The beautiful Simpson Desert from above...
I'd been both dreading and hugely anticipating the morning I was due to get on the plane to Alice Springs. I'd been destined to be in Sydney Airport at that time for the entire year, as that was when the very last flight I could catch back to the UK left. If I didn't get on it there were to be no refunds, and flights to the UK from here are MUCH more expensive than the reverse.
I stared at the runway waiting for the Korean Air flight to take off, knowing it would be my chance to step back on British soil gone for the foreseeable future. I never spotted it....probably a good thing...although I felt strangely unemotional. It felt so entirely right to be moving to Alice Springs.
I stared at the runway waiting for the Korean Air flight to take off, knowing it would be my chance to step back on British soil gone for the foreseeable future. I never spotted it....probably a good thing...although I felt strangely unemotional. It felt so entirely right to be moving to Alice Springs.
My love affair with Central Australia began when I visited Alice Springs as a backpacker in November 2013. It was a series of experiences: seeing my first outback sunset, attending a house party where all the people seemed to be totally engaged with their jobs and happy to be part of the community, driving through vast open space, seeing the stars form a dome above you because there's no pollution horizontally so you can actually see them ALL! Spotting kangaroos just on the edge of town, the dry, searing heat, the incredible smell of hot, sweet eucalyptus when it rains, the aboriginal art, the amazing languages spoken in the town centre....the dust and dirt and utes and real Aussie people. Also the total lack of shops, no noise, no pretence, no big nightclubs and general commercialism. No worries mate! Your average townie would absolutely hate living here :-)
I got here because I wrote to some broadcasters to see whether anyone could use my skills. I didn't get any replies for ages until a lovely man called Bruce called from a commercial radio station called 8HA and described what sounded like my perfect job. We barely talked through any detail but in my heart I'd decided I was going, whatever the outcome. I had two weeks left on my visa within which time I could do a trial as a freelancer, and after that I either would have to be sponsored, or I'd have to leave the country sharpish.
Luckily the boss, Roger, agreed to sponsor me after I provided news bulletins for the station for (apparently) the first time in 20 years! It was a baptism of fire and at first extremely frightening: new news patch, no contacts, no other journos, no lawyer, no inbox full of press releases. Nothing. AAAGHHRRR!
Luckily the boss, Roger, agreed to sponsor me after I provided news bulletins for the station for (apparently) the first time in 20 years! It was a baptism of fire and at first extremely frightening: new news patch, no contacts, no other journos, no lawyer, no inbox full of press releases. Nothing. AAAGHHRRR!
But once you've been out on the town for a few nights, you realise everybody here has the same story. Alice is a town of 25,000 people, two days' drive from anywhere of significance and entirely surrounded by desert. You have to take responsibility for your own role, as there's nobody else here to carry you!
On my second day at work (Valentine's Day) I met a Canadian girl called Jenn who does sales for the station. She must have wooed me with the ladies' BBQ we had that night because she's quickly become a tremendously good friend, and is pictured, right, and above with myself and Roger. We were photographed by the local paper when we went to an Aussie Rules football match.
On my second day at work (Valentine's Day) I met a Canadian girl called Jenn who does sales for the station. She must have wooed me with the ladies' BBQ we had that night because she's quickly become a tremendously good friend, and is pictured, right, and above with myself and Roger. We were photographed by the local paper when we went to an Aussie Rules football match.
Work is excellent. It's demanding (in a good way) and I've quickly had to get across plenty of issues, find the go-to people, and try to get to grips with the mad world of Northern Territory politics...some of the stories that have come out recently are literally jaw-dropping.
But the best thing is I have the creative outlet to record the features I want. I've started by doing a 10-week environmental challenge with a piece per week to accompany it. After that I'll be working on some history features for our tourist information station, and I also grab interviews with anyone who either comes to the station, or makes an appearance in town.
It was an absolute honour to meet Gaby Kennard...the first Australian woman to fly solo around the world, and she only started learning to fly when she was 30! I now count her amongst my heroes.
I also met another hero of mine, Brolga (aka Kangaroo Dundee), for a second time and I was pretty blown away to know that he'd heard my news bulletins and also the radio show I do with my totally awesome office mate, Nicky G. Nicky is an announcer on the sister station, Sun 969, for which I also provide news bulletins. She has me in stitches every week without fail when we record a show together. I've not cried with laughter so much in years!
But the best thing is I have the creative outlet to record the features I want. I've started by doing a 10-week environmental challenge with a piece per week to accompany it. After that I'll be working on some history features for our tourist information station, and I also grab interviews with anyone who either comes to the station, or makes an appearance in town.
It was an absolute honour to meet Gaby Kennard...the first Australian woman to fly solo around the world, and she only started learning to fly when she was 30! I now count her amongst my heroes.
I also met another hero of mine, Brolga (aka Kangaroo Dundee), for a second time and I was pretty blown away to know that he'd heard my news bulletins and also the radio show I do with my totally awesome office mate, Nicky G. Nicky is an announcer on the sister station, Sun 969, for which I also provide news bulletins. She has me in stitches every week without fail when we record a show together. I've not cried with laughter so much in years!
Alice Springs is an intriguing town to live in. I have to say it's the biggest culture shock I have ever experienced. The local indigenous people like to sit on the floor a lot, especially in the dry river bed. Sometimes I feel like I'm looking at living history....as if the town's grown up around them, but they have always sat in that spot for thousands of years. There are social problems here beyond anything I could imagine. There are government-run houses where alcohol isn't allowed. There are policemen outside every bottle shop, asking where it's intended that your alcohol be consumed. But the biggest thing you learn quickly is that you do not walk at night in Alice Springs. People will go out of their way to give you lifts here because assaults are rife. But as someone said to me the other day, the crime is low-tech, and it's very very easy to stay out of trouble. Someone else has said the positives here entirely outweigh the negatives. I couldn't agree more.
Flies!!!!!!
One rather large negative, felt keenly by people from colder climates, is the amount of flies. Oh my goodness they're irritating! You see tourists wearing fly nets in town, but I would only do that when I'm walking two dogs, so I don't have any hands free to do what we call 'the Australian wave' (dispersing flies from one's face). But out bush...boy oh boy you need a fly net. Here I am at Corroboree Rock sporting the essential!
But on the other hand, in this town you don't see dog mess on the pavement. The flies are straight in there cleaning it up....so again, positives to outweigh the negatives!
But on the other hand, in this town you don't see dog mess on the pavement. The flies are straight in there cleaning it up....so again, positives to outweigh the negatives!
I recently went out to Ross River Resort, about 90kms east of Alice. Jenn used to work there, and it's a beautiful, quiet spot with a bar and animals. Paradise!
As you can see, I got my hands on a lovely python, as well as the obligatory joey...this one was called Boris.
But most intriguingly there was a kingfisher living on the windowsill! His name is Terry and he'd been brought up by the staff, after his egg fell out of a nest, and he fell out of his egg. Lovely Terry sat in my hand while I had a beer! By the way I'm wearing no make up in these pictures and I'd been camping. There's no room for TV ways around here!
As you can see, I got my hands on a lovely python, as well as the obligatory joey...this one was called Boris.
But most intriguingly there was a kingfisher living on the windowsill! His name is Terry and he'd been brought up by the staff, after his egg fell out of a nest, and he fell out of his egg. Lovely Terry sat in my hand while I had a beer! By the way I'm wearing no make up in these pictures and I'd been camping. There's no room for TV ways around here!
The sky here is just unbelievable. I'm currently house sitting with two gorgeous dogs, and one evening I took them for a walk and saw this. Don't ask me how pink triangles were created in the sky, but this is a photo taken on my iPhone with no editing or effects.
Sunrise and sunset are easily the best times of day here. Wherever the sun is will be orange, but in the opposite direction it's always blue and purpley-pink.
The daylight hours don't vary much through the year. Sunrise is 6am give or take an hour and sunset is about 7pm. Here's a sunrise from a hill near where I'm staying...
Sunrise and sunset are easily the best times of day here. Wherever the sun is will be orange, but in the opposite direction it's always blue and purpley-pink.
The daylight hours don't vary much through the year. Sunrise is 6am give or take an hour and sunset is about 7pm. Here's a sunrise from a hill near where I'm staying...
RSS Feed
