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Alice Springs is a town in the middle of nowhere, and the lifeline for the outback cattle stations, that can be millions of acres in size! The rail connection from both Darwin and to the South, Adelaide brings in supplies and visitors to keep this old town and its neighbours stocked and happy.

Alice Springs is the home of the 'Mighty Todd River' which has sadly been dry for many years now, and is just a massive dry sandy bed. But fun and games can still be had here, especially in the form of the annual 'Henley-on-Todd' Regatta. This is held at the end of August, and this year celebrates its 47th birthday. Not unlike the Red Bull Flugtag, the competitors make their weird and wonderful 'ships' and get them down a dry river bed!

Alice Springs has SO MUCH to do in the surrounding area, that you really need to spend a few days here. We spent a great afternoon on quad bikes in a group of 10, driving around a cattle station and down dry creeks, which was fantastic fun, and not just for adults, as there are bikes that will take a child and adult together, so the whole family can join in. The organisers are very strict on their safety policies, and we even had a couple of non-drivers taking part, which shows who anyone from 8-80 can join in, regardless of driving skills.

Another morning we were up REALLY early to do a fabulous hot air balloon ride. It was still dark when Outback Ballooning collected us from our hotel, and we drove out into the outback to take part. There were 2 balloons for us, with large baskets, which made fun viewing as some of us older ones boarded!! The balloons are inflated and deflated with help from any of the guests that want to help. Top tip though, even if you think its a bit cold on the ground, don't be tempted to nab a place right under the burner in the basket-you will boil!! The body heat from the other passengers should keep you warm enough, and better to be on the outside to get the best from the views. We went up as far as 3000 feet, and saw the sun rising over the red outback, and it was a magical moment for all of us. We were up for about an hour, and the landing was the smoothest you could get, no bouncing around or dragging along the floor, as some people have experienced elsewhere. After the balloons were taken down and folded up (with the assistance of a fellow travel counsellor being thrown on top of it!), we headed back to town where we had a traditional ballooning breakfast with a drop of the bubbly stuff!

One evening we were taken for an Outback BBQ, which was on a wonderfully clear night, so all the Southern Hemisphere stars could be seen in all their glory. We were sat around a campfire, with entertainment from a singer and his guitar, and some great stories of the old times. The food was amazing-the steaks were huge and we all had a relaxing evening, which ended with a guided tour of the stars and planets around us. I can now recognise the stars that make up Scorpio when ever I am in the Southern Hempishere!

No trip to Alice Springs would be complete without heading off with an Aboriginal guide, proud of his heritage, to show us how the people of this area used to live. The art work in the Red Centre, is very different from what I had seen in the Top End. Life was a lot harder in the Red Centre, mainly due to the lack of rain. The people were more nomadic and had to work that much harder to find their food, and probably didn't have the time to spend on art as their Northern counterparts, whose flowing rivers had an abundance of fish for them to catch.

My final morning was another early rise, when I took a camel to breakfast! At the Camel Farm, I was introduced to the nicest camels I have come across. These camels were lovely-especially mine who goes by the name of Frank. We were onboard our ships of the desert for an hour, and saw another fantastic sunrise. A lovely cooked breakfast awaited us on our return, completed by a quick visit to see their 'pet' dingo- Chained of course!