I'm in the Outback

On Tuesday morning at 06:00 a.m., my next adventure started: the 4WD bus picked me up (like the other 14 participants) at my hotel, and off we went from Alice Springs on the Stuart Highway heading south.

On overview maps, it always looks like Yulara and Mt. Uluru are located near Alice Springs. Almost! Well, by Australian standards, they probably are. But in reality, the bus drives about 400 km and only makes two turns! There simply aren't any more intersections.

Along the way, we stopped at roadhouses, which are rest stops, usually with camping facilities. Originally, most of them were supply stations along the telegraph line. Around noon, we arrived at Yulara, our camp in the resort near Mt. Uluru.

Quickly throwing the bags into the tents, figuring out where to go if you need to use the facilities, and quickly preparing lunch. Everyone chopped something for the sandwiches, and then we could start eating. Afterward, we quickly washed up and cleaned up so that our guide David could explain the camp rules for the bush: everyone helps, everyone follows the schedule, only using a flashlight at night (so you don't accidentally step on a snake). With this knowledge, we immediately set off for Mt. Uluru, where our Aboriginal guide Valerie was already waiting for us. She gave us a brief insight into the perspectives of the Australian indigenous people, their social rules of behavior, and the basic Dreamtime stories. This was very informative. Later, we were able to walk around Uluru. It's fascinating how the light makes this huge sandstone rock appear different every time.

This is particularly noticeable at sunset when the Uluru is bathed in spectacular colors and then appears gray-brown immediately after sunset.

Afterwards, when we returned to our tents in the dark, another staff member had cooked a fantastic dinner and set the table for us in an atmospheric way. What a nice surprise!

After dinner, everyone quickly crawled into their tents. There were two reasons for that:

1. The day had been quite long

2. David announced the wake-up time for the next morning: since we wanted to watch the sunrise at Mt. Uluru, we had to get up at 04:30 a.m.! Okay then!!

As planned, we got up, put on our clothes (it was only about 15°C that morning), quickly stopped at the washrooms, and then took a 10-minute bus ride to a lookout point. And we were lucky with everything. We arrived just before sunrise, and the sky was clear. Breathtaking!

After that, we had a leisurely but quick breakfast, cleaned up the kitchen, packed up the dishes and food in the trailer, packed up our bags and sleeping bags, swept the tents, and tidied up the campsite. All in all, it took about an hour. David was kind enough to give us an additional 15 minutes for brushing our teeth and other tasks.

Then we continued by bus to Kata Tjuta ('many heads'), also known as the Olgas. This is another sandstone formation that we had already seen from our sunrise spot.

We went for a walk through the Valley of the Winds. These rocks are also a sacred place for the Anangu people. And we were also impressed by the atmosphere there.

Before the heat of the day, we were back at the bus and enjoyed lunch.

Then there was another four-hour bus ride. Along the way, we made stops to collect firewood for our dinner and stopped again at a rest stop. Rarely has coffee and ice cream tasted so good!

And there was a third stop at the viewpoint for Atila, Mt. Connor. This is the third famous sandstone rock in the Red Centre. It is a huge mesa.

Then we continued to our second bush camp. This time we were the only ones in the camp, and most of us, including myself, didn't want to spend the night in a tent but in a swag under the open sky. Because Europe simply doesn't have such a magnificent starry sky. By the way, a swag is a special Australian sleeping bag, like a kind of 'over-sleeping bag' with a waterproof floor, fully closable with zippers (to keep insects out), and a waterproof flap that you can put over your head against wind and rain - if you don't mind the sand that was on it before getting into your face. Okay, once again I revealed myself to be a wimp... Anyway, I decided to look at the starry sky instead, and - snakes and spiders aside - it was too warm that night to zip it up!

But first, David conjured up a gigantic dinner by the campfire: kangaroo bolognese, vegetables, baked potatoes with onions and cheese, and his phenomenal 'Waltzing Matilda bread'. Simply delicious!

Waltzing Matilda bread

After the kitchen was cleaned up again and all the food supplies and trash were securely packed, everyone crawled into their swags or tents.

The following night was not the most restful, but it was certainly one of the most beautiful nights I have ever experienced (except for the multiple snores around me). I saw at least 3 shooting stars, and when I had finally fallen asleep, a soft chewing woke me up. I looked around and saw a dingo (Australian wild dog) about 2 meters away from me, searching the fire pit and the kitchen for food scraps. And he wasn't bothered by me, even though I had to fumble for my glasses like a blind person. David had told us that dingoes usually come into the camp at night and therefore recommended that we put our shoes and socks under the swags if we wanted to have two of each the next day... But this one was very well-behaved. And after not finding much for himself, he quickly went on his way. Too bad!

This night was also short. David woke us up at 04:45 a.m., and we were ready! By just after 05:30, everything was cleaned up after breakfast, the campground was swept, and our morning routine was finished... who needs to wash anyway.

The reason for our early departure that morning was a very nice three-hour hike through Kings Canyon. Due to the high temperatures, it was supposed to be finished by 10:30 a.m. (and 1 liter of water per hour of hiking is recommended!).

Kings Canyon is simply fantastic. Sandstone formations that clearly show their maritime past. And in the middle, a waterhole called the 'Garden of Eden.' And that's exactly what it must have looked like at one time. Simply unbelievably beautiful.

After the hike and a quick lunch with wraps, we got back on the bus. And to the great joy of David (and most of us), we were now speeding along unpaved roads, roughly heading back to Alice Springs.

Unfortunately, David overlooked a new washout during this part. As a result, he had to repair the bus suspension afterwards. But he managed to fix it! And so the fun could continue soon.

These three days also passed too quickly. I had not imagined the Outback to be as rich in plants as it was this year. Apparently, that was also something special because there had been more rainfall than usual. In any case, I was extremely fascinated, and I would definitely come back.