Hi! I'm here again, writing about yet another adventure. This time I went on the outback safari. The trip was organised by EQI, the same organisation that I did the East Coast safari with. Again there were international students from different parts of QLD, mostly from the Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast and this trip lasted for 9 days.
Saturday 13/04
Saturday morning Charlie drove Christina and I to Nerang train station and we caught the train to Brisbane at 7.20. The train ride to the domestic airport took almost two hours. We checked in and dropped off our bags and went to the gate, where we met our leaders and the other students. Our flight was delayed, so instead of departing at 10.25 we took off about 45 minutes later. After about three hours on the plane, we finally arrived in Alice Springs. We collected our bags and hopped on our tour bus and had to head straight to our first destination, which was the Royal Flying Doctors Service hospital and museum. Before that however, we made a quick stop at the Alice Springs sign and took a group photo. There we watched a presentation of the history and operation of the important service, and then we were already back on the bus. Next up was lunch, so we drove to the town centre and got some food. Then we went to our accommodation, which was a camp site/caravan park. We got our rooms and then chilled for a bit before dinner. We went exploring and saw a super beautiful sunset and also sensed a photo-opportunity haha. After a nice dinner we saw a reptile show. The guy had four or five animals and he told us about them and how to be safe in the australian outback with all of these dangerous reptiles. Afterwards we had a little bit more free time before lights-out at ten.
Sunday 14/04
On Sunday we woke up, had breakfast and drove somewhere in the middle of nowhere to learn about the bush and the aborigines living there. We tried different bush tucker and got to throw boomerangs, later we also had a look at some aboriginal artwork. Then we drove back to Alice Springs via a memorial. It was up on a hill, so we could also get a good view of the city. Then we drove into town where we got dropped off and had about an hour and a half to get lunch and explore a little bit. After lunch we drove to the West MacDonnell ranges and to Simpson's gap. It was a short walking track between the mountain ranges. Then we just headed back to camp for the rest of the day to relax after a busy morning. We had dinner and played card games until it was bed time.
Monday 15/04
Monday morning we left Alice Springs and drove south to Stuarts Well where we stopped at a camel farm. Everyone got to ride a camel which was actually really fun. Then we continued our journey, and later stopped for lunch at Erldunda where we ate our wraps while watching the emus in their pen. After our stop we kept on driving to our next campsite which was Kings Creek Station. We put our sleeping bags onto our stretchers ready for the night. We watched the sunset, had a nice dinner and then a bonfire and marshmallows before bed. It was really cool to sleep under the stars and the sky was super clear which was amazing too because you could see all of the different constellations and the bright moon. Also I think I’ve never seen the Milky Way as clearly as that night and it was really amazing even though a little chilly with the cold wind during the night. I wish I hadn’t been so tired and could have stayed up longer to look at the outback night sky.
Tuesday 16/04
Tuesday had a really early start and woke up at 5.40 so that we could be at Kings Canyon at sunrise. The drive wasn’t too long and we started our walk a little after 6.30 am. The first ten of fifteen minutes were the hardest and the steepest of the whole two and a half hour walk but it was definitely worth the effort, even that early in the morning. The views were amazing and I think I took too many pictures so now it really hard to choose the best ones haha.
We continued walking along the canyon in the morning sun by the lookouts and bridges over the Garden of Eden. It was a really cool experience and it was interesting to learn abot the canyon too. Later in the morning it started to get really hot so walking became more exhausting. After the long walk we headed back to camp, packed up and had breakfast before moving to our next destination. On the way we stopped to look at a mountain (can't remember the name whoops) and also a salt lake but just for a short while.
Then we continued our drive to Yulara where we were staying. We set up camp, and before dinner we went to see the sunset at a lookout spot in-front of Uluru. The sunset wasn’t crazy amazing but it was still cool to see the massive rock change its shade as the light changed.
Then we drove back to camp and had dinner. This night we got to sleep under the stars again, but it was cloudy so the sky wasn’t as spectacular as the night before.
Wednesday 17/04
This morning we woke up at 6.30 for our next adventure. Wednesday's sunrise was super beautiful but the only downside was that the flies had taken over our breakfast table (welcome to the Australian outback haha) so eating became a bit of a challenge. Then everyone got on the bus and we drove to Uluru. We had a guide for our group who told us about the area, the cultural significance, the history and geology and also some aboriginal stories. We didn’t walk all he way around the rock but we did see all the good parts (at least that’s what we were told).
Our guide also had a cute surprise for us, a baby kangaroo. It was rescued and now they are taking care of it and later when its big enough they will release it into the wild again. We walked for about two hours and then hopped back on the bus and drove a little while to the other side of the rock and then walked another half an hour or so. The whole thing is really amazing and mind boggling and I was happy to get some cool pictures too.
After our walks we visited the cultural centre and then went back to camp. We had lunch and about three hours of free time before leaving again. The day was really really hot so we didn’t do too much else than play cards and eat ice cream :) In the afternoon we visited Kata Tjuta national park, which is another rock formation and even larger than uluru. We had an hour to walk the track to the lookout and back. The domes were really cool and it really was almost as cool as Uluru.
Afterwards we went back to camp and had dinner, and I was super tired after the two days of walking. This time the sky was clear again so we could look at the stars while falling asleep.
Thursday 18/04
On Thursday we woke up, packed our bags, sleeping bags and stretchers into the bus and then had breakfast at 7.30. Then our bus driver showed us how to take our tents down and pack them up. At 8.30 we were on the road again, heading south towards the town of Coober Pedy. It was an 8 hour journey and we made a couple toilet stops and also stopped for lunch at the border of Northern Territory and South Australia. We arrived in Coober Pedy around five and went straight to an opal mining museum where we learned about the opal capital of the world and its gems. After our tour of the museums dugouts we had a look at the opals and jewellery that were for sale. Then we went out for dinner at John’s pizza and bar. After dinner we had free time so of course we played card games until eleven. This night we were sleeping under ground in our own dugout in bunk beds.
Friday 19/04
On Friday we had a late start, breakfast at 8.30, then packing our things and getting back on the bus. We drove around town for a while, but there wasn’t too much to see in a town of 1800 people. Then we continued driving south towards Lake Hart. We stopped for lunch and arrived at the salt lake before three. Luckily there was no water in the lake so we could walk on the salty lake floor. It was really cool and different since I've never been on a salt lake before. After our photo opportunity-stop we continued driving for half an hour and then we arrived in Woomera.
We drove around the small town, but again there wasn’t too much to see. Also nothing was open because of Good Friday. We settled on the camping area and just chilled until dinner at 6.30. And again, there was a super pretty sunset so Anna and Greg decided it was a great time to do handstands :D
After dinner we played cards and packed everything ready for the early rise the next day.
Saturday 20/04
This morning we woke up at 5am to get on the road early and to arrive in Adelaide by lunch time. On the way I saw a pretty sunrise from the bus window and then a little after 8 we stopped to have breakfast at Port Germein, where there is Australias longest jetty.
From there we drove another three hours to Adelaide. We went for a coffee in the Crack Kitchen cafe, then to the main street at Rundal mall, and after looking around we went to chill in park by the river. At 5 everyone was back on the bus and we were heading to our accommodation for the night. The accommodation was nice, and we went to have dinner at the surf club near by. The food was good and after dinner we stayed outside of our bunkhouse eating easter eggs and just hanging out for the last time.
Sunday 21/04
On sunday it was time to fly back home. I woke up at 6.45 and finished packing before having breakfast at 7.15. Then we drove for about ten minutes to Adelaide airport, checked in, went through security and had a wonder around the airport shops before going to our gate. We left Adelaide pretty much on time at 10.15 and arrived in Brisbane at 13.15. From the airport we took the train back home to the Gold Coast.
Overall the trip was really successful and fun and I liked all of the activities too. It was an amazing opportunity to get to see the Australian Outback!
xx
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