Went to a new part of Melbourne today ....about 15 minutes drive from my house ...how awful is that ...I've been all over Victoria, a fair bit of NSW, Sydney, Canberra, Brisbane, Alice Springs - and I find somewhere today that is on my doorstep !

Suburb is Hampton, and seems really nice - very like my own suburb of Elsternwick...which is not so unusual seeing as it is so near :D - a strip of shops and cafes along the main street, bordered by quiet , leafy residential areas.

The weather has finally broken - rain, rain and more of it ...but today was mild and sunny. Feel for the people who are over in the east of the State ...whose drought has been broken by vicious floods, and where today, one man sadly died after a gum tree fell on his house.

The reason I went there was to meet up with onepearlyb - a lovely lady, and one that I hope to meet again.

We left Melbourne on Monday morning for the flight to Alice, where Carl was going to do some teaching and a run a chess tournament, and I was tagging along for a holiday. Carls job is as a chess coach in Melbourne, but to bring chess to the kids in Alice is another matter completely - the schools are not so presigious, and money is often hard to come by for many families...especially Aboriginal families - but their enthusiasm over-rides that....including that of the teacher who so kindly shared her home with us for the week.

The flight in was amazing ... a landscape of  red desert, mountains and vast salt-lakes lay below us.

We arrived in Alice to clear, bright sunshine that was in contradiction to the cold winter air that hit us - colder than we expected, but added to the fantastic clarity and colours all around us. Blue sky, red sand and rock, white Ghost Gums (with their luminous dusting which makes them shine at night, that Aborigines use as a sunscreen with protection of Factor 50+) and a kaleidoscope of birds; aswell as unforgettable starlight.

While Carl was busy working on Tuesday, I went to Desert Park, and spent a happy afternoon wandering at will, taking in the sight and smells of the Australian Outback...though a protected park not far from Alice, it gave me a taste of the surrounding without being in danger of being stuck or lost on my own.

Wednesday we spent  together on a visit to Simpsons Gap and Standley Chasm - and area of great Aboriginal significance, where the local Arrente tribe held 'Womens Dreaming' ceremonies for those who have just entered puberty, and then later...after the birth of 3 children, initiation into the 'senior' status (this included scarifacation) To see the sunlight bring a brazen glow to the red rocks of the Chasm was stunning. Simpsons Gap is a dry riverbed, a quiet, beautiful home to Rock Wallabies (no hgher than your knee) and Perentie Goannas, which grow as much as 3 metres !

Thursday was a visit to the Royal Flying Doctor Service (Centre) which has helped people since 1937 over an area the size of Britain. Begun by John Flynn, it is the life line for both remote Aboriginal communities, as well as other people living on Cattle Stations and the suchlike.

We have been asked to go back in March to do it all again - with a good chance that we may also be able to go with an education official (who came to dinner) to a remote community....now that will be an experience !

Photos in Blog gallery, and Photo Gallery

This blog is a recollection of the places I've been to since being here, and how I've felt about the things and people around me.

We've been in Australia for 2 and a half years - living in Melbourne; and have been fortunate to have been able to travel a fair bit during this time .... when the necessary work does not impede.

One of the main reasons I thought of beginning this blog, is because I've realised that some of my recollections have become somewhat muddled, and so - when I am sharing my memories with others, such as yourselves, I cannot quite place myself there - or quite remember where or when I have met significant people I've had the joy (or otherwise) of meeting.

I'm putting a few pictures up of some of the places I have already been to in Victoria, but the rest will unfold as it happens. This will include places I've been to on day-trips, holidays or just my local environment.

Tomorrow, we are going to Alice Springs for a week - so watch this space .....