The Outback… No not the Steakhouse

Just warning you that this is a long post and may take a while to read.

This Easter was one of the most interesting Easters that I will probably ever experience. First off I had to change all the clocks by “falling back” for Easter. It was just odd changing the time backwards for Easter when everyone at home was “springing ahead.” Secondly, when I woke up on Easter, for the first time in 20 years, there was no Easter basket to be found. Instead, I found myself in the sand of a dried up river bed in the middle of the outback.

The trip to the outback was organized by the university for international students. My journey started a couple weeks before I even departed. I had to go to the international office to pick up some paperwork, my camping pack, and sign a waiver. I had to sign the waiver acknowledging the fact that we would be in the middle of nowhere several hours from any medical help. After I picked up my pack I spent the next week trying to find everything to fill it with. I did not want to have to buy camping supplies such as a sleeping mat and sleeping bag for just one trip. I was able to borrow all the things I needed from my friends who were not going on the trip. The night before we departed I had trouble sleeping because I was so excited and kind of nervous. I was excited for the trip but nervous that I would oversleep and miss the 5am bus departure. When I was still awake at 2:30am the idea ran through my head to just stay up all night so that I would not sleep through my alarm. I ended up falling asleep and when my alarm went off at 4:30am I popped up and was ready to go. There were 18 of us on the trip, 16 students and 2 guides. The guides were not from a tour business, they were the teachers of the university’s outdoor education class. We all took the bus from Lismore to Brisbane, about a 2 hour ride. Most people slept but I was still too excited for sleep. Our plane left Brisbane at around 8:30am; I was finally able to get about an hour of sleep on the three hour flight. When we finally landed at the Alice Springs airport everyone forgot about being tiered anyways. Alice Springs is a small town, smaller than Muskego. The airport only has one runway and when we landed the plane had to turn around and taxi back toward the small airport. The airport does not even have terminals; everyone gets on and off of the plane on the tarmac. Once we all had our packs we took a bus to the car rental place. On the way there the bus driver pointed out the bone dry river bed of the Todd River. He said that a week before there had been two meters of water in it from the rain. He said that this was the first time it flowed in two years and that if you see it with water in it three times then you are a local. While the guides, Steve and (Hey) Jude, were getting the two 4x4 troopies and the food for the week we all had the chance to stop at K-mart for anything we may have forgotten. We all met in the park to pack the troopies and head off into the middle of nowhere. After about four hours of driving it started to get dark. We stopped at a rest stop, aka one outhouse and a giant tank of water that “may not be suitable for drinking.” Here we unpacked the top of the troopies and took what food we thought we would need for the night. We hiked for about 300 meters down the middle of the dried up Fink River. We made camp in a nice sandy spot. Some collected wood for the fire and some started on dinner. Dinner was made with camp stoves. Contrary to what I was expecting we were not roughing it when it came to food. I ate better on the trip then most other days. For dinners we had a lot of pastas, for lunch we had a lot of pb&j, tuna, and wraps, and for breakfast we had Wheat-Bix and muesli with powdered milk—it’s better than it sounds. When it came time to go to bed I grabbed my sleeping mat and sleeping bag found a spot around the fire. Sleeping outside under millions of stars is better than any hotel in the world.

We woke up with the sun; it took people a little while to realize that it was even Easter because we were in such a different place. No snow melting, no Robbins chirping, just sand and hot emptiness. We headed back to the troopies, packed up and hit the road. We drove to a resort campground. The resort is near Ayres Rock, better known here as Uluru its traditional Aboriginal name. If it were not for the resort there would be nothing there at all. The staff has living quarters because there are no houses or town. The petro (gas) station and the super market are all on resort property. Soon after we arrived and checked in, we headed to the national park that hosts Uluru and Kata Tjuta. Once in the park we went to Kata Tjuta for a hike and to watch the sun set. We did a 5k hike around Kata Tjuta before watching the sun set reflecting the red rays off of the red rocks for an amazing effect. We went back to the resort for the only dinner of the trip that we did not have to cook. We went to a BBQ restaurant where you buy your meat and cook it yourself. I got the combo platter, two beef sausages, one emu sausage, one kangaroo skewer, and one crocodile skewer. This was one the cheapest things on the menu for $27.00. It was an expensive meal but it was really good. The emu sausage was the best and the crocodile had a unique but amazing taste. That night we all slept under the stars again but this night was not so peaceful. After only a couple hours of sleep a monstrous storm blew in. The lightning was like nothing I had ever seen before. Every time it flashed it filled the sky and looked as if every little bolt when straight to the ground. We did not have the tents set up and with the size of the storm there was no way we could set them up at this point. We had to take our sleeping bags and mats over the laundry room where our group, as well as some others, spent the night.

The next day we went back to the national park to go to Uluru. We walked through the culture center to learn about the Aboriginal culture. It is similar and yet uniquely different from Native American culture. After this we went to a lookout that gave us the perfect Kodak moment. While we were here taking pictures it was drizzling on and off, then a rainbow appeared over Uluru. It was really cool to see this because it is a very rare occasion to see a rainbow anywhere in the outback and we got to see it over Uluru. After we finally decided we all had enough pictures we started our walk around Uluru. The hike took about 3 hours to make it all the way around. After the hike we hit the road to start our way to Kings Canyon. We would not make it to Kings Canyon by nightfall so we had to camp on the side of the road. But it would not be excited if it was right on the side of the road so we put the troopies in four wheel and started cruising through the sand. We eventually came to a spot that Steve and Jude must have used on past trips. There were already logs in a circle around the place where we would start our fire. To start the fire we needed wood, so Jude and I and some others got in the troopie to go look for wood. We could not find a good windfall to collect wood. So Jude told us to hold on as he rammed a tree a couple of times with the big brush guard on the troopie, good things is only a rental! We collected the wood from the fallen tree then made a fire and dinner, by this time everyone was ready for bed. We slept under the stars again keeping an eye on the lighting in the distance but luckily it never made its way towards us.

In the morning we packed up and finished the drive to Kings Canyon. We did a 5k hike around the canyon. The hike was not necessarily an easy one. There was about a lot of elevation change and it was nearing the middle of the day when the sun is hottest. Luckily half way through the hike there is a water hole. We were all really excited to see this because by this time in the trip deodorant doest really stop the stink of not showering. After a good swim we finished the hike and then headed down the road to a service station to make lunch and relax in the shade. When we were rested and even had a little nap we headed back to Kings Canyon. This time we were starting our overnight hike. It was a 7k hike to the place we were spending the night. We had to bring all our personal items, tents, gear, food, and water for the night. No one’s pack was light and it was not an easy hike. There was climbing, gap jumping, and lots of elevation change. Before we started the hike we had to call a hotline to tell them how many of us were going on the hike, our names and ages, where we would be camping, and when we would return. We did the first half in the daylight. We stopped to watch the sun set from the edge of the canyon. The second half was a lot flatter and was done in the dark with flashlights. We made camp in the most amazing rock amphitheater. This was the most remote we were the whole trip. Even to get back to the troopies it would be a three or more hour hike. After dinner we all spread out to see what cool places we could sleep. Pat and I found this awesome spot up on a rock dome. We were up about 50 feet high sleeping about ten feet from the edge in any direction. It was the best view. Unfortunately nature had different plans. A rain cloud came through in the middle of the night, again. There was no lightning this time so Pat and I thought we would wait it out. It stopped raining after about ten minutes. Everyone but us had already gone back down to camp to get inside a tent. We were happy that we didn’t, but then about 15 minutes later Steve came up by us and made us get down because he was worried that a lightning storm might be on the way. I was pretty irritated but got down anyways and of course the lightning or more rain never came. But I know he was just doing his job.

In the morning we had to pack up camp and start our way back to the troopies. Everyone’s packs where a lot lighter with less water and food but it was still a long hike after a night of almost no sleep and the sleep we did get was on solid rock. When we got back we packed up the troopies and headed back to the service station. We stopped for a bathroom break and so that Jude could register our vehicles for the next part of the drive. The next stretch is 130k of off road for 4x4 only. It was a bumpy ride but it was a lot of fun. We also got to see a dingo and wild horses on this part of the ride. We made our way to a camping area again on the Fink River, only downstream this time. Because of all the rain, this time the Fink River was flowing strong and we had to camp on the bank. The Fink River is considered one of the oldest rivers in the world. It is pretty cool to say that we got to swim it. We all fell asleep in the sand on the bank but were woken yet again by thunder and lightning. This time we had some tents already set up but not enough. With no shelter to run to we piled into the tents and the troopies to wait it out. The tents filled up fast and I was stuck in the troopie. After about 30-45 minutes the rain died down enough so that me and Todd could get out and set up a tent for ourselves so we could try to get a few hours of precious sleep.

At this point in the trip we were all getting over the novelty of rain in the outback. As Steve and Jude kept saying they thought it was amazing because they have never seen it like this, but even they were getting sick of the rain and lack of sleep. We packed up camp and headed to Serpentine Gorge. This was a spectacular gorge and one of my favorite spots on the trip. After a short but very steep hike we hit the road. We drove to Eldry Creek Big Hole. It was the best waterhole on the trip. It was a big pond with a stream feeding into it from between two cliffs. We swam up the stream and found a sandy spot along it and had a rest. Who would have thought we would ever sit on the beach in the outback, I guess the rain really did make some things cool. After a good long swim we packed up and hit the road to see the sights. With all the rain we had rivers were flooding the roads. They do not have bridges in the outback because it almost never rains, so when it does rain the roads get flooded. We were lucky to have out four wheel drive with a snorkel here. There was heaps of two wheel drive cars stuck, waiting for the river to go down so they could cross. We on the other hand drove right through them like they were not even there. On the way to the campsite we stopped to see a place where geologists believe that a meteor struck Earth. Who knows if they are right or not but it is hard to dispute when you see the giant crater with rocks pushed up on all sides in an otherwise perfectly flat area. By the time we made it to the campsite rain was once again on the horizon. Steve was able to sweet talk the site manager into letting us sleep under an outdoor café overhang. Under the overhang, in between the tables and chairs, we all slept for the whole night through the rain—finally some sleep!


We had to be up pretty early because the café opened at 7am so we had to be cleared out by then. But as 7am rolled around it was apparent that the café was only opening hoping that we would buy something because there was nobody else at the campsite. After we packed up the troopies we went on a canyon hike on a trail that the campsite had. It we were all a little skeptical but it turned out to be amazing. We all hiked through about two feet of water to get to the best parts where we were able to climb on the rocks and explore the endless canyon. We then headed back to the troopies and hit the road. The long rain through the night flooded the rivers even more. We did not have to worry too much but the flooded rivers still caused us a minor problem however. If the rain continued and the rivers flood more, the currants would increases. With the snorkel on the 4x4 we could drive even with the engine underwater but if the currant is too strong it could wash us downstream. We had one night of camping left and one more river to cross. We decided to head back into Alice Springs a day early and camped at a campsite in the city. We had to do this because if it continued to rain the last river might be too strong to cross and then we would miss our flight in the morning. When we got to Alice we were surprised to see the Todd River was flowing with at least two meters of water. I got to see the Todd River flowing—I am one third of the way to being a local of Alice Springs, Australia! The campsite we were going to stay at was actually on the other side of the Todd and we could not get to it. We tried another campsite and they were full. This is when we thought we might be sleeping in the troopies. Luckily the third site we went to had a spot open. We made camp here and took advantage of the luxury amenities. We jumped in the pool and got to use a grill to make dinner instead of the camp stoves. We even had a sink and running water to do the dishes. There were showers available but no one even bothered because no one had soap and we had already gone seven days without a shower, what is one more day? We set up all the tents and they were all claimed for the night just in case it started raining. We all slept under the stars even though there were not as many because we were in the city now. As with almost every other night it started to rain. It was only a light rain but it was enough to scare some people in the tents. I however just pulled the tarp I was sleeping on over me and slept through it.

The last morning of the trip we went to Anzec hill to watch the sunrise. It was one of the best sunrises I have ever seen. The clouds in the sky had so much color. After sunrise we went back to camp to pack up. We divided up the leftover food for anyone who wanted it. Then cleaned the mud, dirt, sand, and wet socks out of the troopies and headed to the airport. As we were waiting in the airport I noticed that there is only one waiting area and three gates in the whole airport. The gates are right next to each other and all lead out the same doors outside to the tarmac where you walk up the stairs the plane. The flight was delayed about an hour because it had started to storm again. Once we got on the plane I immediately felt bad for everyone else on the airplane as none of had showered in over a week. The plane ride home was a lot more active because after a week together we were all like one big family. The coolest people I met on the trip were three Germans; I cannot wait to go to Germany to visit them someday. When the plane landed and we got on the bus to head back to Lismore, we had to say goodbye to Steve and Jude as they were not taking the bus with us. Someone jokingly asked if since they are not there could we stop at Liquor Land on the way home. The bus driver overheard us and actually stopped. We all got a little something to drink for the ride home. When we got back the first thing everyone did was take a nice hot shower. Then we all went to the bar to celebrate the three different birthdays going on as well as an outback trip survived.

Overall it was one crazy trip. Sleeping under the stars, trying to avoid rain, no showering, it was all amazing. The first morning I woke up in my bed I sat up and looked around kind of bored because I did not have my outback buddies to play with. I cannot wait to go back someday. I know my mom and dad really want to go so I am thinking that when they do go I will go with them. Then maybe I can see what it normally looks like with no rain.
I am sorry that it was so long but don’t say that I didn’t warn you. I am heading to the Great Barrier Reef this weekend to do some scuba diving and a rainforest walk, so another post will be up soon after that. Until next time, I miss everyone.