Into the Outback ☀️

From the Barossa Valley we headed north to the Remarkables National Park, where we did some walking in the hills, attempting to get used to the higher temperatures. We then travelled through Port Augusta, where Matt got a haircut before we headed into the Outback. There is basically one road from Port Augusta all the way up to Darwin on the North coast, The Stuart Highway. The distance is about 3000km through an extremely arid environment. It's weird as we very quickly decided we wanted to do this, but there was definitely apprehension about the route. However, we have the means to carry plenty of water and extra fuel, there are roadhouses along the way, campsites, and, of course the reason why so many people head up the red centre, Uluru. 

Our first night in the outback was spent at Pimba Community Campground. These places emerge out of the great expanse of nothingness and its a relief to arrive somewhere, until you pull up and realise there is no shade and you have to get out of the air conditioned van into the heat! However, a $5 donation for somewhere to park for the night with toliets and showers, is a pretty good deal. The temperature drops once the sun sets and makes way for a display of stars which takes your breath away. 

The next morning we left towards Coober Pedy, while an American man sang and played what we think was a banjo. This stretch is a lot of long drives as we've got to cover a lot of distance and there isn't endless things to see and do, especially in a 2WD Mitsibushi van. It was very quiet in Coober Pedy when we arrived, eerily even, and about 40°C. We searched for shade but it just doesn't exist, we wanted to do a underground tour anyway so went into Umoona Opal Mine & Museum. It was a wonderful tour from Zoe, a local born and currently living in Coober Pedy, showing how people lived in the 1920s, how they live now, and explaining the Opal mining industry. It was really interesting and crazy at the same time. The population of the town live underground in 'dugouts', which stay at a constant 24°C while above it can get into the 50s.

In the carpark next door is a spaceship left from the filming of a film called Pitch Black in 2000. Random, but you're going to go and have a look aren't you? After we just needed to settle and cool off so we choose a campground with a pool, and had a dip before tea and bed.

We started the next days drive by driving through the Kanku-Breakaways Conservation Park just out of the town which meant a bit of distance on gravel track. We've been trying to limit gravel tracks because Vanny is not really built for it. However, she did well through the beautiful landscape of coloured hills. You can also look at a dog fence which is 5,300km long, built in the 1880s to keep the dingoes out of sheep grazing country. This also seems random but in that landscape there is something quite mesmorising about a fence that just goes on and on and on. 

The next day was another big drive crossing the border into the Northern Territory, we slept near Kulgera roadhouse, then on to Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park. In 1985 the local aboriginals, the Anangu, were handed back the deeds for the park who started a 99 year lease to the Australian government. Since the hand-back, Parks Australia and Anangu work together on the management and running of the area.  

We arrived early afternoon, the hottest part of the day, and it keeps reaching 40°C. A lot of the walks close after 11am if the temperature gets above 36°C but there is a brilliant centre which is full of information and artwork to look at so we were kept busy. We then went got set up in the campsite and came back out for sunset, like everyone else! The sunrise/sunset spots are busy but it's because it really is quite magical, also a lady gave up half a bottle of fizz so we weren't complaining. 

We viewed sunrise from a different point then headed on a guided walk with Ranger Adam. I would always advise doing stuff like this because they explain everything you're looking at in context and you learn so much more, plus it was free. Adam talked through the stories which make the Anangu culture and how they are tied to the area and Uluru itself. He showed us the rock art talking us through what it depicts and explained how people have lived in the area for at least 30,000 years. After we did the base walk around Uluru before heading back in the midday heat to jump into the campsite pool. 

After an early night we were up early to start a walk at Kata Tjuta, which translates to 'Many Heads' (we'd been pronouncing this very wrong). It's a group of 36 large domed rock formations, 25km from Uluru, which at its tallest is 1,066 m. The walk amongst them is wonderful but definitely needs to be done early in the day. We said goodbye to Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park this afternoon, and have now set off towards Alice Springs stopping for the night by another random roadhouse which happens to have a camel called Carlotta who Matt has been getting to know. 

I'm very happy we decided to do this journey up the middle, it would have been very easy to stick to the coast which is wonderful but it does feel like another world out here, one I've never experienced before. Saying that I can't wait to feel a coastal breeze again!

Lots of love, 

Lisa and Matt 💕