Day 30 Stuart’s Well to Alice Springs 92K / 57 Miles

Alice Spring started as a telegraph station that linked communication to and from Darwin on the north coast, with the rest of Australia. It is the biggest city in the outback. To us it represents a rest day as well as deciding point for our tact for the remainder of our ride.

Today when I awoke and grabbed the bottled water to brush my teeth, I noticed that the flimsy plastic had contracted. I knew we had experienced a weather change. Indeed a high front had pushed in overnight and the hot temperatures of the two previous days had passed. The question of wind direction remained but as we rolled out to the Stuart Highway we could see the clouds of an approaching front moving toward us from the south.

The changes in temperature were welcome as well as the change in scenery. We had a bit more climbing as we crossed some low ridges. We would pass over and through 3 before reaching Alice Springs by the afternoon. As winds swirled among the ridges and small valleys we at time had them at our back as well as our face. Today our altitude crested at 620 meters ( 2034 ft) before descending into “Alice.” Alice is located at a gap carved by the Todd River though one range of ridges.

Tonight we are staying at an YHA Hostel in Alice. The hostel is set on the property of a one-time outdoor movie theater. Not a driven-in, but a small compound not unlike a typical movie theater of 1920’s vintage in the U.S. but without a roof. The ticket booth and front office remain and serve as registration desk for the hostel. The former projection booth at the opposite end of the complex now houses the guest laundry area.

Tomorrow we are going to have some much needed discussions.