Welcome to the Land Down Under

So after 14.5 hours in the same airline seat, a week ago Friday I landed in Sydney, Australia. Unfortunately my beautiful wife wasn't able to accompany me on this trip. I didn't get to see much of Sydney except for the international and domestic terminals at the airport. On my flight out of Sydney to Alice Springs, I did fly over Botany Bay, where Captian James Cook first landed in 1770 and named the area "New South Wales."

Three and a half hours later, I landed in the middle of the outback, Alice Springs. "The Alice", as the locals call it, has a population of about 28,000, and is the largest city in any direction for about 800 miles. For more info on Alice Springs, check here or here.

So what's the Outback like? Very much as I imagined it: dry desert, eucalyptus trees everywhere, miles upon miles of flat open land, plenty of sun, and of course, a few kangaroos here and there. My first night I took the bus into town, and on the way back after dark saw a pack of four kangaroos run across the road.

The town of Alice Springs is a starting point for most backpackers and adventure seekers that come to the Outback. There's lots of outdoor shops selling overpriced hiking gear and the like, a number of aboriginal art galleries, and lots of tourist-oriented shops hawking souvenirs or advertising trips to Ayers Rock. The other night I ate dinner at Bojangles and had crocodile, kangaroo, camel, and emu. There's a few spots that sell pub type food you'd normally see in England (fish & chips, meat pies) and of course, McDonald's. Don't worry, there's no starbuck's or Wal-Mart yet.

So check out the pics below to see my first impressions of this crazy place. If you want, drop me a line and say G'day.

-B