Ayers Rock & Alice Springs; Wednesday, November 1

An early start (5:20 am) but the helicopter ride was awesome all the more since it was my first ever. The pictures speak for themselves.

Later we flew to Alice Springs (45 minute flight)and drove west ito the McDonnell Rangetook in another Nissan Explorer. We went to the Simpson Gap

which is cut through the mountains made by the river shown here dry which it is most of the time with trees growing in the river bed.

We then went on to Ellery Bog Hole, a water hole in the desert which has water all year round. The water is unusually cold (by Australian standards.) I went for a ceremonial paddle.

Other people were swimming there. On the way back into Alice Springs we stopped at Flynn's Grave, a memorial tothe man who founded the Flying Doctor Servive and to his wife.