Desert Park, Alice Springs
Back in range so stand by for a backlog of travels.
Upon arrival in Alice Springs, we discovered we had a discount book for some of the local attractions including the Desert Park but it expired on the 30th. It was late on the 29th when we rocked into town so we headed out to the Desert Park the next day. With a $20 entry fee, the 2 for 1 was well worth having.
At first blush we were not sure if we might have been ripped off but that was soon set aside as we nosed around the area. The place is designed for you to wander around at your leisure with a set of head phones and a tape unit on which you dial up the number of what you are looking at. During the day they have special events at certain times so you can pace yourself between the features. Very relaxing.
The park is nestled against the West McDonnell ranges that dominate Alice Springs. The boundaries are nicely hidden so it feels like the Ranges are part of the park. Between the big aviaries of birds and the wild ones that also seem to live in the park, you feel like you are out in the bush.
One of the big draw cards is the nocturnal house. We cruised in there just before the ranger started her tour. Magnificent. Lots of marsupials and snakes and we even scored a bat having a good feed of a mouse. The Ranger was full of info and obviously loves her work. When we asked about the possibility of the snake surviving that Liz ran over on the way into Alice she said not many parts of the snake can be run over without killing it “but don’t worry. Something else would have eaten it.”
Another beaut feature was the Birds of Prey display. We took our seats in the amphitheatre and were surprised to see a number of birds of prey flying in for a free feed. I could understand it with a magpie but with birds like Kites I was very surprised. The later part of the show had some nervous performers which the Ranger put down to other birds of prey out on the ranges. Having been watching an eagle up there just before the show started, I can well believe it.
Great little venue and easy to fill a day at.
Photo 1 is the front of the park.
Photo 2 an attempted shot of a bird of Prey swooping in for a free feed. It didn't get any better. they were simply too fast. I included the photo so you can see the display area. If you ever go sit up the front.
Photo 3 Some fools gold. This is a test of the close up feature on the camera
Photo 4 Another test of the close up taken by Liz the day before
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