The Ghan, Uluru, and Heat!

The group of intrepid campers. Guess who is who. Here's a hint. Ross is not in this picture because he was taking it.

Our guide, Steve.

Do we look tired? We are! Note the flynets!

Twenty-six hours after boarding the Ghan Train in Adelaide, we debarked in Alice Springs. We hadn't paid for a sleeper berth (took Red Kangaroo service, rather than Gold)but were lucky enough to have two seats each for sleeping. Gradually the suburbs of Adelaide disappeared, and what was to be our view for the rest of the journey appeared. The view was greener than expected, but flat as far as the eye could see, with the exception of a few low mountain ranges. Some cattle found a bit of shade, but otherwise there was no sign of life.

The Ghan is interesting - begins Sundays and Thursdays in Adelaide ( and two other days from Darwin). From Adelaide the journey is 48 hours if you go all the way to Darwin, as has only been possible for the last three years. As there is only one rail line, the Ghan pulls onto side tracks and stops to allow freight trains (more important than people trains) to pass.

I woke at 5:30 a.m. and watched the sun rise on the horizon, over the same type of country I watched before I went to sleep. The only sign of life was a lone campfire - very mysterious.

As we were approaching Alice Springs, the attendant said it was "warm" not "hot" in Alice. That turned out to be plus 34 degrees. Quite a shock to the system. For a few minutes I felt like I couldn't breathe. As long as the sun was out for the next 4 days, it was that hot. We left the comfort of the Alice Springs Resort at 6 a.m. Tuesday, and headed out camping, with Steve, our guide. Think of Crocodile Dundee without the whip or big knife, and you have Steve. He was a walking encyclopedia of information. Thankfully we were only a group of 10 in a van for 24, so we had lots of room. Our group included Mette and Torbin, and their children Mia (10) and Anders (7) from Denmark, Frans and Tim (father and son) from Holland, Albert and Josette from Paris, and us. Believe it or not, I became the translator for Albert and Josette, as they spoke very little English. I managed to be able to tell them how long the trails were at least!

Our two camps were much like camps at home, with permanent canvas tents and wooden floors, equipped with two cots each. No lights, so I was really glad I packed the suggested flashlight, as when the sun went down it was dark! As a result we enjoyed two more nights to view the spectacular sky of the southern hemisphere. I have never before seen the Milky Way so clearly.

Our day would begin with wakeup at 5 a.m., breakfast, and on the road to our trail for the day by 6. There were three major trails we tackled:

1. The Olgas - first afternoon, so in the heat of the day we walked and climbed for 6 km.

2. Uluru (Ayer's Rock) - the Aborigine do not want people to climb it, so we walked around. It was a very flat trail 8 km long.

3. King's Canyon - again 6 km. of spectacular views, beginning with a 20 minute climb straight up.

Needless to say, my knees have been tested! All walks were spectacular (we kept saying "My word!" in Heather's honour). We will show you lots of pictures if you are interested, but will not be able to convey the majesty.

So...we lived through flies (note the "flynets" we are wearing), heat, very strenuous climbs, but we also enjoyed great company, wonderful scenery, terrific food, and a shower at the end of each day. All in all it was another once in a lifetime experience. (And.. the flies disappeared as soon as the sun went down, unlike our mosquitoes)

Today we boarded yet another plane for Darwin. As we approached we saw green below rather than dry red sand, along with overflowing rivers. We are now in a tropical paradise, but more on that in the next entry!