I am a fan of alliteration so it’s lucky you haven’t been subjected to more like today’s title.

We started the day in Alice Springs preparing for the drive to the Uluru area. NAIDOC Week brings many Indigenous people into Alice Springs. We watched a happy well attended march in town last week. Artists also showcase their talents. Having looked at Indigenous art pieces over the past fortnight, we instantly liked a small occasional table painted by local artist Roseanne Ellis. We met Roseanne and spoke with her for a while about her art and life as an artist. Roseanne was taught by her father, a Papunya man, who has works at Parliament House in Canberra and at the Sydney Opera House forecourt. Roseanne, with her sister, founded a women’s painters group at Amoonguna outside Alice Springs. We are thrilled with our purchase which we plan to wall mount at home.

This section of the art showing women collecting bush foods.

Roseanne told us about a satellite antenna dish she painted at the Desert Knowledge Centre. We checked it out on the way out of town.

There was  a display of over 20 different solar technologies.

Forked-leaved hakeas were flowering in the grounds.

We re-visited the Desert Park and watched an inspiring short movie about the making of Central Australia both geologically and culturally. The movie screen was motorised and at the end of the film retracted to reveal the beauty of the Mount Gillen escarpment.

Another visit to the nocturnal house to see bilbies and other small mammals and reptiles.

The Western bower bird finally out in the open at the Desert Park.

Another colourful resident.

We head south out of town farewelling Alice Springs, a place you warm to the longer you are there.

A series of rocky ranges and ridges are close to the road.

We stop at the Finke River for a walk on the dry riverbed. Finke River is the world’s oldest river dated to 325 million years old.

A small pool of water remains.

Footprints of a foraging bird on the beautiful fine, pink-brown sands.

After the Finke River, we are back in dune country.

We arrive in Erldunda as the sun in setting lighting up the sky above these mulgas.

The sun sets with a desert oak prominent.

Another desert sunset.

A short while after the sunset and the vivid red glow rewards those who wait.

More emus at Erldunda Roadhouse. These are feeling a bit stuffed after a long trek in the bush.

We missed the full moon last night due to the rain but the night after is just as good.