An early morning climb and an evening BBQ ...

Mount Gillen

Day 2 in Alice Springs began nice and early, with a 5.30 am start.  We were on the walking track by 6 am, watching the sun come up as we trudged through the foothills and headed up Mount Gillen.  This particular track is a popular one, with many locals making a weekly walk up to the summit to admire the view across Alice Springs in one direction, and the far reaching desert in the other direction.  We were back down the mountain and in town by 10 am, where we spent the rest of the day resting at Mum's place and mooching about in the mall, trying to stay cool.

Mum on the track

The track up the mountain

That's where we were heading

Lush green desert

Spot Mum ... as she makes her way up the rock face

On the summit

The rock face (not the one we climbed)

Track along the top of the mountain

Looking down into the town of Alice Springs

In the evening, we met up with one of Mum's friends for a BBQ at Telegraph Station (where we walked on day 1).  Here, we enjoyed bubbles with our kangaroo steaks while watching the sun set over the desert land.

Telegraph Station (with the moon in the sky)

The girls sit around drinking ... 

... while the man cooks the BBQ

Sun setting over Telegraph Station

'Catfish' ...

Last night, I went to the first Australian preview for 'Catfish' at the Palace on Oxford Street.  After seeing the trailer twice, I was curious.  If you've seen the trailer, you'll know that you just have to see the movie, it's just so intriguing.  As was the actual movie.  'Catfish' is a documentary about the development of a relationship over facebook.  It's funny, sad and scary all at once ... and very, very well made.  Following the movie, the three filmmakers (who are also the stars of the movie) came into the cinema for a question and answer session, where they explored some of the controversies surrounding the movie.  I'm not going to give too much of the movie away, so if you get the chance, make sure you see 'Catfish'.

West Macdonnell Ranges ...

On day 2 in Alice Springs, we headed out on the road heading towards Uluru, following the Macdonnell Ranges.  Along the way, there were many places to stop to look, walk or swim. We mainly stuck to swimming in the very full and beautiful water holes since it was so hot.  It was a wonderful time to be seeing the desert ... an unusual amount of rain has meant that the water holes are full, the landscape is green rather than red, and there is wildlife everywhere.

Simpson's Gap

Simpson's Gap

Standley Chasm

Picnic at Ormiston Gorge

Preparing the lilo 

Ormiston Gorge

Ormiston Gorge

Beers at the Glen Helen 'Resort'

Lush Glen Helen Gorge

Ellery Creek Big Hole

Ellery Creek Big Hole

Swimming in the water hole

For those of you who are interested in where we actually visited, here is a map of the area.  

Alice Springs - Day 1 ...

The Todd River which runs through Alice Springs

Since being in Alice Springs, Mum has had many visitors, so by the time my brother (Tom) and I arrived on Thursday, she had the Alice Springs tour fine tuned.  We began with a tour of Mum's work place and lunch at a cafe in a local nursery. In the the afternoon, Tom and I wandered along the Todd River and the Todd Mall, whilst Mum finished up at work.

Todd River

In the evening, Mum took us on her 'signature' walk around some nearby bush walking tracks.  The turn-around point in the walk was at the original Alice Springs, which is actually just a small, unassuming water hole and not a spring at all.  We crossed the river and walked through the original Telegraph Station that was set up in the 1870s to provide means of communication with the rest of Australia and the world.

Tom and Mum on Mum's 'signature' bush walk

Following our walk, we had dinner at Mum's local restaurant, 'Flavours of India', which happens to be right next door to Mum's apartment (anyone fancy a permanent smell of curry?!)  We had an early night, because the next day was going to be a long one, fitting in all of Mum's favourite natural spots in the West Macdonnell Ranges.

The original 'Alice Springs' 

Mum outside her 'signature' restaurant - 'The Flavours of India'

Off to Alice Springs ...

My lovely mother bush walking in Alice Springs

Mum is nearing the end of her 'gap year' in Alice Springs and I thought that it was about time I went to visit her, so I'm heading off today for a few days in the centre of Australia.  Since I'm going walkabout, there will be no blogging until next week.  Happy weekend everyone!

Running with the Tarahumara ...

Last week, I mentioned a book I was reading, 'Born to Run' by Christopher McDougall.  I've just finished it and thought I'd mention what a perfect book it is for me ... it satisfied my love of true adventure stories and even better, it called strongly to my inner running nerd.  The whole book came about when the author questioned the reason behind his feet hurting when he ran.  He was curious about why his feet hurt while running a few kilometres when the ancient Tarahumara tribe in Mexico could run hundreds and hundreds of kilometres without any injury and ... in bare feet.  The book is a wonderful mix of adventure, science, history and humour.  It has certainly inspired me to think more carefully about the way I run and provided some more motivation to keep running  (it also allowed me to self diagnose myself with plantar fasciitis ... and to think that I thought it was normal to hobble around with painful heels for the first hour of each day!)  If you're in need of a little more inspiration to head out for a run, check out this great video about the Tarahumara and their amazing abilities:

The Sydney Festival ...

The Sydney Festival began on the weekend - a month long festival that overtakes the city of Sydney with artistic events galore.  I decided to get my cultural fix on Sunday with a trip into the city to soak up the atmosphere and check out some museums as well as a festival event.

The Harbour Bridge towers over the streets in The Rocks

I began at the Justice and Police museum in Circular Quay.  Here, there was an exhibition titled 'Sin City' which documented the history of organised crime in Sydney (I have a weird fascination with that kind of stuff) ... the corruption of the police and politicians is quite unbelievable.  And to think that all of this was only 'cleared up' in the mid 1990s.  It certainly makes you wonder about the current lot of police and politicians.

View from the STC's Wharf theatre bar

My next stop was The Rocks Discovery Museum, a free museum in the heart of the historical Rocks.  Here, I learnt about the history of The Rocks, both the Aboriginal and white history.

End Artwork sign in the theatre district in Walsh Bay

In the evening, I headed to the Sydney Theatre Company in Walsh Bay to see 'A Life in Three Acts', which was totally not what I expected!  I booked the ticket without looking to see what the play was about (I admit, I was lured in by the $30 for under 30 ticket).  The 'play' was, in fact, not a play at all, it was a scripted conversation between Bette Bourne, a British drag queen, actor and gay activist and playwright, Mark Ravenhill (who was actually stuck in London with an illness and therefore played by another actor).  The conversation began with Bette's early life growing up as a gay boy in London, progressed into his involvement with gay liberation groups and ended with a discussion of his theatre group, Bloolips.  The performance was interesting, humorous (Bette told some incredibly dirty but funny jokes), sad and informative.  Now, I'm kind of glad that I didn't read about the performance beforehand, otherwise, I may not have gone.

Sun setting on the Opera House

There's certainly plenty happening in Sydney at the moment, and I'm hoping to get back into the city and enjoy a few more performances before the festival is over.