We left Taylor’s Creek about 10 am, it was 22C degrees.  The landscape changed the further we went, it got greener.  The shrubs are mainly low growing & a lot of them are in bloom – they are looking good. Plants grow well in the desert if there is water. The closer we got to Alice Springs the darker the clouds looked and finally it started to bucket down. We planned to stop before Alice Springs but not under these conditions.  The rest areas were all churned up gluggy red mud.  The only civilisation between Tennant Creek & Alice Springs is a few refuelling stations (like Big Man Walking) plus some turn-offs into some aboriginal settlements – it is a big empty red (green) centre. As we crossed the Tropic of Capricorn the photo opportunity was missed out because of the rain & the mud.  The temperature dropped to 18 degrees as we travelled through the rain, yesterday it was 33, a huge change.

After 336kms we arrived in a wet Alice Springs & the Todd River still isn’t flowing. We booked into the Big 4, MacDonnell Range Holiday Park – more like a city.  It is huge, we got a street map.  It has everything, big entertainment areas for the kids, several BBQ & community kitchens & bathroom facilities (they were the ones we really appreciated the most and I mean most, like an enormously long hot shower).  They have free activities like didgeridoo show, slide shows, star talk, 4WD presentation, Sunday pancake breakfast etc. This must be a Rolls Royce of a caravan park.  (Give me the simple life down by the Gregory River any time).   They also have the magnificent backdrop of the MacDonnell Range just behind us & it looks magnificent.

We had a hot & spicy pizza for dinner from the local Pizzeria.

All this rain isn’t looking good for crossing the Tanami Desert when our friends John & Sue arrive on Monday.