The Outback

It is of course not for everyone. The Outback is a very desertic environment. Rather unforbidding, very alien, very empty, and very much the middle of nowhere. Nobody that was either not born there not thoroughly familiar with with the Outback can ever hope to survive in there without some serious logistical support - or at the very least a well appointed campervan. And that means me, the little French city guy.

But it is also a place of breathtaking beauty. The ground is red, the color of wet, crushed brick. The vegetation goes from blue-green grass in sparse clumps, to hardy bushes, to beautiful trees with almost white trunks and light green foliage. Giant termite mounts sprout up everywhere, in the same gorgeous red as the soil. The sky is ever so blue, cloudless, and immense because the land is so flat, nothing gets in the way. Wherever there are geological features, they are often soft and worn down, bearing the mark of an eternity of erosion. And it all looks so seldom touched by man's hands or machines. And it's quiet. It is so quiet.

And so, sometime during our all too short trip in there, somewhere in the Red Centre, some ways in the bush off the Stuart Highway maybe, I left a piece of my soul. And I go back and visit it when I meditate. The sun coming down over the landscape, the sky showing the three stripes of the typical outback sunset, the air cooling as the day ends, the nocturnal animals starting to stir from their slumber and make ready for their night's activities. It is peaceful, and uncluttered, and simple, and soothing, and wonderfully welcoming.

Some day I will return.

Ayers Rock (Uluru)	Wycliffe Well	Devils Marbles
Road Trains	More Outback pictures

Our Outback top was done by campervan, a rather popular way to see this part of Australia. We rented it in Alice Springs, drove to Ayers Rick and then back to Alice Springs, and (after a third, short stay in Alice Springs for a quick repair following a little road trains incident) continued on northward on the Stuart Highway up to Tennant Creek. Then we turned East on the Barkly Highway, on which we stayed all the way to Townsville for our day on the Great Barrier Reef.

The campervan rental agreements prohibit driving at night, and this is not an idle request. During out trip we saw a huge number of dead kangaroos all over the place, and more than a few larger animals including some cows. Yes, cows. Cattle is free ranging in many places in Australia. The only vehicles that are really equipped to deal with a cow suddenly materializing in the middle of the road in the typical pitch black night of the Outback are road trains, and they weigh many tons and have enormous bull bars in front. Anything less than that and, especially as a visitor, you're really looking for trouble. Just don't drive at night.

Also, it is a rather good idea to keep an eye on the gas gauge. Gas stations (well, homesteads really) are often 150-200 km apart. You don't want to run out of gas at kilometer 75.

Next: Ayers Rock