Natural splendour, real musics, wines, wordpower
Technically, the country in which Alice Springs sits really is a desert environment.
It is, however, far from barren.
Central Australia is beautifully vegetated – botanically “rich”, not “poor”.
Trees and flowers are not its only beautiful plants.
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Strictly speaking, the answer is “no, of course not”.
However, when early morning or late afternoon sunshine “hits” some arid zone Australian rock faces, “incandescent” is almost the only appropriate adjective.
As you can see, this one appears to be emitting light, even if it is “really” only being affected by light.
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“Plane Henge” is the signature “permanent exhibit” in what at least one writer has described as “the world’s largest art gallery”.
Mutonia Sculpture Park sits beside the Oodnadatta Track, less than one hour’s drive west from Marree.
If you were overhead, in a functional aircraft, Lake Eyre South would also be within your field of view.
The “park” includes the ruins of the Alberrie Creek Siding, on what once was “The Ghan” railway line.
Arguably, Mutonia strains to near or beyond breaking point any reasonable definition of “art gallery” or “park”.
Inarguably, its sheer unlikeliness leaves a lasting impression on most visitors.
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Some arid Australian plants are flamboyant, immediately arresting, intensely colourful.
However, to a hasty, inattentive human, not a few of them look “plain”, “drab”, barely-there.
Rich rewards await the more attentive: if you stop, and “zoom in”, you will discover that many such plants are exquisitely structured and their colour palette is much richer, and/or more variegated, than was initially apparent.
The petite, pictured example is probably a member of the genus Ptilotus; the name refers to their flowers’ “hairy” appearance.
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Even by Australian standards, this post’s hero is a relatively modest mountain.
130 kilometres west of Alice Springs, Mount Sonder (1,380 metres) is the Northern Territory’s 4th highest peak; with the sole exception of Western Australia, all other Australian States (& the ACT) have considerably higher mountains.
Everest (which I have seen, “in person”, albeit from some distance) comprehensively dwarfs it, but is no lovelier.
Mount Sonder is one of the most beautiful mountains I have ever seen.
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Strangely under-emphasised in most NT publicity, advertorials – and even in genuinely independent media coverage – but true:
Central Australia’s birdlife is abundant and oft-spectacular.
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This post’s photo was taken from almost exactly the same vantage point as the previous post’s…and only a few seconds later.
In “standard format” terms, #16’s photo was a cropped version of a 120mm (short telephoto lens) view, whilst this post’s is a wide angle (24 mm) shot, unedited.
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Some “arid” Australian rockfaces cause some humans to revise their notions of trees’ “minimum requirements”.
The pictured ghost gum is growing on the eastern wall of Ormiston Gorge, 135 kilometres west of Alice Springs.
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This post’s photo is far-from-perfect.
Nonetheless, I think/hope it conveys a sense of just how fleet-and-flurrying (and splashy) is the to-and-fro of zebra finches at a drinking/bathing “station”.
In arid regions such “stations” can themselves appear and vanish, very rapidly.
The pictured pool sat at the base of the eastern wall of Jessie Gap on 14 June 2023. (photo is copyright Doug Spencer. Jessie Gap is a short drive from Alice Springs)
Musically, I agree with the listener who suggested that if J.S. Bach had heard Chris Thile play, there’d be a set of Bach mandolin suites.
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Generally known simply as “The Breakaways”, Kanku-Breakaways Conservation Park is an “unearthly” and beautiful place.
Nearly 900 kilometres north of Adelaide, it is also very “remote”.
From Coober Pedy, however, it is less than a 30 minute drive.
You probably have not visited this part of the South Australian outback.
Nonetheless, it may look “strangely familiar”…
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