Day 3 - Friday 4th August

Mystery bag day

The day started around 6 o'clock to get us all prepped and ready for our 8 am visit to Desert Park Wildlife Centre. From there we spent 4 hours experiencing dingoes, an Aboriginal survival show and nocturnal animals. During our visit we watched the most spectacular bird show, watching the swooping Magpie make daring catches and the fastest bird in the world, a Peregrine, showcase its ability to reach speeds of 160km plus. One of the park employees, Matt, enquired as to why we were carrying Pablo the pumpkin around. In true spirit he was more than happy to take a photo with us and Pablo.

 After a quick bite to eat, we got back in the cars and headed towards the Araluen Cultural Centre, where we experienced art from local artists, a travelling exhibit from the national gallery in Canberra and traditional aboriginal sculptures. We then made our way over to the aviation exhibit. Then for 20 minutes, everyone except Chloe sat quietly in a suspended aircraft. Chloe was on edge for the entire time fearing the plane would fall and we would all perish. The mood was lightened when Tahlia almost gracefully fell face first into the aisle. From there Clay tried his hand at what appeared to be 17th century flight simulator, trying his best to keep the plane in the air but failing.

From there we once again jumped back in the car and made our way 50 kms out of Alice Springs to Stanley chasm. Chloe again felt the need to purchase another stubby holder, her 4th for the trip. We engaged in games of eye spy, the floor is lava and some classic songs sung in perfect tune. We lost Ms Tantaro for an extended period of time, as she stopped to have a chat with every Bob, Mike and Jack along the way. Once at the chasm we took an opportunity for some photos then made our way to the next destination, Simpsons Gap.

At Simpsons Gap Tahlia showed her true colours and came up victorious after accepting a challenge. Laughs were had as we explored and photographed the landscape of the Gap. Miss Tantaro met some new friends, two local teachers who also invited her to visit the school in the future. Half hour later and we were back on the road for our journey home, but not without a quick stop by Woolies to pick up a few groceries.

Tonight we decided on some Domino’s pizza for tea and were joined by Brother Paul who shared stories about Santa Teresa with us.

The rest of the night has been filled with some competitive games of pool where Tahlia and Chloe made a comeback after still having 5 balls on the table and won against Clay and Ben. The boys were devastated. After pool, a few rounds of Uno were played where Tahlia came out victorious and Tim was hit with a draw 8.

It’s been a long day and we are all ready for bed. Tonight Pablo the pumpkin will be having a sleepover at Tahlia’s house.

Tonight we leave this question with you… What was Tahlia’s challenge?