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Australia 2011
Day 7 - 4th August - Alice Springs Desert Park (Part 1)
The previous day I'd been walking around the supermarket, and the guy a the counter remarked (when I chose a Schweppes brown cream soda - only the colour was different: the taste was the same) "you've been here for ages".
I said it was interesting walking around supermarkets, and he said "fair enough".
I noted my amusement at poppy seeds being illegal in Singapore, even in food, as well as their very strict alcohol policy. In other parts of Australia one could get alcohol off the shelf. I ask if it was because of the aborigines, and he admitted - almost shamefully - that this was why alcohol was so controlled.
In the morning we went to Anzac Hill.
Sunrise
"Lest We Forget" - War Memorial
The memorial contains the ashes of the guy who dedicated it - Rev Harry Griffiths.
Places they've been
If the UK deposes the Queen, will she come to Australia to live?
On Anzac Hill
"Alice Springs - Centre of the Australian Outback"
Landscape of Alice Springs
I didn't know they'd been to Vietnam - Australia was the US's bitch further back than I'd thought.
A very plain Alice Springs (in my notes I called it "damn ugly" but I've decided to upgrade it)
Green birds
Other bird
We then drove a short way to Alice Springs Desert Park, to learn more about (and see) the various terrains of the Outback.
"Look Lock Leave"
Another disgusting example of victim-blaming. Looks like Australia has a car theft culture too.
Map of Park
The visit opened with some movie on the landscape, which had a very impressive finisher:
Alice Springs Desert Park show - end
This is the funny tool that was demonstrated to us at Ayer's Rock
For some reason the translations of the legend on the map amused me
Australia has more lizards than anywhere in the world.
I was quite impressed by their molding the net around the tree.
Princess Parrot, Budgerigar. I think there should also be a Cinnamon Quail Thrush here, but I can't see it.
River Red Gums. When you see them you know it's wet, since they need the most water of all the trees in the desert park.
Frogs here burrow because it's hot and dry.
White faced heron
Red tailed black cockatoo
Walking through fauna area: this is a "Watering Hole"
Bird in water: White faced heron again
Desert rainbow fish
Signs of Underground Water
Dry rivers have water underneath
When the water rushes through rivers in the desert it leaves marks on trees, so you can see the level of the last flood.
Fruit Salad Bush. It can substitute for Vicks Vapour Rub. I can't imagine having Vicks in my salad. These Australians are strange.
A picture of "Lake Disappointment"
The name is awesome:
"Lake Disappointment was named by the explorer Frank Hann in 1897. Hann was in the area exploring the east Pilbara, around Rudall River. He noticed creeks in the area flowed inland, and followed them expecting to find a large fresh water lake. To his disappointment the lake turned out to be salt, and subsequently it got its name of Lake Disappointment"
Bourke's Parrot
Salt Lake
Black-faced woodswallow
Termites
Termite Mound
I looked at them but didn't see any
Spinifex - very hardy, very flammable
"Hello. I'm Alexis the Spinifex Hopping Mouse"
"Five Ways to Stay Alive"
"The Aboriginal person depicted in this photograph has recently passed away.
Family members, according to tradition, have asked for the image to be removed from public viewing."
This is probably why they don't like having photos taken of them. I can imagine that this is a large barrier making people reluctant to use photographs of aborigines in material for public consumption. Yet, this makes their culture less visible than it would otherwise be, and so perpetuates its marginalisation.
A more subtle grammatical error than usual: "Today, the larger animals are still hunted with rifles and vehicles rather than foot-walking, spears and boomerangs"
Some roads had "TCE" in their names. I just found out that means "terrace".
Australians like to abbreviate words. Breakfast becomes "brekkie", McDonald's becomes "Maccas" and lipstick becomes "lippy". There's something very infantile about this pattern of abbreviation, where long words are shortened into snappy slang, exhibiting clear and distinct patterns of repetition and/or diminution: mama, papa, gee-gee, moo-moo, nums nums and wee wee being examples of baby talk.