 The dance is supposed to bring luck and happiness |
Crowds for this leg of the royal tour have been very small. Camera crews and reporters outnumbered on-lookers at every stop but the Prince of Wales seemed not to care.
The Prince has been in the central desert town of Alice Springs on day two of his Australian tour.
Republicans have insisted the controversy surrounding his engagement to Camilla Parker Bowles has re-energised their flagging campaign.
"I think he's a forgotten man here," leading republican John Warhurst told the BBC.
"He's not regarded (in Australia) as a very endearing figure."
Australia is a constitutional monarchy. Queen Elizabeth is the head of state and is represented here by the governor-general.
Republicans see this as anachronistic and want to sever ties to the British crown in favour of an Australian figurehead.
Challenge for republicans
But most people believe the current constitutional arrangements are working well. The challenge for republicans is to convince the country that they can find a better system.
A referendum on the issue in 1999 decided firmly in favour of the status quo.
Monarchists like Philip Benwell insist that change is unnecessary.
"When you consider that Australia is one of the youngest nations on earth and yet we are one of the oldest democracies and I think that speaks for itself," he told the BBC News website.
"We are stable because of our constitution."
But Prince Charles said he loved his outback trip.
"I am sorry I have such a short stay here," he said.
"But I have enjoyed every single minute of being here in the Northern Territory. If I'm still alive I can't wait to come back again."
Aborigines praised
On his arrival at the airport the Prince received a traditional greeting from indigenous dancers from Papunya, 230 kilometres west of Alice Springs, who wished him luck and happiness.
"A very warm welcome if I may say so," the Prince said on a scorching day.
"When I stepped out of the aeroplane I thought I was climbing into an oven set about the highest setting you could imagine."
He commended Australia's aborigines for their ability to survive in such harsh conditions.
He said their "wisdom and knowledge" could help "human beings rediscover their place in nature".
Among others to meet the Prince was Lisa Satour. "He's excellent," she said enthusiastically. "Meeting him is a bit of a thrill."
 The Prince declined eating a grub said to taste like runny egg |
At a desert park Charles was shown an array of bush tucker, including desert raisins, honey ants and a witchetty grub.
It is a highly nutritious local delicacy found in the roots of an acacia plant but unfortunately looks like a giant slug.
"In raw form it tastes like runny egg," explained aboriginal guide Doug Taylor. "But when they're cooked they're beautiful with a creamy, nutty flavour."
The Northern Territory News splashed Charles' encounter with this desert grub on its front page and asked whether this royal visitor was "game enough" to have a taste.
Sadly, he could not be tempted.
'Older and wiser'
"There is a limit," the Prince said apologetically. On a previous trip to Australia he suffered a bout of food poisoning.
"I'm older and wiser now," he added.
During his brief stopover in Alice Springs, Charles toured the headquarters of the Royal Flying Doctor service. At an aboriginal technology centre he ventured into new type of outback toilet.
Charles' tour here coincides with a visit by Crown Princess Mary, a former estate agent from Tasmania who married into the Danish royal family last year.
Her first official trip home has sparked frenzied excitement and has put the Prince of Wales in the shade.
As one Sydney newspaper put it: "Mary is young, beautiful and newsworthy. Charles is not."
Who says the Australians don't love their royals?
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We are stable because of our constitution
