Here we are in Alice. I sat next to a young woman on the plane, who was going home to accompany her sister to a high school reunion. She lives in Adelaide and is studying for her masters in social work. She told me about her family who run a roadhouse on the way to Kings Canyon and Uluru. Had we not heard about the famous dingo, Dinky, who plays the piano and sings? No we had not.
On landing, we got our car and drove to Alice. Our motel was like a campground with the chalet rooms. It had a kitchen, which was nice, so we shopped for food, wine, etc. We had some time left in the day, so we went to the Royal Flying Doctors Museum. It was interesting, in that it spoke to the lack of communication that existed early in the century. In the 1920's, a radio run by pedal power was developed. This opened up a connection among people in the outback. Women often ran the radios and a community developed that had not existed before. Soon batteries replaced the foot and as all was history. Today, each cattle station and indigenous population maintains their own airstrip to receive the Royal Flying Doctors, if needed. There is government support for this service, but it raises its own funds to keep up the airplanes and medical equipment.
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