10.04.2019 # Outback, Day 5, from Erldunda back to Alice Springs

Before six in the morning, my premonition from the previous evening is confirmed. The truckers return with their prime movers and begin reconnecting with their road trains. Since this usually happens in reverse, there is a constant beeping and honking that deprives me of my last bit of sleep.

After a hearty breakfast, we pack our things into the camper for the last time with a touch of sadness. However, we are also looking forward to sleeping in a real bed again.

We have no rush, as we have to return the car in Alice in the afternoon and the 200 km can be covered in a reasonable amount of time despite the 110 km/h speed limit. This gives us the opportunity to go offroad once again. After a little over half the distance to Alice, we turn off from the Stuart Highway and drive about 16 km on unpaved trails to the Henbury Meteorite Crater. There, a few thousand years ago, a meteorite the size of a 200-liter oil drum left a lasting impression in the midst of an extremely barren steppe landscape. In a half-hour walk, we circle the crater and are somewhat disappointed. But what can you expect, even the largest crater is just a hole in the ground.

Back on the Stuart Highway, we briefly consider whether to still drive to Rainbow Valley. But somehow, the air is suddenly out and the prospect of another 60 km offroad has absolutely nothing appealing anymore. Especially since the heat of the road is already creating an intense shimmer, which doesn't make driving any more pleasant. So we reach Alice Springs shortly after noon and drive directly to the Jump Inn, where we will spend our last night. The room is naturally not ready before 2:00 pm, so we only store our bags and drive to the Apollo station after a final refueling stop. The return of the camper is pleasantly unexciting. After about 20 minutes, the car is checked and the paperwork is done. Overall, we have covered 1442 km unharmed in the past five days. That doesn't sound like much, but the funny thing is, if you trace it on the map of Australia with your finger, you're still basically in the same place.

On the way back to the city center, we meet Susi and Matthias at a motorcycle workshop again. It can happen that fast. The two are currently struggling with a canceled ferry connection from Darwin. At the moment, it is uncertain whether they will be on time in Java to meet some friends there as planned. The problem is that there is no mobile reception outside the city and they now have to wait until they find or book something new. We keep our fingers crossed that everything will work out and say goodbye.

In the "Uncles Bar", we treat ourselves to a big schnitzel and a cold beer for the successful trip. After all, we have done two things that we are not necessarily up for - camping and hiking. But it was absolutely worth it, except for a few minor things, everything was just as I imagined it beforehand.

After sending a few greetings home and dropping them off at the post office, we do some shopping. Given the cigarette prices, it hits us once again. On the way to the accommodation, Maike gets hit by the diarrhea of an exuberant bird and we hope that it really brings luck, as they say.

I spend the afternoon writing blog posts and sorting photos. I am a bit behind because I didn't feel like writing much in the past few days. Meanwhile, Maike takes care of our red-crusted hiking shoes. We want to fly to New Zealand tomorrow and the Kiwis can be quite picky about such things.

In the evening, there is an event in the attached bar. We don't exactly know what it's about, but it must be some kind of raffle. The Jump Inn seems to be a kind of cultural center in Alice, as on our first evening there was a lecture that was attended exclusively by locals, just like the event today.

Since we are quite exhausted, we leave it at a nightcap after consuming our last food supplies and go to bed early. Tomorrow noon, we will fly from Alice Springs to Melbourne and then to Auckland. It will be another long day.