Melbourne to Alice Springs

After waking up to a cold damp day in Melbourne, I was ready for the warmer climate of our next stop Alice Springs. I'd been following the weather forecasts in Alice Springs, located in the dead center of Australia, and heard that expected highs would be in the low 90's so I was looking forward to it.

During our flight to the middle of the country, there were no clouds to obstruct my view of the ground. According to our guide, Alice Springs has 300 days of sunshine each year. From 30,000 feet up, I could see the perfectly straight surveyed property lines below and the brown straw colored parched landscape.

Less than half way through the three hour trip, the color palette changed turning into red expanses occasionally separated by dry river beds. The landscape was dotted with stubby acacia trees and natives grasses. Occasionally I saw small isolated population centers but they were few and far between. The landscape from my vantage point was absolutely forbidding.

We arrived in Alice Springs in time for lunch. Continuing with the emphasis on education, lunch was followed by a lecture about the aboriginal  culture of central Australia. Road Scholar wants its clients to know something about the place they visit, not just see it. And they do a fantastic job of providing knowledgeable subject matter experts and guides.

The lecture and subsequent discussion focused on how the indigenous people relate to the land, their kinship systems, social behavior, shelter, food, art and more.

We then took a field trip to the Alice Springs School of the Air. With children remotely located throughout the Outback, the school now serves 140 students over 521,000 sq. miles in "the largest classroom in the world". With the help of tutors (oftentimes a parent), teachers use cameras, a white board and computers provided to each student to meet face to face with their student about 1 1/2 hours each day. The students then continues their studies using workbooks that have been sent to them via airmail.

Students must live at least 30 miles from the school to qualify. Some live hundreds of miles away. They come together three times each year to meet their classmates and their teacher. Students in the School of the Air rank in the top 10% in the Northern Territory.

Our dinner was at a nearby lodge eaten outdoors with entertainment by a local musician. The evening ended with another mini lecture about the constellations while we sat under the dark skies of the Outback.

It was a long information packed day. I loved it.