Day 18: So Long A.S., Hello S.A.

December 2, 2010

On the outskirts of Alice Springs we find a large shaded parking area next to some attractive civic buildings. Perfect spot to internet. Surprisingly, there’s an email from the American Consulate with a courteous response to our questions (previously we’d received an automated not-so-courteous response telling us, due to the volume they receive, they don’t respond to emails). They’re very obliging to our request for more time to gather the required documents – and yes, they do require a 2009 U.S. tax return from me. Contact the IRS if you have any queries.

While Johan surfs the internet in search of guidance for how to fill out a U.S. tax return (he has infinitely more patience for these things than I), I go on a curiosity search of our surroundings. It seems we have arrived at the Araluen Cultural Precinct, a centre for Central Australian art and culture, comprising eight attractions including an art gallery, museum, aviation centre and a outsized sculpture of a caterpillar, the Yeperenye, which in the Aboriginal Dreaming is the creator of the MacDonnell Ranges. The centre is built around a small hill, a sacred site for the local Arrernte women, which has been fenced off and signed with no trespassing – only approved Arrente women – and no men – are allowed access to the hill.

Yeperenye, caterpillar sculpture

Inside the caterpillar

The plan was to put some miles under us while we have a long, straight bitumen road ahead to South Australia. But I suggest to Johan we spend a couple of hours in cultural nourishment instead. The art gallery is named after the famous 20^th century Aboriginal artist, Albert Namatjira. His distinctive water colours are part of a fine collection of art depicting the local landscape. It’s intriguing to see artists’ interpretations of the countryside we’ve been exploring and passing through. It seems that Alice Springs is a magnet for artists from across Australia and even around the world and there is a lively art community of both indigenous and non-indigenous artists who live in and around the town. This offers another interesting angle to our overall perception of the area.

The Museum of Central Australia displays a broad spectrum of scientific interpretations of the region, including a mind-blowing evolutionary timeline from the Big Bang to present-day Australia, where paleontological digs in the ancient rocks are uncovering the earliest traces of life and evidence of a great inland sea. Again, a fascinating perspective on the rugged, ancient landscape we’re traveling through. I comment to Johan that the discoveries of science seem about as hard to fathom as the mythical stories created by Australia’s indigenous people. Both are incredible interpretations of reality that are intriguing and mystifying – both are definitely mind expanding.

After a picnic lunch in the park, we’re back in the car ready for our long journey to South Australia. As we pass through Alice Springs we both feel a trace of regret that we didn’t spend more time getting to know this peculiar, multi-faceted place. It’s clear now that there’s more to it than our initial first impressions.

I drive the 300kms to the South Australian border while Johan sits in the passenger seat, enjoying his first experience filling out a Form 1040 for the U.S. government. Several other ‘attachment forms’ are also required and he manages to keep his cool meandering through the maze of cryptic bureaucracy while I manage to keep awake on the three hour sprint down a dead straight highway.

 Navigating the difficult terrain of U.S. bureaucracy

Cocktail time at our camp on a dry river bed, South Australia