Cairns via Alice Springs to Adelaide

[mileage: 6210 km] On 2nd of January we went for a big shopping tour and brought plenty of water, pasta, potatoes and plastic soups. We decided to take the not so popular route to Normanton, Mt. Isa, Tennant Creek and Alice Springs. The best part of the route was definitely from Cairns via Normanton to Mt. Isa. Some “Developmental” Roads made the drive a bit interesting and a bit dangerous. When you drive with 120km/h over a street which is just width enough for our car and then a 50m long Road Train is coming in front of you. You have to be concentrated all the time. That’s why most of the time just me and Jens drove till Normanton. The rest of the route was just boring long… too long! There was really nothing interesting on the way. Just thousands of km long Highways and maybe a Miriam’s foot on the roof of the car. In Alice Springs I stayed 2 nights with some HospitalityClub members and we visited the West MacDonald Ranges, School of the Air, Telegraph Station and a Reptile Park. After filling up our car with water, food, Oil and other things we drove to Ayers Rock to look the sunset and later we camped illegal in the Ayers Rock Camping Ground. We left the Campground 5 am for looking the sunrise which was really shitty. Maybe 400 people looking like monkeys, weaponed with cameras and waiting in front of a big rock in the middle of nowhere to see how he change the colours. I decided to leave the monkey show and to make a coffee :) We visited the Cultural Centre, walked around the Base (10 km/ 2-3 hours) and drove to the Olgas for another short walk. We found some Camels in front of the Olgas and had some thousands annoying flies over our dinner later in front of the Kings Canyon. It was very good that some Australians told me to buy flies net for my head. Another illegal camping night in the Kings Canyon Resort and after a Thunderstorm we met some funny German girls from Darwin. We drunk the hot wine and next morning (5am because later it was to hot to walk – I was dead) we walked 7km around the Canyon. Later we moved on to Cooper Pedy. Another long day of driving… We cooked a dinner on a hill in Cooper Pedy while looking the sunset enjoying the cooler air. We found a underground Camping Ground which was really great. It was the first time in the Outback that I was sleeping longer than just 6am. We visited a museum and tried our luck on a free digging ground to find some Opal. On a hill was a Lookout with a crazy Chinese man who wanted to sell us some very cheap Opals ;) After 2 nights we drove to Wirrabara where I organized an overnight stay on a sheep farm for us 5 people. The family was really great. They showed us the property and we cooked a BBQ together. Another highlight on our trip… We drove some Quads and moved on for the last 200 km to Adelaide. We drove 5800 km in 10 days.

a lake in the middle of nothing ;)

Myriam's foot over my head on the way to Mt.Isa -

that was most interesting thing what happened on that day

absolutely exhausted after 850 km in one day

Outback sunset - near Mt. Isa

playing cards after a long long day of driving

girls felt asleep after 3 minutes

(just waking up when they need toilet ;)

Road Trains - some 51 m long

dangerous on developmental roads

(can break your front window with flying stones)

in the middle of nothing (Rest Area)

getting crazy of to much driving

after 3000 km - Alice Springs

we and "Ruediger" (our car)

this name was not my idea ;)

this is an old backpacker car

you find a lot of them (not everybody survive the Outback)

Reptiles in Alice Springs

Alice Springs (from a hill)

School of the Air -

children getting lessons with phone and Internet in the Outback

all we wanted was just swimming -

over 45 degrees

we found a permanent waterhole

my ass hurts from sitting all the day in the car

a sand Hurricane - on the way to us! AHAHA

absolutely nothing to do -

so lets make some stupid pictures :)

we found it - Ayers Rock -

Heart of Australia

sitting and enjoying our view

The girls and "Ruediger"

we and some BBQ potatoes

the perfect dinner -

on the roof of the car with a beautiful view

the girls - happy

sunrise near Ayers Rock

girls sleeping in the desert

me and the wonderful Olgas

liked the Olgas more than Ayers Rock

me, the Olgas and a Camel

breakfast near Ayers Rock

sunset and a Thunderstorm

very clear signs :)

somewhere in the Kings Canyon

"Garden of Eden" Kings Canyon

view into the Kings Canyon after a bath in a waterhole

6am morning ready for the 7km Canyon walk

Let's go !!

enjoying view over Kings Canyon

Mmmm where is the path....
Kings Canyon again

and again .... boring I know :)

Playground for childs - me

Lisa and me on the way back to the car park

absolutley exhausted and dehydrated -

5 min break

Tiere am Weg (Why always in German?)

Myriam sleeping on the roof.

I take my sleeping back and ...

go to sleep in the underground campingcround

The underground is the only way to survive

outside temperature: 51 degrees

the ways in the campgrounds...

and the campsides

mysterious colors in a underground church

kangaroo sign

Whats this ?!? Film crew left someting for us

Cooper Pedy

laughing and drinking - Cooper Pedy

dead Kangaroo on the road - number 104 :(

staying on a farm for a night in Wirrabara

Hospitalityclub

father explained us how the cut the

sheeps with the help of his sun

group picture - we and the farm family