Seventh visit and still having first time experiences

For those with limited reading time:

Highlights	Less of a highlight
Hearing exciting news from Kyle and Jade, congratulations on your engagement and on Kyle's cert III as a carpenter- both	Not being home to congratulation and hug Kyle and Jade – both, especially Mum
Being back in water by going to the town aquatic centre- Kath	Not having the grandkids with me to take to the town aquatic centre- Kath
Seeing a Bower Bird with all its white goodies decorating its bower - Kath
Meeting Marie, the Indigenous Elder - Kath
Finding what looks to be an old authentic Indigenous spear and handing it into the Aboriginal Land Council - Both
The evenings becoming milder and more days without the cold wind - both
Popping in to the Supreme Court - both

This week we’ve spent more time in and around Alice Springs itself, but that does not mean we’ve left nature behind, it’s impossible to. Wherever we turn the beauty of both the East MacDonnell Ranges and the Tjoritja/West MacDonnell Ranges is in view. From sitting in the pool at the aquatic centre, to chatting at a coffee shop or walking down main streets, the ranges are a constant beautiful backdrop.

One of my favourite outings this week was also one of our simplest; we grabbed a pie and fresh salad roll from a local bakery and headed to the top of ANZAC Hill or ‘Untyeyetwelye’, as it is known to the Arrernte people. We’ve visited there before, often for the very solemn occasion of Vietnam Veteran’s Day. On those occasions we have listened to the Last Post and heard moving speeches, but in this instance, we sat with our backs to the sun listening to the happy sounds of school children enjoying their lunchtime.

While there, we took advantage of our elevated location and spent time looking at the buildings in Alice Springs. One that is quite unmissable is the Supreme Court of the Northern Territory. It is modern, very modern, not just in looks but in age, having only been built in 2017. It was built by private enterprise, with three of its floors being rented to the government, which we found out the following day when we popped in to see if we could look around. “Sure”, said the man who took our belongings through the x-ray machine and watched us walk through the scanner, “I’ll call a guard to show you around.”

Now, maybe I hadn’t thought this through, but I was expecting big open foyers with artwork we could look at as we wandered through – that’s the image I got when I read about visiting the Darwin Supreme Court – surprise, surprise, I was wrong. A lovely Filipino gentlemen arrived with keys and handcuffs. When he is not sitting beside the person on trial, or moving them to or from the cells, his duty is to give guided tours. We were his first customers; he’s worked there for about two months. We saw inside both court rooms, the judge’s robing room, the jurors’ deliberating room and we were both offered a seat in the judge’s chair. The only disappointment was we did not get to see the cells.

Another treat this week was popping out to brunch with four other campers. Having so many choices made it difficult but we opted for Yaye’s Café at the Araluen Art Centre, as we could eat, sit in sunshine then broaden our mind with a wander through beautiful art. I often think it is my sister who is the art aficionado of our family, but I was spell bound by Rod Moss’ Moon Havoc exhibit. His large graphite pictures were a delight to view, while giving me much think about. I also found the sculpture by Julie Taylor of a root made from paper sitting on a stack of newspaper thought provoking, maybe it spoke to me because I too enjoy capturing history.

The other night, I went for a walk, enjoying the milder evening. I was not expecting to see much but I was wrong. I saw the light of planes descending towards the airport, a train going by and the most amazing collection of stars. As I wandered down the road, what, during the day, looks like barren grassland was luminated by numerous lights – both house lights and streetlights. Both the Stuart Highway and streets around the various communities were lit up, as were the homes. One of the joys of holidaying is having time to do the things we don’t do at home, such as a simple walk in the evening, taking time to enjoy the simple beauty we are surrounded in.

Yesterday would have to be one of the most unique days I’ve spent during our many visits to Alice Springs. Bill and Terry had been cleaning up an area as requested by management when Bill popped home with what very much looked like an authentic Indigenous spear. We looked at each other in disbelief. Now, it may well be a replica, but I doubt we will ever know as we both felt it was right that it be returned to the rightful owners, so after consulting with management I rang the Aboriginal Land Council who were happy for me to drop it off to them. The lady thanked me profusely, and then I left. No contact number, no questions about where it was found – so probably a mystery we will never know the ending of.

After dropping off the spear I headed to the Olive Pink Botanical Gardens to attend an hour and a half session with an elder. I was to hear about her culture and make a small painting. When the appointed time came and went and there was no sign of anybody I rang the organiser, who said he’d get straight back to me. “Oh dear, Marie has been held up, she’ll be with you shortly.” I was not too concerned, I’m very familiar with how people in the NT rarely take any notice of time or timelines. I took the opportunity to spend some more time wandering in the garden and I came across a Western Bower Bird (I think it might actually be a Spotted Western Bower Bird but I’ll leave that to the bird watchers to sort out).

I took some photos and noted that all the objects it had collected were white. I was sure Dad told me bower birds love blue items, which later both my brother and aunt confirmed. On doing a bit more research the bird places the most treasured item inside the bower, which is a curved tunnel of weeds, with the less precious items leading the female towards the bower. Maybe there were other coloured items inside the bower, but I didn’t want to get to close, you could tell he was a bit antsy about my proximity already.

When the elder, Marie, did arrive, she was in pain as she had just had a tooth extracted. She was apologetic and emotional. We all have those days when we need someone to just listen to us, and yesterdays was Marie’s. We postponed the lesson but sat and chatted for over half an hour. She told of her 22-year-old daughter’s death from heart disease, how her daughter, sitting in hospital in pain had seen her deceased grandfather calling her to the other side. Marie’s grief was still so raw, she had asked her daughter to stay, but she had chosen to go to her grandfather. Marie shared how her daughter was buried on country and what the funeral was like and how she now looks after her two grandchildren. I had bought the lesson to spend time with an elder and whilst I did not have the traditional lesson I had a far greater experience.

I was asked earlier this week why I would return seven times to the same place to holiday, and I’ve pondered that on and off over the week. On the most basic level, I can’t think of another place we could go where Bill could be involved with old trucks like he is here. There is also something nice about being somewhere that still holds new gems, but you are familiar enough with that you don’t need the sat nav to get around. Being forced to think outside the square is also rewarding. Not that I picked the holiday for this reason, but returning to the same place has made me think outside the square – I don’t want to just sit in the campground after our volunteer hours for the day is done and see the same things I’ve seen for seven visits, so I’ve found ways to create new experiences and some, like my time with Marie today and holding what I believe to be an old spear, are such unique experiences I can’t imagine another place I could have that opportunity.