14th May 2014 - Alice Springs

Our first full day in the Alice which was spent doing various housekeeping jobs ie have the Suzuki dealer check the funny noise in the engine of Colin's DR650 and Alan getting a roadworthy certificate for his bike which runs out of rego on 6th August (when the bike will still be in Alice Springs). The Suzuki dealer said he would have to take the cover off the motor to check if the bearings need replacing. That is happening tomorrow.
Sounds expensive!!!! Alan got his roadworthy certificate so is ready to register his bike when he gets back to Sydney. The rest of the day was spent checking out the event site in Blatherskite Park and doing a walking tour of Alice Springs. The most exciting thing at the event site was this drag racer from the USA. Not even a motorcycle!

There is only one motorcycle manufacturer at the AGM and that is Harley Davidson. I guess the others thought it too expensive to transport their bikes and staff for 2500 Ulyssians. Even the traders area was looking a bit thin on the ground with only about twenty business making an appearance. The main attraction  of Alice Springs is the fantastic scenery in the area. The roads are great and there is plenty of choice for routes and destinations. In the afternoon after the motorbike issues were solved we went on a walking tour of the Alice Springs CBD put on by the tourist bureau. Here is the Residency where the territory administrator lived. The Queen and Prince Phillip stayed here in 1963. They built special bathrooms for each of them. The one for the Queen has been demolished since. This is supposedly the royal protocol.  No commoner's bottom can sit were the Queen has!

The next picture is quite interesting. It is the first hospital built in Alice Springs and is called Adelaide House. It was built by the Rev. John Flynn of flying doctor fame. The design of the house was such that air was drawn into the building by a draft from front to back. It was deflected down to the basement were it was cooled by being passed over damp cloth. It then rose up through the building cooling it and dissipating the warm air out through vents in a second floor ... the first air-conditioner.

They have been doing a lot renovating in the centre of Alice Springs, having created a pedestrian mall with indigenous flowers planted down each side. Here is a picture of Sturt's Desert Rose for you flower lovers.

By the way Alice Springs has a population of around 25,000 and is the main distribution centre for the whole of central Australia.