A show of sunshine
Sunshine is usually taken for granted in Alice’s customarily dry winters, but by the night before the Friday public holiday for the Alice Springs Show entrants were having to dodge large, spreading puddles to deliver their fruit and veggies to the stewards. In our family’s case these consisted of a pumpkin, three lemons, six slender [...]
A very merrie beanie festival
Transplanting Christmas to the southern hemisphere was all very well, but it left antipodeans without a good way of celebrating the passing of the Winter Equinox. Central Australians went to work on this cultural deficit. Coping with frosty nights, a group of them eventually came up with the Alice Springs Beanie Festival. It’s now 13 [...]
Kleinboonschate
Robert Kleinboonschate got a lot out of Alice Springs in the ten years he lived here – and vice versa. While he and the legendary Zella were together creating the equally legendary cafe Bar Dopio, Robert was also making inspired drawings of the Central Australian landscape, including a wall-sized rendering of Larapinta Valley which won [...]
The January Song
“People in Alice Springs ought to get a life,” the service station man said to my friend Christopher the other day. He was commenting on the hundreds of people who create their own stream whenever the Todd River comes down, pouring out of their homes to watch, sometimes for hours, as the river does what [...]
Deck the mall
Held just once a year under the brilliant stewardship of Fran Stoops, the Christmas market night showcases the best of Alice: talent, culture and all round good-will. Take a stroll down the mall and sample the ambience and music on the night Alice finally got its own Christmas tree.
Bush law: the forum
Danielle Loy’s film Bush Law presents the passionately held views of a group of senior men from the community of Lajamanu who are calling for the recognition of Aboriginal customary law.
It was screened for the first time at the Araluen Arts Centre in Alice Springs in November this year and has already provoked some intense discussion in Alice Springs media. Alice Online filmed the forum.
The power of art
The power of art to change perceptions radiates from a new exhibition which opened at the Olive Pink Pink Botanic Garden on Friday night. Fire Flies has opened many new doors for the eight or so artists from Central Australian Supported Accomodation who created it, under the direction of CASA’s Simone Guascoine . But for [...]
Dampers On Todd
What are the essential elements of a decent damper? The Todd River Tucker Damper competition was a seminal event for lovers of this great Aussie tradition, complete with heat, sand, flies and a bush band (the Old Rusty Nails) playing colonial ballads and classic Aussie pop songs. It also highlighted the evolution of the damper, [...]
Ruth Morley's Ruby Saltbush Sorbet
Ruth Morley snatched triumph from disaster when her ruby saltbush sorbet plans went awry only days before she was due to enter the dish in the 2009 Bush Foods Recipe competition. She went back to the pantry, decided less was more, and was surprised to discover that her revised recipe actually worked . At the [...]
Festival!
From giant caterpillars and spiders to a mass rendition of Wipeout, the amazing creations of children from all over the Centre dominated the opening day of the Alice Springs Desert festival. Alice Online was there. ( “Wipeout” and Ti Tree School appear in the second film only) George Rrurrambu Burarrwanga was one of the NT’s [...]
Miranda's Bush Tucker Bag
‘What’s that jolly jumbuck you’ve got in your tucker bag?” “Well, actually, officer, it’s not a jumbuck. It’s … well it’s a bit more complicated than that …’’ “Sure, tell that to the judges.’’ There was no need for Miranda Sage to jump in the billabong after she presented her dish at this year’s Bush foods [...]
Family favourites
While Rhodanthe was reaping the juice of ruby saltbush recipes for her entry, dad Tim and mum Tanya were working out what to do with a gift of fresh emu eggs. Tim, a confessed sweets lover, came up with the dessert … Tim Collin\’s Emu Egg Ice Cream while Tanya (above) tried something more savoury, [...]
Alice Springs, AUSTRALIA