The one where I Outbacked

I went to the Outback.

I signed up for another small group tour. I'd have preferred to not be with a group, but it was probably cheaper for me to take the tour than to rent and do it myself, and I didn't need to drive or be worried about being all alone in the middle of actual nowhere.

My group: the 23 yr old guide, me, a Polish woman and her German boyfriend, a German woman and her German mother, a German woman, and a Swiss woman who spoke German. All except the mother spoke English, but it was easier for them to just stick with German and I got to spend most of the travel time reading by myself.

On day 6 our guide had to leave us to move or something, so for the last 3 days of our trip we hooked up with a different group on a 3 day tour that happened to match the last 3 days of ours. Well, you know what I mean. So we switched guides and added an English guy, 2 Aussie girls and another German couple. Our new guide had us all introduce ourselves at dinner, so I finally had to learn the names of the people I'd been travelling with for almost a week.

While hiking in New Zealand (which I really will write about at some point...), a friend said "[I think] every state in the US is in New Zealand, too. We're in Utah now!" My overall impression of the Outback? It's like Arizona, if Arizona were really, really big.

As requested, here's some details, with apologies for inconsistent tenses and sentence fragments and stuff.

First day: Drove from Adelaide to the Wilpena Pound. We stopped at a winery in a monastery, and maybe somewhere else. Camping on a site in a resort area. Kangaroos start reminding me of the Quokkas from Rottnest Island--the first time we saw one in the wild was really cool. The novelty kinda wears off when there are five eating the grass by the pool.

Next day: Hiked up the trail to the peak to look out over the pound. Pretty, but not spectacular. But I took a nice walk back by myself--I wasn't "lost", I just wasn't on the trail. I saw oodles of roos in their natural habitat, some giant eagles, and, on the way back, a miserable looking group with 2 guides and about 25 people. We drive to Angorichina to spend the night in a motel of sorts on a sheep farm.

I buy some beers and head off to find the water hole, about 30 minutes away. I find water 10 minutes later. Not sure if that was what I was looking for, but it got me wet when I fell in. Saw sheep, goats, and accidentally killed a crab trying to move a rock to get a picture. I also came across the one area that reminded me most of my preconceived ideas of what the Outback looks like. Which come, of course, from Crocodile Dundee. I and II, thank you.

Dinner is steaks, chicken, kangaroo fillets, steamed vegetables...we're not exactly roughing it.

Next day: Rent a bike to check out the Parachilna Gorge. It's a very bumpy 45 minute ride, but no one else rented so I was able to be all by my lonesome. Gorge is pretty. And when it ends abruptly, there's a flat desert.

We drive. Stop in to visit Talc Alf, a nut and tourist attraction. He gives a spiel on the origin of words based on his ideas of what some letters mean. In explaining the origin of "Israel" he asked me rhetorically what "Is" means. I said "It's the present participle of 'are'". One of the Germans started laughing, then coughing, then choking (actual present participles...). Alf took a liking to me, and I had to change my shirt after he put his arm around me for some pictures.

We drive to William Creek, population 8, and sleep in a parking lot.

Next day: Drive to Coober Pedy. I've been trying not to duplicate on my blog what I've said in postcards, but I'm not sure how better to say it: CP is where they film bad movies that take place in desolate climates. We take an awful tour, then go learn about opals. In my free time I try to play golf, but the place to rent clubs is closed by the time I get there. We stay in a suite of rooms underground. It's really quiet, completely dark, nice and cool, and I have my own room as there's room for 42.

Next day: Drive almost 500 miles. We meet up with the new guide and new people. It's raining so we stay in some permatents near Kings Canyon.

Next day: Walk Kings Canyon Rim walk. There were some pretty cliffs. The Garden of Eden wasn't so delightful, and the pool is this stagnant water that's kind of nasty so I didn't go in. We drive to Yulara, the Uluru resort town. Stop by the Uluru Cultural Center, which is fascinating. Back in time to check out sunset at the rock. Which is gorgeous, though you're not exactly seeing a sight that few get to see...the tour buses are lined up, and many of the companies have tables set up for the "champagne at the rock" part of their itineraries. For dinner, I cook fried rice and a potato casserole and steaks on the barbie.

Next day: Get up early (4am?) to get breakfast and head to the sunrise viewing area. Also pretty. Also more buses lined up. We take a walk around the rock, which takes about 2 hours. I totally want to climb it, but the Aboriginal peoples who consider the rock sacred ask you not to. We spend some more time at the Cultural Center. We hang out all afternoon, going for a swim at the pool and walking around the town for a bit before heading to a different sunset viewing area.

Next day: We get up early again. Head to Kata Tjuta/The Olgas, a spectacular series of rock formations near Uluru, for the Valley of the Winds walk. This was an awesome walk and by far the prettiest thing we saw. Finish up and drive into Alice Springs to end our tour.

I only spent one day in Alice as I wanted to fly off to Melbourne to see some tennis. What I saw: the Todd River. The Todd River is usually dry. When I saw it: not so much. And there were great storms as I was leaving, so I'm sure the flooding got even worse.

So anyway, if you're still with me, selected Outback photos are up at my picture site. I'm taking lots of pictures but many are duplicitive or may be meaningful only to me so I decided to just load the highlights. As with the content of my entries, let me know if you want any changes to my picturedom--more, fewer, of different things, etc. All I know now is that the most viewed picture I have, by far, is this.

Now that that's off my chest, I'll write about Melbourne later.

ta,
sg

The one where I'm heading bush

Monday night, I came to Adelaide to start a trip to the Outback.

Tuesday, I booked a trip to the outback. (I don't know whether it's Outback or outback, so's I'll alternate.)

Wednesday, this morning, I start my trip. Which lasts about a week, so there'll be no blogging for a bit.

I also booked some other stuff for Melbourne and such. I ate lunch at an awesome market in the center of the city called the Central Market. I, yes, wandered around the city. It has a C(entral)B(usiness)D(istrict), which in American is "downtown" (or "dahntahn" in Pittsburgh), completely surrounded by parkland and set off from the suburbs. Like you can see here. I like that.

I took the tram to Glenerg to swim in the Southern Ocean, which didn't exist when I was young, and watch the sunset--now I just need to change my trip to hit the Arctic and I'll get them all!

Since I'm leaving, New Zealand info will have to wait some more, but Australia pictures are up: Sydney, Katoomba, Canberra, Adelaide.

chao,
sg

The one where it's Elvis' birthday

Happy Birthday, Elvis!

Yeah Wally, Andrea, Kimberly, you know who, I missed your birthdays but caught his. (Though Andrea, I did try to call a couple of times but couldn't get through...) Deal.

Oh, and Happy New Year! To everybody.

I think I need to blog more, because otherwise there's too much in each entry. Or maybe I should just say less.

I'm obviously still behind on New Zealand, but I've just loaded entries (Sydney, Katoomba, Canberra) from my first 10 days in Australia. Maybe too much detail, maybe not enough, but let me know. And don't worry, I won't always give you details of every place I go. But anyway,
sg

The one where I'm in Canberra

I'm in Canberra.

I came in for the weekend to play in an Ultimate tournament, at which I met some people, saw some people I'd met in the past, finally learned the name of the Aussie woman I've not quite interacted with for several years, and learned that I'm in horrible shape.

I rode a cab with guys from Oz, Switzerland and Ireland, and India if you count the driver. I wore almost the same shirt as Andy to the party. He's 18, so maybe I'm cool.



I stayed on the tournament director's floor for the weekend, and now I'm at a teammate's parents' house. Which reminds me--I've taken pictures of everywhere I've slept, which I'll post at some point. That'll be great fun for all.

Tomorrow or the next day, I will probably fly to Adelaide.

ta,
sg

The one where I was in Katoomba

I was in Katoomba.

I spent much time doing nothing, and it was good. By which I mean I read (Tolkien, Chabon), saw some movies (Godfather and Scarface, but also Fifth Element and something I've completely forgotten four days later), watched some tv (Simpsons! "It's 80 past 2 on April 47th").


My hostel was kind of exciting pause not. But it didn't really matter--the town's pretty laid back, and it was an easy place to be for a coupla days. I took some short day walks along the edges of Blue Mountain National Park. Mostly on the outer cliff face, but also a couple of partial descents into the valley.

One day I walked over to the next town over, Leura. Which was extremely cute. And there seemed to be a rule requiring pfunny store names, which is really why I wanted to write this entry.





Hasta,
sg

The one where I was in Sydney

I was in Sydney.

I got in from Christchurch on the evening of the 28th. I spent a coupla days wandering, exploring the city. Nice, but I don't think I've hit the parts yet that excite everyone else so much. On the 30th I wandered around a bit and found a nice park in which to watch the fireworks. Sydney had 24 viewing sites set aside, and I thought this would have a decent view but not a hundred thousand people like the primary areas.

On the 31st I wandered a bit more. Went to a museum by some of the popular viewing areas--when I left, at about 3pm, the line to get into Mrs Macquaries Point in the Royal Botanic Gardens, which was supposed to be limited to 25,000 people, was well over a mile long. I sat in the park and read a bit (finally reading Tolkien, K!), then went to the grocery store to buy dinner. Wine (to smuggle in), hummus, olives, seaweed rice crackers, a salami, some cheese (brie? I think it was, though that doesn't seem to go with the rest)... Headed for Embarkation Park in Kings Cross, just across the bay from Mrs Macquaries Point, which was scheduled to open at 6pm. Posted limit: 6000 people.

I expected to get a good viewing spot and hang out, eat, talk to my neighbors. Instead, the site had maybe:
- ~50 security people
- ~20 people cleaning up
- ~15 cops
- ~10 selling food and drink
- ~400 people watching the fireworks

I had a decent view, though it was partially obstructed by some trees. And, depending on where I was standing, by light posts and navy ships. I found a spot where there was a gap in the trees...no one else was within 30 yards of me. I ate, read, napped, watched the 9pm show, read some more, napped some more, watched the midnight show. Which was pretty awesome, though it was hard to see it all--there were fireworks set off from several different sites, and I couldn't see them all at once or from the same place.

I felt pretty isolated and alone. Last year for New Year's I was with Dara and some good friends at Paige's family cabin, and in other years I've also been surrounded by friends at parties or Omar's family cabin. Here, I didn't know anyone and the streets weren't a fun, Happy New Year's!-y place to wander...where I was, it was mostly drunk assholes shouting at strip clubs.

Here are the conversations I'd had as of 3am:

12:41am:
Security guy as I left the park (pointing to my water bottle): "Is that just water in there?"
sg: "That is just water in there."

2:15am:
sg: (points at computer)
Convenience store guy: "Three dollars"
sg: (digs in bag, hands him two coins)
Csg: "Thanks." (points to computers in back of store)

2:20am:
Another convenience store guy who saw me sit down at computer: "Three dollars"
sg: "I paid up front"
Acsgwsmsdac: "Okay."

I wasn't feeling great about me in Sydney, and my couch provider was definitely not happy that the space she'd generously offered a friend's friend for "a few days" had turned into 4 days (or that I'd turned out to be American...), so I decided to leave as soon as possible.

I booked a hostel for a few nights in Katoomba, a small city in the center of the Blue Mountains, about 2 hours west of Sydney, and left the city at noon on the 1st.

ia,
sg