index by countries

05/28/2003: After our arrival in Alice Springs we were pleased by its quietness. The town is - although world renown - quite small with its 26,000 inhabitants. But it has everything you would expect of a town and we enjoy some luxury we nearly forgot: restaurants, cinemas, ... And for the tourist nothing lacks: most of the museums, galleries and zoos are very interesting - we were thrilled by the reptile park where we saw some strange creatures ... Alice Springs is placed at a gap in the MacDonnell Ranges. These mountain ranges form a massive barrier crossing central Australia over 400 kilometres from east to west, rising between 100 and 400 metres over its surroundings. Many rivers have cut their way through these ranges and nowadays there are many impressive gorges which we explore on many short walks.

05/22/2003: We drive northwards: our return into civilisation after crossing the desert! But still we are in the centre of the Outback - and in the centre of Australia. Often we asked ourselves where the middle of Australia would be and how we could find that - and we weren't the only ones with that question. Some scientists found the answer to that question: the planimteric centre of gravity of Australia is on the co-ordinates (25°36'36.4''S, 134°21'17.3''E). We have been there to verify that ...

05/17/2003: The paths of explorers in the 19th century or lines, from oil-searching companies drawn on maps: the Outback is criss-crossed with mythic "tracks". With our Defender we drive along roads, where only their names give a glimpse of their historical value: Bore Track, Old Strzelecki Track, Walkers Crossing, Birdsville Track, ... But the most scaring tracks are the ones that cross the vast sandy desert from east to west: the "French Line" and the "QAA Line" lead in straight line over hundreds of sanddunes through the Simpson Desert. They were made in 1963 by the "Compagnie Générale de Géophysique française" on the search for oil. We can not resist this adventure and start onto our journey into the sandy loneliness. With deflated tyres and approximately 15 km/h we climb one dune after the other and enjoy Australia's biggest desert. We explore the myth of French line, QAA-Line, K1 Track and Rig Road!

05/12/2003: South Australia is the driest state of the country. Most of its surface is covered by desert or semi-desert - what we really enjoy! After crossing its eastern border we explore the Innamicka Regional Reserve. In the middle of this desert-like area are the Coongie Lakes - one of the very few permanent "waterholes" of the area. Here's a refuge for wildlife: tortoises, pelicans, parrots, snakes ... all of them we watch pleasantly (except for the snakes) during our walks or directly from our camp.

05/08/2003: Dubbo: last major town (9,000 inhabitants) before we will reach Alice Springs in approximately two weeks. We stock up our water, food and diesel before starting our trip into the Outback! The Sturt National Park is the first to welcome us: endless plains covered with stones and stony plateaux where only kangaroos feel at home. Its northern boundary follows the "Dingo Fence": a 5,400 km long fence, built to protect the sheep from these wild dogs. This fence leads us to "Camerons Corner", the place where three borders meet: we walk around the corner stone that marks New South Wales, Queensland and South Australia.

05/04/2003: We start for a long drive: from Sydney - biggest city in Australia - to Alice Springs - centre of the Outback. After passing through numerous suburbs of Sydney, we visit some small National Parks in New South Wales. The further we get from the coast, he more the scenery changes: less people live here, the soil gets dryer, the nights get colder ... slowly we approach the red desert in the heart of Australia.

Pages:  26 .. 22 21 20 19 18 .. 1