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Dreaming of the Alice

Diamond_Jim
Diamond_Jim
in Melbourne Demons

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Posted

Well this is the year...

I was planning the big trip to Alice and the Rock. Appears the Rock is booked out until mid September even at $440 plus per night for a room so it's just the Alice for four days.

Have booked accommodation and flights (not refundable) and now about to lay out on a hire car.

The big unknown is of course ticketing.

Would be a pity to go all that way and not be able to secure a ticket.

Any local knowledge on what to see on my spare days would be very much appreciated plus if there are meal and game packages to be had they would also be of interest.

I recall in previous years that someone mentioned these but I'm not sure if that was Alice or Darwin.

Looking forward to getting a selfie under BT's famous tree.

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    16 minutes ago, Diamond_Jim said:

    Well this is the year...

    I was planning the big trip to Alice and the Rock. Appears the Rock is booked out until mid September even at $440 plus per night for a room so it's just the Alice for four days.

    Have booked accommodation and flights (not refundable) and now about to lay out on a hire car.

    The big unknown is of course ticketing.

    Would be a pity to go all that way and not be able to secure a ticket.

    Any local knowledge on what to see on my spare days would be very much appreciated plus if there are meal and game packages to be had they would also be of interest.

    I recall in previous years that someone mentioned these but I'm not sure if that was Alice or Darwin.

    Looking forward to getting a selfie under BT's famous tree.

    It's a bit of a drive DJ but do able as a day trip to AR. It is worth the drive. Enjoy mate but you are pushing the odds expecting no lock downs. Good luck. 

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    Whoever said that travel in Oz was affordable needs to have a look at some of the "deals" on offer.

    Qantas offered me a points upgrade to business for nearly as many points as required to fly a 12 hour leg first class on the way to Europe !!

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    5 minutes ago, old dee said:

    It's a bit of a drive DJ but do able as a day trip to AR. It is worth the drive. Enjoy mate but you are pushing the odds expecting no lock downs. Good luck. 

    Had a look at the drive but it's almost 1000 k round trip with the only overnight accomodation being a rather unattractive roadhouse stop.

    Decided to drive to Adelaide and then do a  flight up and back to Alice. Grab the car at Adelaide and then head to Queensland via Broken Hill etc

    Lockdowns... will they ever end... my hope is that by avoiding the big sities you can limit the chances but hwat else can one do

    Edited by Diamond_Jim

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    1 minute ago, Diamond_Jim said:

    Whoever said that travel in Oz was affordable needs to have a look at some of the "deals" on offer.

    Qantas offered me a points upgrade to business for nearly as many points as required to fly a 12 hour leg first class on the way to Europe !!

    Yes I looked at going to visit rels in Darwin and prices were ridiculous. Until more people are flying the prices will not fall. I went to GC before Easter and flights were half full both ways.

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    1 minute ago, old dee said:

    Yes I looked at going to visit rels in Darwin and prices were ridiculous. Until more people are flying the prices will not fall. I went to GC before Easter and flights were half full both ways.

    the price of the airbnb in Alice was very reasonable but the rest !!!

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    4 minutes ago, old dee said:

    Yes I looked at going to visit rels in Darwin and prices were ridiculous. Until more people are flying the prices will not fall. I went to GC before Easter and flights were half full both ways.

    Reminds me of days past when it was the same price of going to Darwin as London. 

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    42 minutes ago, Diamond_Jim said:

    I was planning the big trip to Alice and the Rock. Appears the Rock is booked out until mid September even at $440 plus per night for a room so it's just the Alice for four days.

    Might not be your thing, but you can always pitch a tent at Yulara or Curtin Springs for $20 a night. 

    42 minutes ago, Diamond_Jim said:

    Any local knowledge on what to see on my spare days would be very much appreciated plus if there are meal and game packages to be had they would also be of interest.

    You can see some cool gorge country in the West MacDonnell ranges along Namatjira Drive (just out of town) which is all sealed from memory. If you have access to a 4wd (or a car with a bit of clearance at least), Finke Gorge national park and Rainbow Valley are worth checking out. The loop from Uluru to Alice via Kings Canyon is epic, but you'd want a few days to do it.  

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    2 hours ago, Diamond_Jim said:

    Whoever said that travel in Oz was affordable needs to have a look at some of the "deals" on offer.

    Qantas offered me a points upgrade to business for nearly as many points as required to fly a 12 hour leg first class on the way to Europe !!

    And yet having laid off thousands of employees, they made a billion dollar profit last year as a result of JobKeeper. A multinational, led by an Irishman. Renationalise the bloody organisation. They're a joke. 

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    4 hours ago, Diamond_Jim said:

    Well this is the year...

    I was planning the big trip to Alice and the Rock. Appears the Rock is booked out until mid September even at $440 plus per night for a room so it's just the Alice for four days.

    Have booked accommodation and flights (not refundable) and now about to lay out on a hire car.

    The big unknown is of course ticketing.

    Would be a pity to go all that way and not be able to secure a ticket.

    Any local knowledge on what to see on my spare days would be very much appreciated plus if there are meal and game packages to be had they would also be of interest.

    I recall in previous years that someone mentioned these but I'm not sure if that was Alice or Darwin.

    Looking forward to getting a selfie under BT's famous tree.

    Will get back to you later...

     

    PS, are you hiring a 4wd and do you enjoy camping, particularly swagging it?

    Edited by Rod Grinter Riot Squad
    Ps bit..

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    30 minutes ago, Rod Grinter Riot Squad said:

    Will get back to you later...

     

    PS, are you hiring a 4wd and do you enjoy camping, particularly swagging it?

    Just a small auto I'm afraid

    Slow travel mainly in Asia is my norm. Museums, history and good inexpensive food are my usual pursuits. Perhaps an art gallery (not commercial) with indigenous art. Interested in getting a feel of the town if that makes sense.

    The airbnb is advertised as desert like so that should be pleasant with a nice red under the stars.

    Many thanks RGS

    PS How are the flies at this time of year? Have heard they can be bad at some spots

    Edited by Diamond_Jim

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    3 hours ago, A F said:

    And yet having laid off thousands of employees, they made a billion dollar profit last year as a result of JobKeeper. A multinational, led by an Irishman. Renationalise the bloody organisation. They're a joke. 

    Hi AF. With the exception of Qantas whose employees are currently being paid $500 a week on what has been named Qantaskeeper by the federal government the rest of the travel industry has been left to die on the vine. Nobody makes any money selling domestic travel, despite what god might have told our PM. 

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    6 minutes ago, Rab D Nesbitt said:

    Hi AF. With the exception of Qantas whose employees are currently being paid $500 a week on what has been named Qantaskeeper by the federal government the rest of the travel industry has been left to die on the vine. Nobody makes any money selling domestic travel, despite what god might have told our PM. 

    Hhhhahhhhaahahahaha the god line.

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    19 minutes ago, Rab D Nesbitt said:

    Hi AF. With the exception of Qantas whose employees are currently being paid $500 a week on what has been named Qantaskeeper by the federal government the rest of the travel industry has been left to die on the vine. Nobody makes any money selling domestic travel, despite what god might have told our PM. 

    Well, also, 2,500 QANTAS employees lost their jobs last year, while JobKeeper went to profits. Michael West has done a lot of good investigative reporting on this.

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    2 hours ago, Diamond_Jim said:

    Just a small auto I'm afraid

    Slow travel mainly in Asia is my norm. Museums, history and good inexpensive food are my usual pursuits. Perhaps an art gallery (not commercial) with indigenous art. Interested in getting a feel of the town if that makes sense.

    The airbnb is advertised as desert like so that should be pleasant with a nice red under the stars.

    Many thanks RGS

    PS How are the flies at this time of year? Have heard they can be bad at some spots

    Pack a warm sleeping bag, one man tent & air mattress & camp at Uluru - its cheap & great atmosphere.

    Alice is easy to walk around & u will find plenty of art galleries.

    Not many flies at that time of year.

     

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    25 minutes ago, A F said:

    Well, also, 2,500 QANTAS employees lost their jobs last year, while JobKeeper went to profits. Michael West has done a lot of good investigative reporting on this.

    I haven't heard of the guy but I'll check out some of his articles. In the order of importance shareholders come first, second and third with Qantas. It wasn't so long ago they tried to change Qantas operated international routes in Asia over to Jetstar and base them offshore for tax purposes. The idea was then to employ Asian staff on much lower contracts and have those flights make a domestic stop en-route to their Australian destination (ie from Bangkok to Adelaide via Darwin as an example), effectively allowing low paid foreign staff to work domestic routes within Australia (Darwin to Adelaide). Not sure what became of it all as I work in a different part of the industry these days. 

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    7 hours ago, Diamond_Jim said:

    Well this is the year...

    I was planning the big trip to Alice and the Rock. Appears the Rock is booked out until mid September even at $440 plus per night for a room so it's just the Alice for four days.

    Have booked accommodation and flights (not refundable) and now about to lay out on a hire car.

    The big unknown is of course ticketing.

    Would be a pity to go all that way and not be able to secure a ticket.

    Any local knowledge on what to see on my spare days would be very much appreciated plus if there are meal and game packages to be had they would also be of interest.

    I recall in previous years that someone mentioned these but I'm not sure if that was Alice or Darwin.

    Looking forward to getting a selfie under BT's famous tree.

    I live in Alice. There’s plenty to see and do. You can do a day trip in the west macs in a 2WD easily.  Visit Standley Chasm and Ormiston Gorge - absolute highlights. In town there’s plenty of places to eat - the Brewery is great with local beers. Page 27 and the Watertank Cafe are quintessential Alice. Hanumans and Tali are great restaurants but not cheap. Also worth going to the transport museum, the old telegraph station, the Alice Springs desert park and the Royal Flying Doctors Museum. Traeger Park is a good ground. It always looks dry but it’s just the couch grass dying off over winter. Cheers 

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    Re game tickets, when I went up in 2019 if you hadn't already organised them tickets were $25 each at the ground if I remember correctly.   There was only 1 spot to purchase though and there was a fair queue - place ended up bring pretty full.  Who knows how it wil work this time around.

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    2 hours ago, Phil C said:

    I live in Alice. There’s plenty to see and do. You can do a day trip in the west macs in a 2WD easily.  Visit Standley Chasm and Ormiston Gorge - absolute highlights. In town there’s plenty of places to eat - the Brewery is great with local beers. Page 27 and the Watertank Cafe are quintessential Alice. Hanumans and Tali are great restaurants but not cheap. Also worth going to the transport museum, the old telegraph station, the Alice Springs desert park and the Royal Flying Doctors Museum. Traeger Park is a good ground. It always looks dry but it’s just the couch grass dying off over winter. Cheers 

    Great round up Phil, all great suggestions (I'm an Alice local as well). Can I also suggest that if you are seeking to purchase Aboriginal art while in Alice that you shop at an ethical gallery such as any of the ones (based in Alice Springs) listed here: https://desart.com.au/member-art-centres/

    Also Talapi Gallery in the Todd Mall and Raft Artspace  (8 Hele Cresent) are the two commercial galleries that deal exclusivley with Aboriginal Owned and directed art centres. 

    Be great to see some Demons crew in town again. Go Dees!

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    2 hours ago, Phil C said:

    I live in Alice. There’s plenty to see and do. You can do a day trip in the west macs in a 2WD easily.  Visit Standley Chasm and Ormiston Gorge - absolute highlights. In town there’s plenty of places to eat - the Brewery is great with local beers. Page 27 and the Watertank Cafe are quintessential Alice. Hanumans and Tali are great restaurants but not cheap. Also worth going to the transport museum, the old telegraph station, the Alice Springs desert park and the Royal Flying Doctors Museum. Traeger Park is a good ground. It always looks dry but it’s just the couch grass dying off over winter. Cheers 

    thanks Phil and "the fork".. some great suggestions.

    Very much looking forward to my trip. It's been on my bucket list for years and watching the Dees play at that iconic oval is something special.

    I've never been a fan of MFC selling its games but in the case of the Alice game I have come to love and respect the tradition that I hope we are building.

    Cheers

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    5 hours ago, A F said:

    Well, also, 2,500 QANTAS employees lost their jobs last year, while JobKeeper went to profits. Michael West has done a lot of good investigative reporting on this.

    Michael West is a gun.  Exposes a lot of dodgy [censored]

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