Adelaide - Darwin

August 15, 2024:

In the morning, we thanked Jason once again and then took an Uber to the new car rental station. Upon arrival, we were greeted warmly and shown the car we were supposed to drive from Adelaide to Darwin. The car costs around 850 AUD per day for those who want to rent it, and it has to be rented for at least 3 months. It is not particularly luxurious, but it is suitable for driving through the middle of Australia since it is an off-road vehicle. In the pictures, it looks somewhat small, but in reality, it is quite large. We need to arrive in Darwin by August 19, which means we have to drive about 7 hours a day to achieve that. Therefore, we decided to drive through the first night. Unfortunately, our plans were disrupted at 10:50 PM when we were on a highway that was suddenly closed by the police. Ten minutes before we reached the checkpoint, there had been an accident where at least one car had overturned. The overturned car was only about 30 meters away from us, with only a truck in between. We learned that the driver had unfortunately lost his life and that the road would remain closed for the next few hours. Since that was the only way we could go and we couldn't turn around, we had to pull over to the shoulder and sleep sitting in the car.

August 16, 2024:

At 6:00 AM, we were awakened by the police with a siren, signaling that the road was reopened. I had a terrible sleep in the driver's seat, but I continued driving the next leg. After getting a coffee at a gas station, we headed towards Uluru. The Uluru, also known as “Ayers Rock,” is a gigantic rock in the middle of Australia. We got out, walked around for a bit, and then watched the sunset there as well. Even though it's just a rock, this place has a certain magical quality to it. It is one of Australia's iconic landmarks. After visiting Uluru, we drove to a campsite.
Although our current car has a tent on the roof, since Aileen and I do not sleep together, I slept in the front of the car instead. This time on the passenger seat, which was much more comfortable since there wasn't a steering wheel in front of me. Actually, I had bought a tent before the trip to sleep inside, but the floor of the campsite was gravel, and there were signs everywhere indicating that camping in a ground tent was not allowed there.

August 17, 2024:

This morning we set off to drive to Kings Canyon. The hiking trail we chose for this national park was quite challenging because you are constantly climbing up and down rocks. In Germany, this would definitely not be allowed since nothing was secured. But when we finally reached the divide, I was almost breathless because it was so beautiful. The patterns in the stones, the birds flying far below us, the view from the top looking down—everything there was magnificent. I felt like I was in the era of dinosaurs.
After we found a campsite that allowed ground tents, we drove there, cooked some noodles, and I set up my tent and spent the first night in it.

August 18, 2024:

Today was a very exhausting day since we drove for about 19 hours. We lost time due to the visits to Uluru and Kings Canyon, and we had to make up for that today. Aileen drove for about 7 hours, and I drove 120. We made a brief one-hour stop in Alice Springs to figure out the right way. I took on the day shift, essentially covering the entire night or darkness shift. We saw free-roaming cows, horses, donkeys, kangaroos, possums, birds, bulls, and snakes along the way. You really have to concentrate because we saw all these animals right in the middle of the road. And when you come speeding at 120 km/h, it’s difficult to swerve in time.

August 19, 2024:

According to the GPS, we should reach the campsite by 2:58 AM. Unfortunately, that didn't happen because at 1:30 AM, a kangaroo jumped in front of my car while I was driving 120. I couldn't have swerved, because otherwise, our large, heavy car would have spun out of control, and we would likely have overturned. So, I had to brake but still hit it. There was a loud bang, and we jolted violently. Our car was equipped with a bumper designed to protect us from wildlife, which worked well as we sustained no damage to the vehicle. However, the kangaroo did not survive. Afterward, I had to stop at a gas station to take a closer look at the car. It was a very uncomfortable feeling to know that I had killed such a beautiful animal, but there was really nothing else I could or should have done. After the break, we continued and thus arrived at the campsite by 4:00 AM. The site was only 1 ½ hours away from Darwin, where we need to return the car today. After 4 hours of sleep in the front seat, we had to drive again, and on the way to a gas station, Aileen unfortunately hit a falcon right in mid-flight. We thought she had hit it, and then it fell away from the car. However, when I opened the passenger side to check for damage, a wing was suddenly on my head. The dead falcon was stuck between the roof and the solar panel. After we stopped at a rest area, I took a stick and scraped it out, which was quite gross.
Sadly, there are indeed so many animals on the roads here that it was only a matter of time before we encountered one for the first time. When we eventually arrived in Darwin, we returned the car and headed to a hostel. I was very much looking forward to a shower and a normal bed. Plus, I just wanted some time to chill alone.