Flying to the Red Center - the Outback of Australia! It's definitely red down there!
Alice Springs is the second largest town in the Northern Territory of Australia. It has a population of over 27,000 people. Alice straddles the usually dry Todd River. An amusing, and telling, story about the river and the residents of this town...
The Henley-on-Todd Regatta is a "boat" race held annually in the typically dry sandy bed of the Todd River. It began as a joke at the expenxe of the original British settlers and the formal atmosphere of the British river races which continue today.
Every year, around September, the town holds a mock regatta which large numbers of locals and tourists attend. "Boats" are made from metal frames and hung with banners and advertisements, and teams run their boats through the hot sand. People dress in costume and sell food and drink.
It's the only dry river regatta in the world and thus it's the only regatta ever cancelled because of wet weather and actual water in the river.
And this is the Todd River.
Here I am on Todd Mall - Alice Springs main thoroughfare.
Aboriginal art even adorns the trash bins.
The Residency has housed local government leaders as well as heads of state. Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh stayed here in 1963. The house is now open to the public.
The town's focal point, the Todd Mall, hosts a number of Aboriginal art galleries and community events.
The hostel that I stayed in used to be an old movie theater.
This man belongs to the
Stolen Generation, a generation of aboriginal children who were taken from their families by the Australian Government. You can read more about it if you click on the link. A great movie about these children is
Rabbit-Proof Fence.
There is such a divide between white Australians and Aboriginal Australians even though formal apologies have been issued and Aboriginals have the same rights as white Australians. The cultural and economic differences are vast and I at least rarely saw any intermingling. To hear this man talk of being raised in a white world, where culturally he is white, but to look so completely Aboriginal is interesting! To hear him talk of not fitting into either world is heartbreaking! He learned aboriginal art as a way of reconnecting with the culture he was born into.
Marloes and I were roommates at the hostel. I believe she was from Sweeden (or the Netherlands?). [Ok, I'm really writing this in 2010 and I can't remember). But she was tons of fun and we kept in touch via email for a little while after I came home.]
We went to an Aboriginal dance performance that included dinner and a telling of aboriginal symbols and art. Great fun! Super interesting!
There's really not much out here...
