OUTBACK ADVENTURE - Days 9-10

Day 97 - 5th May - Outback Safari - Day 9

Today involved a brief drive in the morning before we arrived at the main attraction of the day: Kings Canyon. Think of it as a kind of miniature Grand Canyon in the middle of the outback. This impressive gorge is surrounded by the red and gold coloured rocks that seem to be the signature style of the Australian outback.

We set off for a hike, the longest one of the whole trip I was told. I laughed at this, it was a brief stroll compared to the trails I'd taken in New Zealand. The scenery however was on par with New Zealand, though of course very different, and we were treated to some wonderful views from the top of the canyon near the cliff edges. We took things slowly in order to take in the scenery and we spent quite a few hours at the place.

After a late lunch it was time to drive again, this time through Aboriginal land along some rough dirt tracks. We were able to see much in the way of wildlife next to the road and we spotted dingos, wild horses and even camels. That's right, there are even wild camels here in Australia. We gathered firewood once again, it's satisfying that you never have to cut down trees for firewood in Australia due to the huge number of dead trees around.

As we set up camp I couldn't believe it was our last night. The others were looking forward to hot showers, clean clothes and all the mod-cons of life but I could have carried on like this. We cooked an extremely tasty curry over the campfire and served it up. We also downed several of the beers that we had put on ice earlier. A few beers and a curry, who needs to return to civilisation after that eh? I crawled in my trusty swag for the last time and fell asleep gazing at the landscape, illuminated quite spectacularly by the bright moon.


Day 98 - 6th May - Outback Safari - Day 10

This was it! The last day of our outback safari! The rest of the group were excitedly anticipating the hot showers and beds they were going to have at the end of the day. I however was a little disappointed that the tour would be over so soon. Of course I didn't dwell on it too much and I jumped out of my swag-bag for the last time and rolled it up. We had pancakes for breakfast, absolutely delicious, and after cleaning the sand out of our swags we packed them on top of the trailer one last time. Before leaving we noticed some burnt out car wrecks near to the campsite. You find these all over the outback, apparently nobody bothers to clear them away. Some of the group took some photos on or around the wreck but I decided I wanted a more meaningful photo so I took a couple of me pretending to be a car crash victim.

We drove for a short distance to a small roadhouse in the range of mountains known as the MacDonnell Ranges. The place offered scenic helicopter flights and, due to the bargain price, I signed up for yet another chopper flight. This was well worth the money. The MacDonnell Ranges looked absolutely stunning from the air, as did the various gorges that were strewn around the area. You know I once had asked somebody that I know well if they ever had any interest in Australia and they replied by saying "no not at all it's just a flat and boring country". I always find it amusing when suggestions of such staggeringly farcical ignorance are postulated and I look forward to taking my photos and proving that person wrong. Needless to say I was impressed by the McDonnell Ranges, along with the rest of Australia's varied and, most certainly NOT flat terrain.

After descending back to earth we all pitched in and helped clean up all of our equipment and supplies before packing it into the trailer. Daniel was impressed with the speed and efficiency with which we cleaned and cleared everything away and we were shortly on our way towards our final destination: Alice Springs.

We arrived in good time and we were dropped off at our respective hostels. We agreed to meet up later for drinks and some food but right now all we were thinking about, and looking forward to, was a shower! Even after a long shower and a thorough clean of my clothes I still couldn't quite escape the smell of sand and dust! But I was still clean and ready to go and before long we were all at Toddy's Bar eating fine food and celebrating our fantastic experience with plenty of beer. Later on that night we reported to another bar to continue our celebrations and it was fairly late before the group parted. We said are farewells and promised to stay in touch. Some I would be meeting up with tomorrow but others were going their separate ways. There was certainly much happiness, after all we had such a wonderful time but perhaps a slight hint of regret, after all the trip was over. Quite frankly I could have lived like that for a month, although I don't think everyone in the group would have quite been able to endure that much!

I've mentioned in this blog before that I use phrases like "that was the best thing ever!" or expressions to that effect so regularly that they've lost all meaning. But now I really do mean this:

This trip really was the best thing I've ever done!


...(so far)