The YHA at Alice Springs comes highly recommended. Not only does it have super-quiet air-conditioning that keeps the bedrooms nice and cold all day (and night) long, it has a lovely swimming pool in the garden that is just right for a mid-afternoon dip to cool off when the fluid in the thermometer has passed the fifty degree line marking the end of its calibration!

The poolside is good for sunbathing, if you’re into that kind of thing; reading (which Mrs J can do anywhere, even in the pool) or for updating your online journal. I have opted for the latter, following a text message from a friend insisting that I ‘get that next blog up’. Sadly, you’ll have to wait to read this entry (just like the four previous ones) until I find a way of getting them from my laptop (or my camera) onto a computer with Internet connectivity. It seems using your laptop or USB device in Alice Springs is not an option. I should really get a dial-up account over here or a cable so that I can use the GPRS modem in my mobile.

All that aside, we’re having a great time here in Alice Springs. We managed to get a replacement for my deceased Sony Cybershot. For those that are interested, the camera that met my criteria (compact digital camera with an optical viewfinder that would take non-proprietary batteries) and that was on sale in the aptly-named Alice Springs Camera Shop was the Pentax Optio S50. It’s a bit bigger than my old digital camera (perhaps I should eBay that, given past experience), but it fits nicely in my pocket and, so that’s okay. In the hands of a decent photographer it would probably capture far better digital images, but that’s by-the-by.

To make the most of our time in The Town Formerly Known As Stuart, we visited a few of the local museums yesterday. Firstly, the Telegraph Repeater Station, around which the current town was formed then The Ghan Heritage Museum and the National Museum of Transport. The last two are right next to each other but demand separate entry fees and offer no discount for visiting them both. The Telegraph Repeater Station was very interesting, with lots of informative signage and a helpful leaflet for self-guided tours. The Ghan Heritage Museum (home to The Ghan Preservation Society, which reminds me of a song from a film) was a bit of a disappointment, to be honest. There were a number of exhibits around the museum they just seemed to be random artefacts with no rhyme nor reason for their being there. Likewise, the National Museum of Transport was just a collection of old trucks and many vintage cars which were lacking in tender loving care. It was a crying shame to see Ford Model Ts, a vintage Rolls Royce and (back to The Italian Job) an Austin Cooper S looking so uncared for. On the upside, I got to play with my new toy and took a 4-shot panorama of the Ghan carriages.

We treated ourselves to a meal out at Keller’s restaurant in town. The Big Yin once ate their and described their menu that claims both Swiss and Indian influences as "Bloody Un-usual". He was right, the menu is a break from the norm, but it’s a refreshing change. The restaurant is well-staffed and the quality of the food is very good. We certainly felt that we got value for money and would recommend it. It seems that BYO isn’t such a big thing here in Northern Territory, but that’s okay because the wine lists are pretty reasonable, too!

Today we headed North along the Stuart Highway, crossing The Tropic of Capricorn, passing hundreds of termite mounds and arriving at The Devil’s Marbles. Like so many rock formations in Australia, The Devil’s Marbles are a Sacred Aboriginal site. They are phenomenal, though. Pictures will follow once we get a decent connection. I’d recommend that you look at K’s, though, as I was playing with the exposure settings on the camera and so I ruined a fair few of my shots. We live and learn, eh? 800km may seem like a long way to go to take photographs of big rocks, but it didn’t seem that far (even though we left the iPod in the YHA). Having left bright and early this morning, we were back in the hostel before four o’clock, which leaves us plenty of time to relax on the anniversary of us submitting our visa application by Royal Mail.

Although they were only a little further than half-way up the country, The Devil’s Marbles mark the furthest North that we’re going to venture on this trip. Tomorrow we start the journey South towards Melbourne. We’ve got plenty more (big) things to see before we get to our final destination, but it now feels as if we’re on the last leg of our journey which is a little bit sad because I’ve come to quite enjoy life on the road. That said, recently we have found ourselves starting sentences with phrases such as "When we’ve got our own place…" and "When we’re earning…", so perhaps it is right that this time is drawing ever-closer.

I wonder how long it will be before reality strikes that this trip is not just an extended holiday…