6 Days Through The Australian Outback

Since my tour through The Kimberley was such a success I was depending on Adventure Tours to duplicate the experience for The Outback. After a bit of research I went with a 6 day tour from Alice Springs to Adelaide. The first three days would be spent touring the iconic sights of the outback. The last three days would be making the long drive down the South end of Stuart Highway. If the awesome itinerary didn’t fully persuade me, the fact that the tour was on sale sealed the deal.

Day 1

The first day we got right down to business and made the long drive to Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. We made one stop at a camel farm where they offer 5 minute rides for $20. I passed on the ride but spent the time wandering around the farm looking at camels. I had never seen one up close before and they sure are funny looking animals. Camels were first brought to Australia from the Middle East in 1840 and were such a success in the Australian desert that many thousands more arrived after that. Today there is a good chance you will see a wild camel while driving through The Outback. If you don’t you can always go on one of the many camel rides.

After lunch we immediately made our way over to Kata Tjuta. I wasn’t sure what to expect because the pictures I had seen could never do a place like this justice. When they came into view I immediately knew the trip had been worth it. It was unlike anything I had ever seen before! Called The Olgas by European settlers, the name was changed back to the traditional Kata Tjuta in 1985, which means “many heads.” Aboriginal Australians believe this area was created by their ancestors at the beginning of time.

The hike through Walpa Gorge was beautiful, but I also got my first taste of the infamous flies of The Outback. They showed up in half my pictures and crawled up my nose and into my eyes. Thankfully I had my net with me and it saved the day. This wasn’t even the worst time of year for flies. Crazy!

After the hike we drove to the famous Uluru sunset viewing area. We were surprised with a champagne toast and indeed felt a celebration was in order. Uluru changes colors throughout the day and gives its most spectacular performance at sunset. I watched the orange shades of Uluru while sipping on champagne and thought about what a great day it had been.

Day 2

Today we were hiking around the base of Uluru so we rose before sunrise and went straight there. Uluru may not seem very big from a distance, but surprisingly it’s a 10.6 km walk all the way around. The walk’s a great way to start the day and it really is something else to see Uluru from all angles. It made me appreciate how massive this big orange rock is. Pictures are not allowed in some sections of the walk because these areas are sacred to aboriginals. Although it was tempting because these areas are particularly beautiful, I resisted (and so should you!). Our guide gave us 3 hours to complete the hike, and due to the hundreds of pictures we took, we made it back after exactly 3 hours.

After a light snack we had an aboriginal guide show us around some of Uluru. It was fascinating to hear all of the stories associated with this sacred aboriginal sight and his passion flowed through as he explained the history. If you want to read up on the stories yourself this page gives a nice description.

We made a side trip to the cultural center which explained the history of aboriginal land-rights. Uluru has always been a sacred sight to aboriginal Australians, but when Europeans arrived they claimed the land for themselves. In 1985 the land was officially given back to the aboriginal people under the condition that it remained a national park.

We ate lunch with gusto and walked over to the neighboring camel farm for another look at the funny critters. Then we made the long drive to Kings Canyon, the Grand Canyon of Australia. It was late in the day by the time we arrived but we got to watch the sunset over the canyon. It made me excited for tomorrow’s explorations, and I went to bed full of excitement for the next day.

Day 3

The Kings Canyon Rim Walk is one of the most interesting hikes I’ve done in Australia. The canyon itself is nothing exciting, especially when you’ve been to the Grand Canyon. However the rock formations on the top of Kings Canyon are amazing. The pancake-shaped formations reminded me of Purnululu National Park. If you want to do this hike yourself keep in mind that it closes at 9am due to the intense heat, so make sure you start your hike early. Even so, I wouldn’t pass on the rim walk.

The hike took up most of the morning and right after lunch we headed back to the highway. Camp tonight was at Erldunda Roadhouse. There is an emu and kangaroo sanctuary, as well as a sunset viewing platform. It doesn’t get more Australian than watching the sun set over a bunch of kangaroos.

Day 4

The next three days was a lot of driving, broken up by funny little roadhouses every 500 kilometers. The landscape changes dramatically as you drive down the south part of Stuart Highway. It went from fairly lush, undulating landscape to flat barren desert. Our destination today was Coober Pedy, the opal capital of the world.

Exciting Coober Pedy

Everything I ever wanted!

This town is unique for several reasons; it’s in the middle of nowhere, it’s surrounded by thousands of little white mining mounds, it’s always windy, and most people live underground. The Coober Pedy climate consists of extremes: Above 110F in the summer and below freezing in the winter. Our accommodation was underground and although it was a little scary, the temperature was pleasantly cool.

The day was jam-packed with fun. The first thing on our agenda was a tour through one of the oldest opal mines in the city. We watched a demonstration on how opals are smoothed an polished, then made our way through the tunnels of the mine. It was interesting but I would not want to be down there for an extended period of time, that’s for sure.

After exploring the mine we hopped in the bus and drove out to The Breakaways. This is a beautiful painted mountain landscape with amazing colors. The area is part of aboriginal history and is connected with Uluru legends. It impresses me that their stories extend over such a huge range of land, because Uluru is over 400 miles away from here.

We also made a quick stop at the longest fence in the world. It was put up in the 1880’s to keep dingos out. This area is good pasture land for sheep, but the sheep were frequently eaten by the dingos. Ranchers came together to build a fence, and they originally maintained it too. This fairly successful 3,500 mile fence is now maintained by the government.

Our final stop today was one of immense cuteness. At Josephine’s Gallery and Kangaroo Orphanage one can find beautiful indigenous artwork as well as orphaned kangaroos. When someone hits a kangaroo on the road they are supposed to check the kangaroo pouch for joeys. If there is a living baby kangaroo in the pouch it may find its way to Josephine’s.

Along with 4 adult kangaroos Ruby is the most recent addition to this orphan family. She was found in her mom’s pouch with a broken arm. Although she has some trouble keeping steady, Ruby enjoys meeting new people almost as much as curling up in her makeshift pouch (almost). You can even donate to the orphanage by purchasing a bag of kangaroo poop. I immediately jumped on the opportunity and bought one, which I sent to my brother (no regrets).

We ate dinner at John’s Pizza. Although the name fails to induce much excitement, this is actually one of the highest rated pizza joints in Australia. Skeptical at first, I’m happy to admit that the pizza is delicious. We finished the evening at an underground pub before making our way back to our underground bunker.

Day 5

This morning we stopped at Glendambo, a “town” with 33000 sheep and 30 people. Although there isn’t anything here, the roadhouse has charm and is a good place to stretch your legs.

Keep the gateless gate shut, ok?!

The Southern end of Stuart Highway is sprinkled with beautiful salt lakes. This area was once a testing sight for bombs, and although it is still used by the military nobody knows for what. It’s the Area 51 of Australia. After an obligatory health warning from our guide we got out of the bus and walked to the shore of Lake Hart. It’s a great place to play around with your camera and forget all about the potential radiation poisoning.

We stopped at Port Augusta for lunch but there was nothing happening on this gloomy day. We drove on to Quorn. The group finally had a free afternoon  which we spent strolling through the tiny downtown area. It was just as gloomy here but we stumbled upon a little gem during our walk. It was an antique store with all sorts of kick knacks and silly things. Most importantly they served hot drinks. I splurged and got a hot cocoa with Baileys while my companions got other gluttonous treats. I spent my afternoon in a state of hot cocoa bliss and went to bed happy.

Day 6

Even though this was the last day of our trip there was still plenty to do. The morning was crisp and clear as we hiked through the Flinders Ranges. Hiking after the rain is one of my favorite past times and we were granted with some some great views of the valley.

Yesterday had been the worst weather on my entire Australia trip. Today the flowers were in full bloom, the sun was out, and there was a perfectly cool breeze. What more can a girl ask for? We even came across a brave little kangaroo who let us take pictures of him. Thanks Mr. Kangaroo!

Our very last stop was Clare Valley, a little wine region outside of Adelaide. We spoiled ourselves at Clairerise Bakery for lunch and Kirrihill Winery for beverages. It was only a small taste of the Clare Valley, but a taste nonetheless. We enjoyed each others’ company one last time in the warmth of the wine room. When our guide announced it was time to go I was sad. We had an amazing group of people on this tour. I hope they are all having successful continuations to their adventures.

Our awesome guide Disco

Interested in Visiting The Outback?

Well of course you are, who isn’t? It’s spectacular! Most people opt for a tour out of Alice Springs, as this is the easiest and most budget friendly way to get around. Keep in mind that Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park is a whopping 290 miles from Alice Springs, so it’s not a quick day drive.

It is possible to fly directly to Yulara, the little town right outside of Uluru, but it is expensive. If you decide to fly here many tours will pick people up from the airport on their way from Alice Springs.

I used Adventure Tours for both of my Australia tours. They partnered me with Intrepid Tours for my trip through the Outback. They offer a 3-day Outback tour which include Uluru, Kata Tjuta, and Kings Canyon. You can extend this to 5 days and see the MacDonnell Ranges as well. Or you can continue on to Adelaide after you make your way through the Red Centre. There are many other tour groups but I chose Adventure Tours because they are more wilderness-based. They offer more hikes and less standing around.

Seeing Uluru is expensive and many people decide to skip it. However I say it’s worth the money. It can be easy to find a good deal if you keep track of the different tour websites. I kept checking the Adventure Tours site and finally booked the same week for 25% off. I’m not sure how often this happens, but if you’re patient you can be rewarded with a pretty good deal.