The big trip down - the second attempt (part 2)

So - after a few days rest in Alice we were all nice and relaxed and ready to hit the road again. Okay - that's a bit of a lie since we stayed up pretty late and certain people liked waking me up at 7.30 in the morning when I was supposed to be having a lie-in asking to borrow my iPod... Apparently having your eyemask on, ear plugs in and your sarong hung up round your bunk as a curtain isn't enough of a hint that you might be asleep... Ah the joys of dorm life!

So it's probably more accurate to say that we were a bit bleary eyed leaving Alice at 5.15am, but at least we'd managed to do our washing and the bus was 1/2 empty this time so we had space to spread out over the next six days.

Plus, our worries that we would be landed with another crap guide were quickly allayed by Will - a small man with a big hat and big boots who took us on his 'Too Easy' tour through the red centre and beyond.

It was a week of some very long drives (I had to buy flight socks in the end because my ankles were swelling up so bad) through some amazing, constantly changing countryside. Some days it was just endless flat horizons and dusty plains.

Kings Canyon, Uluru and Kata Tjuta

On the first day we headed down to King's Canyon were we were told we would be doing a walk as long as it wasn't above 38 degrees in the shade. I thought that this was a bit of a dramatic warning given that it couldn't be more than 30 degrees by my reckoning. But no - it was just about touching the 38 degree line when we got there... My god - I have no idea how I am going to survive the British weather after this!

So - after coughing my way up 'Heart Attack Hill' (I had a cough so long I really thought I had contracted some kind of tropical disease!) we did the rim walk at Kings Canyon. Lots of really cool red rock! So cool in fact that we were all taking pics of the rocks and could no longer take the piss out of Aoife the geologist for her rock fascination...

After Kings canyon we headed up towards Uluru and I, like many people, was taken in my Mount Connor on the way - AKA Foolaru. Still - we did catch a glimpse of the big red rock on our way into camp that night before eating BBQ stirfry for dinner and sleeping out under the stars once more.

We were up early the next morning (even for us) for sunrise at Uluru, which was just as impressive as a great hulking shadow in the pre-dawn as it is in the day time. We all congregated at the pre-dawn viewing area with a couple of hundred other people, but it was a pretty short walk to get away from the crowd. As it got light I started to think that the dawn at Uluru wasn't as spectacular as expected, but then the light hit the rock and it glowed this amazing orange-red colour. Pretty damned cool.

We had a lot to pack into the day and after dawn we took the 7km walk around the base of the rock, having opted to respect the Aboriginal owner's request not to climb it. To be honest, I think we chose the right option anyway. From the top you just to see miles of outback, but walking round it you can see the rock from so many different angles and in so many different moods.

Then it was on to the Aboriginal cultural centre before lunch and being whisked over to Kata Tjuta for another big walk... As beautiful as it was, this was one of the toughest points of the trip for me really. I think tiredness and having too long on the bus to think things through, combined with some anniversaries and being round people 24/7 got to me a little. But, despite the heat and my strong desire to lie down in a cool dark room on my own under a big duvet I was determined to do the walk and was rewarded with some beautiful views. It was one of the many times I was glad to have Irene, Aoife, Wen and Tristan in the trip though. They just let me get on with things.

Sunset at Uluru was less dramatic than sunrise, though the distant Kata Tjuta illuminated by shafts of light through the clouds was pretty spectacular. Plus, the bubbly made it a fitting end to a long day.

Heading South

The next day was the 4.45am start and we had a looooooong drive to Coober Pedy, stopping off to watch the sunrise at Mt Connor and a salt lake for breakfast. All very beautiful with the red earth, green vegetation, white salt lake and pink/blue sky.

We also managed a wee side trip to the Break Away's - apparently famous for being the backdrop for Mad Max 2, but which reminded me more of Luke's home planet... Coober Pedy is opal central and we did a tour of an opal mine before sleeping in an underground house for the night. What can I say about it? It's a strange town. Very dusty and about 40 different nationalities, which is pretty impressive since it's got a very small population.

It was another pretty dramatic change of landscape the next day as the dusty flat horizon gave way to salt lakes and then greenery and the Flinders Ranges. It looked so much like home - but then I have been away from home for 2 years and had been in the outback for more than 2 weeks. Saw more kangaroos and emus (to add to the thorny devil and wedge-tailed eagle we'd already seen.)

We hiked up Mt Ohlsen Bagge the next morning and experienced the first smattering of rain since starting the trip at the summit before heading on to Parachilna for the night. Parachilna has a permanent population of six I think, but it does have a very good pub the opportunity to see see the longest freight train in the southern hemisphere (2km+) and some pretty cool sunsets.

As we were heading into wine country it would have been rude of us to pass up on the opportunity to sample the local produce so, on the last day, we headed to a monastery vineyard in Clare. This may have been a ploy on Will's part to get us a little tipsy before we completed our feedback forms, though he needn't have worried. I think I will remember those 6 days on the road for a very long time to come.