Hi from the Red Centre of Australia.

Spent yesterday and last night in Alice Springs. All I can think of is how I felt in some areas of Alaska last year..........'who could live here?' The population is only 27,000 with the main industry being tourism. It is also home to the majority of the indigenous Aboriginal people adding to the quirkiness of this area. Too much to explain and believe it or not on a coin operated computer. Wrap your mind around that one.

Today transferred from Alice Springs to the Ayers Rock Resort. Spent the day in the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park hiking in the Olga Gorge of Kata Tjuta and spending sunset at Uluru (Ayers Rock). The land is sacred to the Aboriginal people and in 1985 the park was handed back to the indigenous owners. Since then, the official name has reverted back to Uluru, which is the original name given by the Anangu tribe. The temperature has been over 100 degrees, but bearable. I never believed when someone said 'dry heat,' but it's true. Don't get me wrong, it's hot, but you're not soaking wet in 10 minutes.

Going out tomorrow morning at 5:00am to see Uluru at sunrise and hiking some additional areas. Then flying to Cairns in the afternoon. Will be in the Great Barrier Reef the following day and can't wait! Have definitely confirmed I'm a beach girl, not a desert girl.

Can't upload pictures from here, but will hopefully when I get to Cairns.

One thing all the travel books forgot to mention are the flies. Literally swarms. They don't bite, but very annoying. I will upload pictures of me with a fly net over my head. Everyone wears them and they're quite the fashion statement. The best $7.95 you'll ever spend in an Australian summer. :) Somehow this little fact and the 'Salzburg rains' are not mentioned in the travel books...........inside joke for my Austria traveling friends.

Stay tuned....................