>On the road, tour or otherwise, usually means early starts, and day one to Paranchilna was no exception. After checking-in at the office we set off towards the Flinders Ranges where we would spend 2 days trekking and stopping at various points of interest along the way. There were 12 of us on the tour – excluding our driver/guide – a comfortable number given the long hours spent on the bus. The group itself was as diverse as they come. A [semi]-retired Chinese-Canadian couple with a zest for life that cannot be put down in words, 4 dutch, two Swiss-Germans, a Russian-German, a Canadian, an Englishman and me.

Stopping in Clare, Laura, Quorn, Hawker and Port Augusta for rest breaks, lunch and fuel, we passed Goyders line, so named after a man who forseen the climate returning to normal and the pasture lands around the Ranges become arid areas unsuitable for sustaining the number of sheep and cattle early pioners had previously let graze. We took in the ruins of one of the largest cattle stations as well as some indigenous cave paintings. Our night was to be spent at Paranchilna, a ‘town’ of 7 residents, only 2 of which are permanent. Running behind the encampment in which we stayed ran a rail-track used primarily in the transportation of coal from Leigh Creek to Port Augusta Power Station. The train in question is said to be the longest transportation train in the world, at a crazy 3km long!

Day two we hedaded into the Flinders rangers via Brachina gorge, towards Wilopena Pounds. A rock lovers heaven, driving through Barachala gorge is like driving 300 000 million years back in time. We were unfortunate not to see any yellow-tailed rock wallabies, but were treated to many Emu some with offspring in tow. Upon reaching Wilopena Pounds we embarked on a 2.4km return hike of Mt Ohlsson Bagge, for views over Wilopena Pounds, a naturally occuring crator-like structure. The hike itself was not that difficult, but the heat was unrelenting making it more so. After lunch on our return to the bus we drove North to our second camp at Rawnsley Park Cattle Station.

Day three and our destination was Coober Pedy, a town unlike no other! It is famous for its Opal mines and underegound living. Of its 4000 or so inhabitants, 80% are said to live ‘underground’. Perhaps it was naïve of me but it was not what I expected to see when we drove in to Coober Pedy. Their definition of underground wasn’t my idea. I expected to see little construction on the surface. Most dwellings are former Opal mines carved into the side of hills. That is not to say they do not extend underground. After a short video on the history of discovering Opal in Australia we were able to tour around a former Opal mine and see how it had been turned into a dwelling. Quite amazing really, being inside you can really appreciate why. Above ground the temperature can sore to 50C+, yet under the surface the dwellings remain between 26-28C year round. It is still possible to go noodling for Opal in near by fields, but the chances of finding anything worthwhile are slim. Apparently most of the Opal quarried there is not a pure form of Opal thus being of less value.

Leaving Coober Pedy, day four took us further north through vast expanses of semi-arid desert-like lands. Quite from seeing nothing, it was interesting to watch the landscape change as we drove; to see less Euculyptus and more spinifix and other fauna more suited to the harsh conditions. Granted these changes happened over hundreds of kilometers sometimes, but it puts in to perspective the shear size of Australia and the effort it took early settlers to make any sort of living here. Our destination was Yulara, the resort town 12km from Uluru. Here we arrived in time to set up camp (it didn’t take much as we stayed in pre-fabricated tent structures, although most of us did opt to sleep under the stars in a swag). We had time for a swim in what has to be Australia’s coldest pool before quaffing sparkling wine and sharing nibbles whilst the sun set over Kata-Tutja. Unfortunately owing to much cloud cover we were not afforded the spectacle of Uluru coming to life with its colourful display so often heard about. It didn’t detract from the experience though. In fact, looking over to Uluru from our vantage point it was hard to believe I was at Uluru at all. I still have to tell myself I am in Australia almost 9 months on!

Day five we begun with a 7.2km walk around the base of Uluru. We started early enough to be able to watch the sunrise, however much like the sun set cloud was the order of the morning. It was at this point when you could see the scars of erosion that have weathered Uluru over the millenia that it became real where I was. The early morning walk really was something special and no photograpgh I could take could capture the moment. After an informative interprative talk from our guide, Clark, on the history of Uluru and the spiritual centre it represents for them through the tale of Kuynia we headed for Kata-Tutja. Another short walk here took us into the gorge where the view looking out was awe-inspiring. That night we had the fortune to be upgraded to the Kings Canyon resort where we slept in tents with proper beds and lights. Dinner was a delight where we were again treated with sparkling wine. The upgrade was owed to a triple booking at our intended campe-site, another minor-calamity that dogged our tour really, but with an unexpected outcome (other calamities were there being no food drop at one of our stops resulting in our tour guide having to ask other tour guides for whatever they could spare). One downside to the upgrade was the use of the on-site bar. Needless to say a few of us had a rather late night given the early start we had the next day. Some of us never learn….

Our final day took us to Kings Canyon where most of the group embarked on the 6km or so walk taking you around the rim of the canyon. I, however, being the chiverlous kind of guy I am (but also because of the night before), did not. One of the girls on our tour had difficulties when we were half way up heart attack hill and decided not to go on. I decided to remain behind as company given the walk takes up to 3 hours. Had she not stopped I would have pushed on even in my tired and somewhat hungover state. Whether it would have been wise to do so would have been another matter given the temperature was approaching 30C at 7am!
After the hike we had over 500km to drive to our final destination of this leg of the tour – Alice Springs. In the evening our group gathered in Bojangles, a not to quite pub where most tours seem to end, for dinner and a couple of drinks.

Alice is a strange town. I stayed one less night there owing to the fact I thought I was leaving a day earlier than I should have, and the vibe of Alice was not all too welcoming. When I rang to confirm my tour I asked if I could change the date. This meant one less night in Alice and 3 more days on the road with 4 people from the tour from Adelaide to Alice.