Erik and Erin in Australia

Here is something previously unheard of. Two website updates back to back!

After Coober Peady we had another 700km to go to see Ayers Rock (Uluru). On the way there are other large rocks to see, such as Mt. Conner:

This thing is actually bigger, but for some reason just isn't as popular. I don't know why. Something to do with the shape maybe.

In order to save money on our drive, we did a little bit of free camping on the side of the road. Here we are at a highway rest stop the day before we made it to Uluru.

And finally, here it is. Australia's big tourist attraction. It really was amazingly impressive. The funny thing that you can't see in this sunset photo, is that there are about a million other tourists lined up next to us to watch the sunset as well. I'm amazed that we managed to get a photo that wasn't obstructed by someone's camper van.

Here is a picture of Erin actually touching the rock. We did a walk around the base. Although it appears to be very uniform and smooth in most photos, there is actually a lot of interesting detail when you get up close. Such as the one that Erin is sitting on.

I will start out with what will probably be the last picture that I post from Tasmania. But you never know. This is a bunch of people that we were apple picking with in Devonport. Everyone is gathered together for a BBQ at the campground before we all leave Tasmania. The ever camera shy Erin is absent, taking the picture. They probably weren't happy at the orchard when a huge number of people left over the same weekend. Oh well, I don't think that they expect a lot of worker loyalty in a job life that.

The first stop after riding the ferry back to the mainland was Melbourne. Yes, we have been to Melbourne before. Twice. We spent some time there getting ready for our roadtrip up the middle. This is a picture of Kimmy, Matt, Me & Duncan. The Falcon is in the process of being loaded. It was pretty insane when we had five people in the car, our packs tied to the roof, and the camping gear in the back. The car was horribly overloaded, and the rear end sat far too low to be healthy. Everyone would stare at us like we were insane as we drove by. Great fun.

We were doing great until we tried to drive up a mountain in the Grampians National Park. Then the transmission in our car gave out. A few days with a mechanic and $500 later we were back on the road though. At least everything is reasonably cheap when split between five people.

Thus our journey into the outback began. Driving through the desert was mostly long, flat, and boring. At times things could be breathtakingly beautiful though. There really is a huge amount of very empty land in Australia. We would drive for hours and the only thing that you encounter are dead kangaroos and road houses. A road house is a strange, mixed place that usually consists of a few of the following: A gas station, a bar, a caravan park, a convienice store, a hostel, a tourist trap, or a hotel.

Our first major stop was Coober Peady. This is a town built around opal mining. We stayed in an underground hostel build into an old opal mine. We also went hunting for opal in old dig sites. The crazy local at the hostel called it "noodeling". We even found a little bit of opal. Nothing of any value, but it was cool none the less. Coober peady was an incredibly barren place, partly because it is so dry, and partly because every available bit of land has been dug up in search of opal. Movie fans who are interested in seeing Coober Peady backgrounds should check out "Mad Max 3", "Priscilla Queen of the Desert", and "Pitch Black".

That is all I'm going to write for now, but hopefully I'll get another chance to update before we leave Darwin to travel to Cairns. Stay Tuned.

This area is called Hell's Gates, and it is the passage that ships must use to get to Straun. Convicts used to come this way to get to Sarah Island, an isolated prison colony for problem convicts.

Here is a picture looking back on Coles bay while we were climbing Mt. Amos.

This is The Nut, at Stanley. It's kind of like a smaller, greener Ayers Rock. It was really cool. I'm amazed that this place was so obscure and unknown. If this thing was anywhere else in Australia, it would have been covered in people.

Here we have another scenic view from one of the walks that we did. I can't remember where this is, but it's pretty isn't it?

Erin having fun at the honey farm, where we learned all about bees and honey. We also got to sample several types of gourmet honeys that can only be made in Tasmania. Not a scenic landscape view I know, but it's still a good picture.