Road trip to the red center.
You have to say that the weather is with us. Summer in Australia is not to be trifled with. The temperature is between 33 and 41 degrees - we just have to get used to it.
When the sun sets at 20:30, we have the most beautiful sunsets, with completely red skies. The trees stand as beautiful black silhouettes against the horizon.
We have spent some time near Adelaide, the area surrounding the city is beautiful and we have enjoyed our time here.
On our trip to Australia, we have become deeply enthusiastic about nature, the wildlife, the atmosphere and the landscapes.
But the greatest asset that Australia has had to offer is its people. Clever, open, curious and incredibly helpful. For example, Graham & Irene have provided a fantastic amount of help and given an introduction to Sebastian who has helped with important technical details on our car.
Tanja & Brad, who we visited on trip one, have been our lifeline when we wonder about something, for the 117th time.
Coincidentally, we were standing at tourist information places and suddenly had a conversation about how an Australian woman had great memories of Denmark as a theater director and had also attended the international animation artist training in Viborg.
Australia is amazing and its people are exceptional.
As soon as we drive off, the clutch pedal starts to take on a life of its own. When it is pressed down, it will not come back up.
Fortunately, there is an option for that. After a few calls to various spare parts dealers - we find someone who can get a clutch cylinder home for the next day. Johnny is a mechanic, so it will be changed in a short time. There is great enthusiasm for the Landcruiser's simple construction, here the engineers have actually taken into account that it will need to be repaired at some point in its lifetime.
The easy access to spare parts and the absence of unnecessary bras that you have to dig through to get to the heart of the problem - is exactly why we chose this model in Australia.
With renewed hope for a good trip, we set off again towards Alice Springs.
The GPS says 1200 km straight, so we don't expect to get lost - right away.
The temperature rises and so does the number of flies. They target the eyes, nose and mouth.
You learn a lot about yourself on a long journey and we have learned, for example, that we don't really like flies. We suspected it a bit in advance – you shouldn't be too quick to judge an experience out of hand – but the conclusion is clear: We don't like them.
Fortunately, there is a well-stocked RoadHouse in Pimba, where all sorts of small things can be bought. There we find the fly net for the head and the trip immediately gets 30% better.
We come to Coober Pedy – The Opal City Of The Outback.
A small museum has guessed what the travelers want, so they offer free camping in their large car park. We are 5-6 cars that use it and the vast majority, therefore, visit the nice museum the next day.
It is built over the first opal mine that was opened in the town. At the beginning of the 20th century, 2 brothers hunted a large desert lizard. They tracked it to its cave and by chance they find a vein of opals.
Experimentally, they excavate it with old-fashioned hand tools. Hard, dusty and hot work - but it can be done. Gradually, a larger industry emerged, which supports the city right up to the present day.
We go into the museum and see the original mine tunnels, it is also illustrated with dolls, how they got up and down the mine shafts.
A dwelling has also been excavated where they could live - the fierce heat of the summer was also a challenge back then. It wasn't quite as hot underground.
Now there are quite a few underground hotels in the city, where you can get a bit of the underground atmosphere as a luxury tourist.
Large piles of dry earth testify to the industrialized open pit mining that is very active in and around Coober Pedy.
It is a long journey we have embarked on. The road goes on endlessly and it is quite hot, so we benefit from the car's air conditioning. It would have been impossible to drive out here without it.
In the middle of the heat haze, we can suddenly see something big on the road. We slow down and get closer.
Sus almost shouts at Johnny "Johnny.... there is a camel on the road." No… there are two”
We had read that there are wild camels in Australia, but that we should be lucky enough to find one, it was a good surprise. Out on the side of the road, the rest of the pack is standing. There are 12 pieces in total. They put their legs on their necks when we start taking pictures. They only have one hump, so they must be dromedaries.
But out in the big world, they're probably all called camels.
Before we get to Alice Springs, which is the northernmost point we get to in the Northern Territory, - then we have to go to Uluru (Ayers Rock). It is approaching in the distance.
