[Ghost Gum Lookout on the left]

[View of the car park from the Lookout]

We fail to get up early, opt for a cooked breakfast, and leave at 10am. Iain has had a bad night's sleep but I slept 12 hours.

It's 120km to Alice, but we've lots of stops planned. It's tarmac all the way, hurrah! We're fed up with the van now, and looking forward to getting rid of it.

[View down the gorge]

[View downwards]

[The creek bed]

We stop at Ormiston Gorge, after I drive down a windy road and knacker my foot with the heavy clutch. Iain walks up to Ghost Gum Lookout while I rest. Very scenic.

We drive to Standley Chasm, but it's a privately owned tourist rip off, so we move on. We go to Simpson's Gap, where the telegraph was going to go through The MacDonnell range, but didn't - it's too rocky and wet. Wonderful view and a good visitors centre with into about wildlife. There are steep cliffs either side of a 20 metre gap. A black footed wallaby comes down to drink whilst we watch. We then stop at the famous Ghost Gum (their bark is white) trees, which Namatjira, the Aboriginal artist, painted.

[Optimistic sign at Simpson's Gap]

[Rock Wallaby!]

[Must have seen us]

[The Gap]

[Apparently Namatjira drew this tree]

[The original Alice Spring]

[The old telegraph station]

Alice is next, we visit the School of the Air. This was the first one, and has a visitors centre. It's well meaning but a bit old fashioned. It's nice to know the kids get tutoring. They have an hour on air with their class and teacher each week, home study, which is sent for marking, and meet with their class mates three times a year, for a week, which is probably their only interaction with lots of other kids. Unfortunately once they turn 12, they have to go to boarding school, or out of state.

[Euro in the telegraph station car park]

[and friend]

[A Town Like Alice]

Iain walks round the old telegraph station on a guided tour. I watch wallabies running around the car park.

We go up Anzac Hill, a look out point over Alice, and war memorial. We reach the hostel at 5pm, clear the van, do laundry and make dinner. We give away the rest of our food, and make lots of friends! The hostel is full of Brits tonight, some of whom have travelled extensively worldwide.

We have the same room as last week, it's almost like coming home!