Adelaide to Alice Springs

After a delicious breakfast at the airport we embarked on our adventure in the Outback. The flight to Alice Springs was excellent with in flight movies for only a two hour flight: just long enough, although we frequently stopped watching to look at the stunning scenery below. The salt lakes and the redness of the earth as we approached Alice Springs made us appreciate why this region is called the Red Centre. On arrival we were surprised how large the airport was and enjoyed the taxi trip to the town through a gap in the MacDonald Ranges.
We only had that afternoon to see Alice Springs so, with a light misty rain falling, which was very cooling in the heat, we set off to explore the town, stopping en route to check in with Emu Tours and to buy portable water carriers from a guy who used to live in Slough! It is a much larger settlement than first appeared with a hill, Anzac Hill, overlooking the town that reminded us both of the A hill in Tempe. It was a similar climb with a panoramic view over the town.
As it was raining a little more, albeit we were still in shirt sleeves, we stopped by the Royal Flying Doctor Service Museum and were easily persuaded to join a tour; really interesting and reassuring that they are there for all us in remote areas. It is surprising how impressive the RFDS is, covering emergencies throughout Australia as well as serving the original remote settlements and increasingly being needed by intrepid tourists.
After a fish and chip supper at the hotel we prepared for an early pick up at 6am for our three day Uluru camping tour.