Australian Outback - Alice Springs

The day started with a early flight from Cairns to Alice Springs.  My ride was on a Qantas Boeing 717.  It was my first flight on Qantas so of course I dressed for the occasion. The flight was quick and comfortable. They served a complimentary hot breakfast which was nice, though I'll spare you the photos of my ham and egg calzone.

Me, pre-calzone

My ride from Cairns to Alice Springs

Alice Springs is basically in the middle of nowhere in the Australian outback.

There really aren't any other towns, small or large, for several hundred kilometers in any direction.  Alice Springs has a population of about 25,000.  It was quite hot with temperatures reaching 100 degrees Fahrenheit.  Apparently this is the norm, but the "river" in the middle of town was completely dry, and usually is about 11 out of 12 months of the year.

Todd River in Alice Springs

This is a shot looking out over the "river" from the middle of the bridge that crosses over it.

I spent some time having lunch and exploring the small downtown.

It was nice to see lots of "Yes!" rainbow banners all around this small town.  Australian citizens are currently voting by mail to legalize gay marriage.

I relaxed for a bit in the afternoon then headed back out in the early evening to climb Anzac Hill, a hill on the edge of town with some great views.  At the top of the hill was a monument dedicated to Australians who served their country.

I stuck around to watch the sunset and I finally remembered to bring my selfie stick!  Though, is there a trick to make it look like I'm not holding a selfie stick?  I felt like such a rookie.  Oh, is there also a trick for not feeling like a complete dork walking around with a selfie stick?

There is smoke in the above photos because apparently they'd been doing a "controlled burn" somewhere to the west of Alice Springs in the outback.

For dinner I went to this bar called Monte's.  It had a fun, relaxed and dare I say "hipster" vibe.  Seems like a lot of people come to Alice Springs to position for tours out to Urulu or other outback excursions (like I was doing) as there were lots of tourists hanging out.  I had a burger that came with a congratulatory note.  I enjoyed it.

I turned in early as I had to be up at 5am for my trip to Urulu!