Outback!
And then I went walkabout. There were two states left to visit in Australia. Unsurprisingly the driest of the country. I’m fascinated by the dry desert landscapes, and there was no more appealing destination down under than the red centre. As dry as a dead dingoes donger! Australians call it “the outback”, a vast extension of flat land covered in red dust where Kangaroos, Dingoes and Emus can be spotted on the wild. I left it to the end. I wanted it to be the last hurrah, and I wanted to disappear into the vast plain alone.
Australia stretches roughly for 5000km east-west and north-south, so it was going to be a sort of Dakar rally without a car. First stage was a 6:20 am 13 hour train from Sydney to broken Hill, on the border with South Australia (the driest state of the driest continent). Needless to say I missed it. I read 7:00 on the ticket, but failed to notice it was 7:00PM and that was the arrival time. Ended up arriving at 11pm on a boring bus! I spent two days couchsurfing with Liz and keith, who were terrific hosts! The next day I went to Silverton, a sort of Midwest cowboy town, where Mad max II was shot. The vision on the Mundi Mundi plain stretching as far as the eye can see was phenomenal. Broken Hill itself is a very interesting mining town with great touches of colonial architecture. From there I also did a day tour to Darling river, and some very surreal picture opportunities. Me and some 30 old times. Boy they were tough and loooooooved to sing! %$#”/#*#&!!!!
From there I flew to Adelaide. Nice city. Pretty and all, but I’ve seen plenty of that. I wanted the endless outback. Then took a night bus to a pirate town called Coober Pedy. It’s the Opal mining capital of the world, and a truly unique place. Got there at 5am and checked in at the backpackers… an underground building carved on the stone. You see, Coober Pedy reaches 50c in the summer, and -5 in the winter. Underground temperatures vary from 22 to 25. Brilliant!!
Did an amazing tour of the region the next day, and couldn’t be more amazed with the Breakaways Ranges, a group of incredibly colourful mountains placed randomly on the endless plain. As for the mining itself, so you have an idea, there are over four million holes in the region. It was a bizarre sight, and many people disappear into one of them without a trace. The next day was going to be essential. Not because of the early morning long bus journey, but because of the afternoon hitch hike. Anyone who saw Wolf Creek will understand. Aussies are less than keen on giving a ride after that serial killer. Well, but I’m even lesser than keen on letting popular folklore ruin my plans! Got a great ride to a cattle station with an old couple who liked me so much they gave me an open invitation to visit them in Melbourne. I was on the last state, the Northern Territory, to most aussie place there is, and I was not to be disappointed!
I was entering the holy trinity area. Mt Conner, Uluru and kata Tjuta. About the feelings and sheer impact of their presence to me there’s little to say. I was overwhelmed by the size, the colour, the sunset and the atmosphere (just so you have a clue, any of these rock monoliths is higher than the Eiffel Tower). It’s an experience I will more successfully transmit on my Outback video, out soon! My Australian adventure had arrived at its natural and most desired destination. Image fades to black, and all is good. Cut!
Silverton Hotel and the Mad Max Interceptor
Not to scale
The Darling river
The Breakaways
Sunrise
Mt Conner on the distance
Mt Conner
Jump Man at Uluru
Uluru at sunset
Jump man still in the zone!
Scenic flight over Uluru
Kata Tjuta with Uluru on the background
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