Welcome to Bakkabyond........... 

 

My name is  Liz Rilstone.  I live in the very centre of Australia in an outback town called Alice Springs. Alice Springs has a floating population of approximately 25,000 people and is nestled amongst the beautiful MacDonnell Ranges. We have a river (Todd River) which runs right through the centre of town, but it is dry for 99% of the time. Our rainfall is on average around 275 mm per year and our temperature ranges from between 0 to 25 degrees Celcius in winter and 20 to 42 degrees Celcius in summer.   

 

The areas surrounding Alice are very beautiful but they can also be very harsh. The desert has many hidden treasures including waterholes, oasis' and natural gaps in the ranges which fill up with water after heavy rains. Uluru (previously known as Ayers Rock) is situated about 400 kms south west of Alice and draws many tourists from all over the world. Some of the other famous areas include The Olgas, Kings Canyon, Palm Valley, Glen Helen, Ormiston Gorge, Standley Chasm, Trephina Gorge, Rainbow Valley, Arltunga and the Ross River Homestead. 

 

The desert is rich in natural ores and minerals. Alice Springs survives on the mining and tourism industries. And of course we have the famous Ghan train which links the south to the north of Australia by railroad.  

 

Alice and it's surrounding areas are steeped in history. The ranges are awesome and the countryside diverse - from red dirt and barren rock to billabongs and palm trees - the colours are amazing.  

 

WATERHOLE	ROSS RIVER	RAINBOW VALLEY

 

I hope you enjoy your visit to Bakkabyond. 

Take care, 

Liz Rilstone