Thursday 23 June 2022
Today we went to the Alice Springs Desert Park. The idea was to put names to the flora and fauna we had seen on. the trail. It was a great idea. We saw and learnt the names of many trees and saw some of the animals we saw, as well as many we didn’t.

We enjoyed a talk from an aboriginal lady who shared lots of knowledge about their lives, customs, tools and foods. It was very interesting. I would love to know a lot more about how their lives were changed by the arrival of Europeans. I asked if they still did hunt and gather in their communities, her answer was that they do so that the younger generations can learn about the lives of their people and customs. This is to ensure that they keep with their traditions and lives. We saw lots of seeds that were gathered, the tools used plus the weapons used by the men for hunting. The grandparents are the teachers of the young and the parents are the hunters, gatherers and workers. The men are responsible for starting the fire and the women for keeping it going.

We went to a bird show which displayed birds including barn owl and boobook owls, whistling kite, bush stoned curlew and a vulture.

We slept/watched a short video about the desert and its formation and change over time. It started as an ocean, many millions of years ago.

We also learnt that even though the Todd River is usually dry on top, it is upside down and the water flows underground.