, then down to Woolies to do a bit of grocery shopping. It was a nice change today for Noel and I to do some some activities together without one having to stay behind to mind Olli. After finishing our shopping, we collected Olli, then headed back to the van for a late brew, then I escaped for a ride to cap off a rather full, but very enjoyable day.

The look on Olli's face - WHAT are you doing to me? First day at Doggy Day Care. He was trembling when we dropped him off, and very excited to see us later in the day when we picked him up. He was also much more relaxed. He got a good report, and apparently was very well behaved, even playing with a couple of other pups - a outcome for all

Visit to Alice Springs School of Air - What a fabulous service with students achieving leading academic results.

Alice Springs School of Air. The black dots represent student locations and a range of old fors of communication

Alice Springs School of Air - Student Welding assignments

Alice Springs School of Air - Students embroidery exhibits

Alice Springs School of Air - Students embroidery exhibits. This piece was done by a student from Hermannsburg who wanted to become a policeman. Years later, after achieving his goal of becoming a policeman, his son, who grew up in Hermannsburg too, produced the welding display below.