Todd Street was the first main street in The Alice and turned into a mall in the Seventies. Now it's home for the Todd Mall Markets held every second Sunday during the cooler months operating between 9 am and 2 pm. Several evening markets are held on special occasions during the summer.Tourists from all over the world flock to the markets mainly to try the variety of Asian, German, Indian and other foods on offer and to buy cheaper dot paintings and local crafts.
It's a great place to people watch ... the variety of hats, dresses, adornments etc is always interesting and usually colourful. A few tourists get kitted out in what they see as the Aussie bushie style with cowboy boots and Akubra brand hats. Trouble is, you never see a real bushie with a clean, crisp new hat and boots ... for some reason they always look weather worn and work beaten. (Is there an art to that .... hmmmmm?)
If people watching isn't your thing (what are you strange or something?), the Mall also has some great al fresco cafes and restaurants so you can enjoy breakfast, lunch or just a cup of coffee.
Chris and I usually have breakfast or lunch and this visit tried the QA Restaurant, which is new since we were last at home. We always run into people we know and have a chat and it's a good opportunity to meet local stall keepers whom we don't know and to chat with some of those visiting town.
The photos show a small part of the whole. (Double click the strip for a larger view)
Best wishes
Robin
PS: Our container is being processed by Customs in Adelaide. Provided they don't find my cache of drugs, guns and smuggled women, it should be here this coming week or next.
