Day 1- we headed into town to visit the Reptile centre. It was brilliant! We saw lots of beautiful lizards and loved watching the fabulous thorny devils eat ants, too cute! We were treated to a bit of a show from the local salt water croc "Terry", as the guide teased the water with a pool net he tried to catch it and eat it! He opened his mouth up wide so we could see all his magnificent, but scary, teeth and how his throat closes up to the water by flattening out his tongue. It was a shock to see how fast he can move! We also listened to a very informative presentation about snakes and lizards, then got to hold them all! We all fell in love with Mali the bearded dragon. Lachie wasn't sure about the olive python being around him though! After a lunch of some of the best pies we did a few jobs in town then had a quiet night in the van.
Day 2 - we were a bit slower getting off in the morning but ended up at the Royal Flying Doctors Service Centre. Again, it was beautifully presented and very informative. Much to the boys disappointment we spent the afternoon doing "schoolwork" then had an early tea so we were ready for an astronomy talk that evening. It was fabulous! We got to see Jupiter and 3 of its 60 odd moons through a telescope. We also learned about some of the constellations and which stars were actually planets. It was very interesting!
Day 3 - Today we went out to the Desert Park, a place a bit like a natural desert zoo. It was absolutely beautiful and again incredibly interesting and informative. Each part of the park had rangers who would lead talks and discussions about the animals, plants or environment. We loved the bush tucker talk and the nocturnal house. The day finished with an extraordinary free-flight bird presentation, seeing trained birds such as owls, kites and raptors swoop and fly over the audience.
Day 4 - we started with a visit to the School of the Air Centre which was lovely. This week the children of school of the air have all come into town for a week in the classrooms! We got to see a K/1 and a 2/3 room in action. This week they have a packed timetable of athletics carnivals, NAPLAN, school photos and lots of other activities, socialisation and play. Because the classrooms were in use we were able to watch a previously recorded school of the air lesson on a tv. They look fantastic! The teachers, leaders, kids and community do an amazing job to make this type of education a success. The rest of the day we spent getting organised to head 'bush' again; haircuts, groceries, washing, fuel, water and other odds and ends. Tomorrow we head just a little way up the road to Gemtree to fossick for garnets! This time we hope to bring some back for you Nana and Poppy Tez!