Our original plan was to do the lap of Oz, and the Red Centre didn't figure as we just thought it too far to drive. However, having got used to the huge distances between places, and the use of roadhouses as overnight stays, the thought of seeing Karlu Karlu (Devil's Marbles), Alice Springs, Uluru (Ayers Rock), Kata Tjuta (the Olgas) and Watarrka (Kings Canyon) began to appeal. We worked out the mileage (huge), we worked out the cost of fuel (huge) and the time it would take (weeks) and we considered the other options, flying and coach, but in the end we decided to go for it with Winnie!

We left Katherine and did a very short hop to Bitter Springs, where we floated in crystal clear thermal spring water - a real life lazy river! Next stop were the Karlu Karlu (the Devil's Marbles), curious 'round' rock formations in the middle of nowhere. There were several other interesting places to stop on the drive down including Wycliffe Well, the UFO capital of Australia. After 1200kms we reached Alice Springs with a sigh of relief. There had been so many shredded tyres on the side of the road that brought back bad memories, and we had both worried about breaking down as there was no phone signal for most of the journey! However, we made it!

The change in temperature was a bit of a shock to the system. From 35 degrees in Katherine to 22 in Alice but the night temps dropped to zero and below. We had to go out and buy a fan heater as it was -4 degrees that night!! Double duvets, clothes and socks on in bed!!

Our first thought was to get to Uluru, but this is another 450kms further on. It was school holidays and we gathered from Facebook that those people who had managed to book a site, after a 45 min wait on the phone, were complaining of being so crammed in that they could hardly open their door! So we decided to book a day trip from Alice Springs, run by a local tour company that took us to Kata Tjuta and Uluru. They picked us up from our campsite at 5:40am and dropped us back at 12:30am the next morning! We had an amazing day with several guided walks and loads of information but the highlight was undoubtedly seeing Uluru change colour at sunset, from our own special area, with a bbq dinner and a glass or four of champagne!! It must have been special as a bloke on our coach got down on one knee and proposed to his girlfriend - ahhh! However, I am not going to go into any more detail on Uluru, as I'm sure you have all seen the pictures and know it is the largest monolith in the world, with 2/3rds of it being underground!

What really surprised us, and led to us extending our stay again and again, was Alice Springs. It was not at all as we imagined, there was loads to see and do, and it didn't really feel like you were in the centre of Oz, miles away from anywhere else! The first day we visited the School of the Air, a classroom in Alice that broadcasts lessons live to children across 1.3 million sq. kms, who live in such remote places that means getting to a school is not an option. The children can interact with the tutors and get private time with them too. The school supplies all the satellite equipment, at a cost of $10,000 per family, and the family pays $300 per year for maintenance. What I found amazing was that the school also runs a library/supplies service and delivers books and art materials to the children by post. We donated a preschool library book and left a little message in it, which the kids get to see! They also get together once a term, with the parents making phenomenal journeys to Alice just so their kids get to meet their 'friends' and socialise with other children. All started by a woman whose name everyone forgets, including me, but she had the foresight to realise that the airwaves set up for the Royal Flying Doctor Service were not being used most of the time and could provide an education for the kids of the outback!

And then we just had to go to the Camel Cup, Alice Springs annual camel riding race. We were amazed, there were some young people dressed up as if it was Ascot - obviously the social highlight of the year! The camels are raced in the same way as racehorses but they are known for their stubbornness, and some just decided to walk the course or take another route - it was quite funny to watch. However, there was no betting on the camels, which surprised us given the betting culture of Oz. The only thing you could bet on, by buying a numbered ticket, were the Duck Races that were held in between the Camel Races. But, I hear you ask, surely there is no river running in Alice Springs at this time of the year? Correct, the River Todd is just a dry sandy riverbed. So, how does a duck race work? The Australians of the Red Centre are nothing but resourceful and a cement mixer was brought in. The ducks and water were put into the cement mixer and then released down the funnel onto a manmade chute of black plastic and paddling pools. And to cap it all, all the tickets were sold out 2 races in advance!! Loved it, even though no. 166 won and we had 167, aargghh!

The Desert Safari Park was our next port of call. David Attenborough has said that all wildlife parks should be like this one, and we have to agree. Very natural environments were set amongst the outback bush. The highlight was a free flying bird show that has rave reviews. The star of the show, a buzzard, was about to fly down and break open an emu's egg with its claws - apparently the only bird that can do this! He flew down but aborted at the last moment and flew over the arena. Unfazed the bird handler called him round to do it again. This time he not only aborted but flew off into the hills. Panic set in, calls were made and the show was halted there and then as all available staff went off with telemetry sets to track down the buzzard. We don't know if he made it back, but that was the first time that had happened in 12 months apparently!

We then went off into the MacDonnell Ranges for a few days. These go east and west of Alice and are quite striking with red rock and they are intersected by a series of chasms, gaps and gorges. We went east first and were awed by Corroborree Rock, a dolomite outcrop associated with the Aboriginals Perentie Dreamtime story. A Perentie is a type of lizard and the rock does look like one from a certain angle. It is believed the lizard crawled over the landscape to form it and then changed into stone. It would explain the large 'scales' of rock sticking up everywhere. At first we found it hard to accept these stories but, after listening to a few, and seeing the 'evidence' in the landscape we decided it was probably no different to some of our Bible stories, such as the water turning into wine etc! It's just a way of trying to explain how the world was created! Standley Chasm was stunning at around midday as the sunlight penetrated the deep gorge and reflected off of the red walls. We decided to free camp in the West MacDonnells as there was too much to do in one day. Wow, our camp was at a lookout on the top of a hill with views across the whole range. We were joined by 4 other vans and witnessed an awesome sunset before ogling at the Milky Way and the stars. Ormiston Gorge was another favourite, where we walked up to a lookout at the top of the gorge (yes, I managed to venture out onto it!) and then down and back along the floor of the gorge past waterholes. I did put my feet in but the water was freezing!! We also visited the Ochre Pits, a sacred site, where the Aboriginals still gather the different colour ochres for their ceremonies. The walls of the riverbed were a rainbow of colours. I didn't realise that they also trade with the ochre so it's a very valuable commodity for the

Aboriginals. You're probably confused now as to why I'm using the word 'Aboriginal' and not 'indigenous' as I was before. We're confused too but that is how they refer to themselves both here and in Darwin and Katherine so maybe it's the politically correct other regions who use 'indigenous'?! As in all cultures there are the good and the bad, and seeing those drunk and dirty Aboriginals sitting around on the street does not do anything to help their cause. However, it is great to see them at work - they are great artists, know an awesome amount about plants and animals and how to use them for food and medicine and make great tour guides as there isn't anything they don't know!

Seeing the Ghan trundle into Alice was another highlight. This train runs from Adelaide to Darwin, straight through Alice Springs. It arrives in Alice on a Monday from Adelaide and then again on a Thursday for its return journey from Darwin. Given how costly the trip is we were surprised to see that the train was 902m long and had 38 carriages. We watched the masses of people alight and get on their different tour buses before heading up to the front to get some pics of the engine, or rather the two engines that are needed!

At the moment we are at Kings Canyon, another 2 days drive from Alice Springs. Bob is going to blog about this, but we are now going back to Alice for a couple of nights before we sadly leave this amazing, but very remote, part of Oz! And boy, are we glad we made the decision to travel for days and days to be here, what an experience!