Red Center

From Clare Valley we headed towards highway number 1, Stuart Highway, which goes pretty much straight through Australia from Adelaide to Darwin. We entered the highway in Port Augusta where we also stopped to shop supplies. As we were going into the bush we decided to buy as much as possible in Port Augusta as on the roughly 1500km one way to Yulara we would only be able to buy supplies at roadhouses where usually choice is limited, not always fresh and super expensive. Without a fridge, it was quite a challenge to shop for 7 days (2 days in, 3 days there, 2 days out), but we managed: apples and bananas, pasta and tomato sauce, Asian instant noodles, Uncle Ben's pre-cooked rice with canned vegetables, 1 loaf of fresh bread, Nutella and Scandinavian crisp bread. And we made a great discovery: when searching for rice waffles for snacking we found out that in Australia they do rice cakes with different tastes: tomato and basil, sour cream and chives, etc. we loved it so much, it was accompanying us throughout Australia thereafter.

Ayers Rock, The Olgas, King's Canyon

The first two days of driving were quite unspectacular, it was just road throughout the bush with practically nothing to see apart from salt lagoons and many road trains - these are monster trucks pulling up to 4 trailers and reaching a length of up to 55 meters!!! And at least we can tell you that in Australia the perception of distance and time changes completely. We often had conversations like that: "How long do we still have to drive?" "We're almost there, it is only a hundred kilometers to go!" "Oh cool!" ... Inconceivable in Europe! The first night we turned off the highway for 40km (a rough track with no one around!) to sleep at the free campsite in Kingoonya, a classical tiny settlement in the middle of nowhere in the outback. Not surprisingly we had the well-maintained campsite with toilets and running water for ourselves.

The next day was a hell of a day as we were driving the remaining 1000km in one go. We had to fill up the car twice, experienced burning hot sunshine, hundreds and hundreds of flies at lunchtime (Moni called Alex "Lord of the flies" as he took the challenge to fight them) and a massive rain shower. We had originally expected that there would be no free campgrounds around Ayers Rock because in and around National Parks wild camping is usually forbidden and we saw ourselves staying at the overpriced campground in Yulara, the main tourist resort in the area. However, there was a free camp outside Yulara, about 30km from Ayers Rock (but what are 30km in Australia?!), so we decided to put up our tent there for 3 nights. It was basically just a big area of bushes and red soil without any facilities, but as we were kind of self-contained that was fine. It was just a pity to see how recklessly other campers threw away all their garbage, no matter what! No wonder free camping gets increasingly restricted... (we saw abandoned camping chairs there!!!) We always collected all our garbage and dropped it off whenever we saw a bin. As it was beginning of February (middle of summer) it was super hot during the day and super hot at night. We left both entrances to the awning open to enable air circulation, but we still had a hard time falling asleep!

The first morning we got up early und to go and see the sunrise at Uluru, the Aboriginal name for Ayers Rock. We arrived at the viewing platform with hundreds of other tourists (of course), but managed to find a less crowded spot with good views of the massive red rock. Whilst the sun rose the colours of the sky turned into a pinky orange and we could see the Kata Tjutas (the Olgas), another red rock formation, in the background. Also the colour of Ayers Rock changed dramatically with the rise of the sun, from a dark bordeaux red to an intense and bright bloody red - make sure you check out the pictures. After sunrise we headed to a pick nick area for breakfast and then it was time to go on the Base Walk, a 10km walk all around Ayers Rock. In summer and on days with a forecast of more than 36 degrees it is recommended to finish by 11am latest because it is getting too hot otherwise. We were amazed to meet two older Germans doing the round as well in that heat without water supplies. We started a little late and finished by midday and it was about time… We both started to feel the heat affecting our bodies, a slight dehydration coming up and were happy to return to our airconditioned car to drink some more boiling hot water. But it was worth seeing this impressive rock with its various formations and waterholes from closeby. Culturally the base of Ayers rock is the most interesting part as Aborigines were using the many small cave in the rock as classroom (with many ancestral paintings). In Aboriginal culture, the teenagers are leaving their families to learn everything needed to become a man from the older men. Hence during their education, the older are teaching their environment as well as hunting, harvesting wild fruits and basic medicinal plants. As a result, climbing the rock does not give you the same insight and it is highly disrespectful for them…

In the afternoon, we checked out the Cultural visitor center with lots of information, stories and art of the local Aboriginal tribes. We bought ourselves a much-needed shower at the campground in Yulara and in the evening headed out to the Olgas for the sunset. Apart from 4 other tourists and lots of flies we were the only ones on the platform and we had brought a bottle of red wine from Barossa Valley. It was actually almost a waste as the wine was much too warm, but we still tried to enjoy it in style ;). Once the sun was down we drove out of the park and returned to our tent which had stored all the heat during the day for us - nice :).

On day 2 we also got up early (anyways we did not sleep too well with those temperatures) and headed to the same platform as the day before to see the sunrise at the Olgas. Looks like that place is more popular for sunrise as the platform was quite crowded. We managed to get a spot though with good views on both the Olgas and Ayers Rock in the distance. The colours that morning were spectacular due to a massive rain cloud that was sweeping through the bush. Can't explain what it looked like, better check out the pictures yourselves. And once the sun was up we drove into the Olgas to do the "Valley of the winds walk", an about 8km path that was winding for about 3h through the massive red rocks. The Olgas' Aboriginal name is "Kata Tjutas" which means "many heads" and when you see the rock formation you know why. It is a collection of many round red rocks in different sizes, looking like ... many heads in the bush :). The walk was a bit more challenging, with many ups and downs, but spectacular views of the rocks and the actual Valley of the winds. Similarly exhausted as the day before we drove back to Yulara for some cold drinks and a fresh salad before we picked up our boiling tent and hit the road again.

In the afternoon, we drove halfway back on Lasseter Highway and took a turn north to the famous King's Canyon. We found a free campsite about 30km from the canyon, but just when we reached the campsite a heavy rain shower came down on us. And what can you do in your car while waiting for the rain to stop to set up the tent? Correct, open another bottle of wine from Barossa Valley! That day we were a bit smarter and had put the bottle of wine (and a bottle of water) to our feet on the passenger side and turned the aircon on full speed - and it worked :). The wine was fine to drink and after two glasses the rain stopped so we could pitch the tent and even enjoy the remains of the sunset. At least the rain had cooled off the air by a good ten degrees and that night we were finally able to sleep a bit.

On day 3 we still got up early again as we wanted to go on another 3h walk around King's Canyon and there is practically no shadow on the way so we decided to start as early as possible to finish before the rise of the big heat! By around 7am we started climbing the stone steps to the rim of the canyon and carried on all around the canyon with great views from above. At some point we could climb down into the canyon and walk to a small pond. For about 10 min we had this "Garden of Eden" for ourselves, a peaceful piece of nature with nothing else than the sounds of the birds and some fish splashing in the water. When another group arrived and destroyed the silence we moved on and finished the loop as we still had a hell of a day ahead of us. We intended to drive all the way back to Coober Pedy, a famous opal mining town, about 700km from King's Canyon. On the way we stopped for a shower and some refreshments and discovered our favourite drink that would accompany us throughout Australia - Bundaberg passionfruit, a sparkling passionfruit lemonade. So yummy!!!

Coober Pedy

We arrived in Coober Pedy that evening and slept in the backyard of a little shop for 2,5AUD per person including shower and toilet. It was still boiling hot, so we decided to go to an air-conditioned pub for dinner instead of cooking instant noodles ourselves. When we came back at 21:00 it still had 43 degrees outside (!!!!). As soon as you set a foot outside the car you started sweating, even without moving, so we were looking forward to another sleepless night in our sauna tent (it is well isolating and keeping the warmth on cold days, but unfortunately also the heat on hot days). We left both entrances to the awning open to enable as much air circulation as possible through the mosquito net of our sleeping compartment. As you can imagine we did not fall asleep until the early morning hours when outside temperatures cooled down to around 35 degrees... And it was in the early morning hours as well that we had a visitor in the awning: the big red cat of the owner came galloping through our tent and looked at us very cheekily when we spied outside. The next morning, we found out why! Next to our shoes was a small puddle in the awning! Moni was suspiciously asking if that bloody cat had peed into our tent while Alex was sure that this was some condensation water. Hm, just around our shoes?!? Moni smelled her trekking sandals which were fine, Alex smelled his and when he lifted his second one he drew a very disgusted face. That cat had indeed peed on Alex' shoe and despite many laundries and tons of soap and washing powder we could never fully remove the smell!

We got up early that next morning again to go and see the Old timers Mine in Coober Pedy. This place in the most challenging conditions in the desert is a really bizarre place. It is most famous for two things: its amazing opals that are still being extracted today and for its underground homes. Yes, you read correctly, about 80% of the population in Coober Pedy live like hobbits underground. No wonder, in summer temperatures can climb up to 50 degrees during the day (we know roughly what that feels like) and go down to around 5 degrees in winter. In the good old times when no air-condition was available in this rough outpost, people started fitting home in old underground mines where they would have comfortable and constant 24 degrees year-round. And they still live, eat and work underground as bars, pubs and stores are all carved into the soft stone. The Old timers Mine was a very good and informative self-guided museum that illustrated the old mine shafts and working conditions as well as some underground homes that had really been inhabited by people. On top, the museum exposed a massive 1m opal vein that was only found when they were setting up the museum. It is so large that you can see one end at the beginning of the tour and the other side just as you leave the museum. Oh and those beautiful opals in all shapes and colours: from milky white to turquoise and dark blue - amazing!!! Hadn't we been on a budget, Moni would have bought a set of earrings and necklace.

Clare Valley and Mildura

After a coffee in an underground café we hit the road again as we wanted to go back down to Clare Valley for some more wine tasting. That day while we were driving we could watch the temperatures rise to a maximum of 48 degrees!!! Unbearable! Walking even 100m in this heat feels like finishing a marathon... But it was only when we approached Port Augusta and had radio reception again that we found out that eastern and central Australia had been hit by an unexpected and very extreme heat wave. Queensland was on fire and Sydney was on the edge of emergency state because of temperatures of over 40 degrees for 6 days in a row. So basically when we left civilisation and thought that summer in the Australian outback is just that hot by nature we had actually experienced an exceptional heatwave - in our tent! Great ;)! The further south we went, however, temperatures decreased again and when we got out of our car in Clare Valley at around 25 degrees we were super happy to unpack our big sleeping bags for the rather chilly night! What a relief for body and soul! That night, we found a free campsite in the courtyard of a pub. The owner, an old biker, was so fond of Moni that he offered her pretty much a bottle of white wine and a typical Australian cooler after she posed on his Harley Davidson. Besides that, we were in a tiny village in the back of Clare valley where you hardly understand the local accent.

The next day we did some wine tasting and tried some good wines at Jim Barry and some really exceptional wines at Kirihill - unfortunately they keep all their wine for themselves and do not export at all :(! The elderly lady that was doing the wine tasting was just too lovely and hugged us when we left, of course with two bottles of red wine in the pocket ;).  As we still did not have enough of Australian wine and new wine regions in South Australia and Victoria were popping up like mushrooms we went to Mildura, a cute little town with less-known wine estates. We slept at a beautiful spot next to Murray River where one steamboat from the 1920ies is still operating (for tourists). We went to a wine shop that had most wines of the region and got to try a few interesting ones. After a great lunch at Stephano’s bistro (it seems Stephano owns 50% of the restaurant in this town) recommended by the Kirihill-lady, we drove all the way to Bendigo, around 150km from Melbourne where we had to return the car the next afternoon. We slept on a peaceful campground in the middle of the forest with some weirdos around - an old guy with two chainsaws (in a National Park?!) and a seemingly homeless drunkard that was brought back to the forest by the police. Well, you get weirdos everywhere, don't you?! And we later found out that it is perfectly normal that Aussie campers carry chainsaws with them to cut firewood...

The next day we just washed our tent properly to remove all the red outback dust and then headed to Melbourne airport. We returned the car, managed to re-distribute our weight (including 3 bottles of wine and some leftover food) to more or less fit the weight restrictions and hopped onto our Tigerair flight to Hobart in Tasmania. Let us already tell you, Tasmania was a very positive surprise. Quite different from Australia mainland, this island is full of little beautiful and less crowded places. We will share our experiences and pictures with you in the coming articles.

Hope you could all put away your snow shovels by now and spring/summer is finally arriving in Europe.

Take care and talk to you soon,

Moni & Alex