The Oodnadatta Track

Finally, our little adventure through the Australian Outback started. While I had already found the fastest and easiest route on the map, Jonas was making completely different plans. He wanted to drive the Oodnadatta Track, the old highway, 650km on unsealed roads (comparable to a gravel, pothole-ridden country road in Germany). We inquired at the tourist information and the track was actually open to all vehicles, but the nice lady said that you could only drive a maximum of 40 km/h. 650km at 40 km/h??? That could be fun. So we planned about 5 days for the tour.

Surprisingly, the lady at the tourist information had no idea at all and you could easily drive 80-90 km/h, so we made twice as much progress as originally planned. Our first stop was in Maree, a small town with a bit of historical background, where we looked at the old railways. Besides the track, the old railway line also ran along.

We then stayed overnight in Coward Springs. There was a small but nice campsite and a small hot pool!! "Small" can be written as "big" here, because only about 6 people could fit in the pool. Nevertheless, it was amazing that something like this existed in the middle of nowhere where everything is dry and dreary. There seemed to be a spring nearby, which we visited the next day. Actually, everything here is as you would imagine the Outback to be, hardly anything to see far and wide, and everything brown and sandy. When suddenly a few green trees and bushes appear, you know that there must be water somewhere. That evening was a special moment for me when we lay in the tent and outside a woman sat by the fire with a harp and played soft music. Everyone who goes to the Outback fills their car with food, water, and fuel, but who the hell brings a harp to the Outback???? The moment was so special because at Emil's memorial service in the hospice, a harp was played and all the memories came flooding back. It was as if he had been with us....=)

The next day we continued to the small town of Oodnadatta. In general, there is a small town every 200km (mostly consisting of a petrol station and a hotel and about 2 houses). In Williams Creek, there was even a small pub in the petrol station where you could enjoy a beer in a cozy atmosphere. The ceiling and walls were covered with business cards and old IDs, and Jonas fished out a business card from his company and attached it. So if a crane should break down in the Outback, the address of the Wilbert company is stored there:)

In Oodnadatta, there was a mega cool petrol station, the Pink Roadhouse. Everything here was really painted pink, even the forklift, as you can see in the picture=)

We asked at the small hotel if there was a camping possibility and were greeted very warmly and were even allowed to stay for free in the hotel's backyard and use the toilets and showers. When the nice man asked us if we wanted Wi-Fi, I could hardly believe my ears. Wi-Fi in the middle of nowhere and also for free??? Hospitality is still highly valued here. In general, we met so many nice people on the way. Although hardly any backpackers or people our age, but a lot of older local travelers who were very talkative and suggested many tips and interesting places to us, but at the same time were also interested in our story.

On the third day, we set off for the final stretch of the track. There were still about 100km to the sealed highway when it finally happened... The road got worse and a stupid sharp stone wanted to annoy us on the last meters and drilled into the rear tire. We had a flat tire. In the middle of the desert.... Of course, we had a spare tire with us and Jonas mounted the new wheel within 20 minutes. I thought all along that we were already in the midst of the adventure, but the real adventure was just beginning now.... What if another tire bursts??? Then we are stranded in the middle of nowhere without a second spare tire. It could take quite a while for the next car to come by, and there is no reception either. I prayed for the last hundred kilometers of gravel road that no more tires would burst. We were lucky and arrived safely in Marla. Here, the tourists were gathering again, but unfortunately, there was no spare tire for us=(

We had no choice but to keep driving, from now on only a tar road would come, until we would get a new tire in Alice Springs.

According to Jonas, it was a good balance to have survived 650km of gravel road with only one flat tire=) Then our journey continued to the ultimate goal, Ayer's Rock, also called Uluru!!