stephen blyth’s blog

You probably can’t tell but my computer is shaking as I write this. Not violently, but dully shuddering. I’m on the Ghan, a quarter of the way from Alice Springs to Adelaide. It’s not exactly smooth nor quiet.
There’s plenty of space in the Red Kangeroo carriages. We’re the folk sleeping in our seats on the […]

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It’s unseasonably wet in the Centre at the moment. The Todd River in Alice Springs is usually a sandy ditch, but at the moment water is actually flowing through the river bed. Temperatures are below average too. A maximum of 14 degrees is expected, ten degrees lower than the May average.
It would be churlish to […]

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I’m pictured here with Wally Jacob, a senior Aboriginal guide with Anangu Tours. The tour was definitely the highlight of my trip to the Uluru. The Anangu are the local aboriginal and they welcome visitors to learn about their home and culture.
Wally told our group of four the creation story of Kuniya Python Woman. His […]

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It’s not quite the desert around here, but I surely have found an oasis. Needing to swap my book, get a copy of Saturday’s Age, buy some replacement tent pegs and hook up my iBook I’ve found all this and more in Alice Springs within half an hour of arriving. Ferdinand, who runs the Green […]

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While waiting for the 12.15pm bus into Katherine Gorge I set off to wander around town. On my travels I came across the Djilpin Arts Corroboree: they were putting on a special day-time performance. The group had travelled 100 km from Arnhem land to do the performance, which is going to be performed for tourists […]

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I’ve just got back from my 4-day camping trip in Kakadu National Park and uploaded a few photos to the Australian Travels photo album. It was a great trip: a really on to it tour leader, great group with an average age of 30, and the rock art and environment were beautiful. I’ll add a […]

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I’ve found a quiet corner of the Darwin Public Library that’s cool and peaceful. It’s a relief to be out of draining heat. The seasons are on the turn, from wet to dry, so it’s still very humid. I must say, I’m moving really slowly - trying to take the advice on the tourist pamphlet […]

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On Friday night Simon and I went along to the launch of “Radical Melbourne 2″ at the Trades Hall Bar. The place was packed with young and old toasting the book’s brother and sister writing team, Jeff Sparrow and Jill Sparrow. Although we missed the speeches, there was no mistaking the air of celebration.
The […]

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A few weeks ago Andrew asked if I could recommend a few cheap things to do in Melbourne. This is my preliminary, non-definitive list, not in order of priority. I could probably write a book. Without further ado, here goes:

Ceres. There’s plenty to see at the environmental education centre: displays, windmills and other renewable energy […]

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It was a relief today to come across a creek with water flowing. Despite rain over the last few days, I’ve barely seen any moving water in the Grampians National Park about 250 km west of Melbourne. While I passed many boulder strewn creek beds suggesting that water flows, they were dry. The route up […]

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