This toilet is award winning

Before we left home some people asked what we were expecting to see, do and learn whilst on this tour. Of course, it was to see the beauty of the area and the vast open parts of Central Australia.  However one other item we would tell people was to see some of the Aboriginal cultures. Many who have been to these areas before warned us of the drunks, the shouting in the street and poverty.  They also advised there was no good way to learn about the culture.

Wherever we go we like to get past the tourist traps, whether being in Naples, London or Coober Pedy it is always worth leaving the main roads and seeing the people and today was no exception.  With a little research, we were able to book into a morning tea with Kathleen Buzzacott at her Arts Studio just a little west of Alice Springs.

Kathleen is an Aboriginal artist and she paints, creates jewellery and tells a good story too.



In a couple of hours we spent with her we learned about her life, growing up in Queensland, living in Hermansberg and other aspects of being an Aboriginal.  It was just Katie and myself and we were able to be quite candid and no topic appeared taboo.

In the time we were there Katie also made a bracelet and I made a key fob.

Another unexpected part of the visit was seeing the award-winning toilet and shower block that she has to the side of her studio.

After the informative morning, we headed to the Olive Pink Botanic Garden. Here we had a lovely light lunch and then a wander through the gardens.  This garden collects the different species that are spread across thousands of square kilometres of central Australia and places them all together in a flat and easily accessible path.

The remainder of the afternoon was back at the campsite where we had a great chat with Cheryl and Wolf, a couple from South Australia.  They have been travelling for the past 6 months from Adelaide, crossed to Perth, up to Darwin and now propped in Alice Springs for two weeks.