A desert wildlife park near Alice Springs

Unfortunately I have been caught up with many commitments, so although it is almost a month later, this evening is the first time I have been able to resume my story.

I left Darwin on the Ghan, and again we had two ‘whistle stops', first at Katherine Gorge and then in AlIce Springs, on the way down to Adelaide in the south. I did not take any photos of Katherine Gorge this time, having taken them on the way up to Darwin as well as on our Kimberley tour when we went on a sunset cruise through the gorge.

But I did have some wonderful conversations with the ladies sitting next to me on the coach that took us back and forth to the gorge, which is quite a distance away from the railway. One was a Swiss lady who was very concerned about the extent of migration to her country and its impact on their society. And coincidentally, the other had recently moved from her role as an officer for our federal government department that is responsible for migration to  an advisory and managerial job.  She told me she had spent quite some time in overseas posts, and had found it extraordinarily gut-wrenching having to interview people in refugee camps and decide who Australia would accept and who would not be allowed to move here. She had to consider things like how she believed these often very traumatised people would cope in our very different society.  And she was very concerned about those of her male colleagues who were far too perfunctory and detached and had little empathy for these people. It was sobering to think how hard it must have been for her, when she had such a kind heart and so much compassion for the refugees. 

I chose a different experience in Alice Spring this time and went to a desert wildlife park. I was so glad I did, as the park showcased different environments and some of the plant and animal species found in them. The main fauna that were featured were birds and reptiles, some of which I had not seen before, including the ‘thorny devil’. When you see its photo below, you will well appreciate it how it came to be called that.

But that was not all we enjoyed at the park.  We were very privileged to have a delightful Aboriginal guide and to be able to visit an art studio on the site and meet a relative of our most famous Aboriginal painter -  Albert Namatjira.  Most of his paintings were of the stunning MacDonnell Ranges near Alice Springs. In fact, on my next big trip in this region, I stayed in Alice Springs and went on some wonderful journeys around that region. I will talk about that later. As well, we were treated to the most marvellous gourmet lunch. Who would have expected that? It was simply delicious and included a specialty dish using crocodile meat. 

It was with great reluctance I left the park and got back onto our coach to go back to the train. But I was looking forward to the trip I was doing after arriving in Adelaide - to Kangaroo Island! That will be my next story.

I hope you enjoy the photos. You will very quickly work out which one is the ‘thorny devil’. I am afraid I do not know the names of the other species, except for the red-tailed black cockatoo.