Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary Port Augusta

... Kay's). We met Kay about 7 - 8 months ago in Queensland and we have kept in touch with her.<br>Donna is Kay's friend and they are both from Port Augusta.<br>We were invited down to an area Blanche's Bay (I think) to have happy hour at The Shack.<br>Many years ago this area was full of 'shacks' but now they are highly sought after properties, right on the waters edge. Some of the houses are still shacks, but many are mansions now.<br><br>

... Wilpena Pound, which from the air looks like a huge meteor crater. To be honest it was more a stroll in the countryside than a hike, and along the way in true Aussie style we spotted a few wild kangaroos. One was lying not far from the path and when it stood up to it revealed it was a female with a little joey in it&#8217;s pouch, everyone was yelling at me to come and look as I had, by this point, become the group&#8217;s official photographer.<br>

... day started with a great breakfast at the Uniting Church, before heading off into a cloudy and windy morning (with a short period of rain). As time progressed, the weather cleared, and we dispensed with our rain jackets.<br><br>We were joined by a new rider today - Alex, who will be with us to Sydney, along with his wife Margaret in support.<br><br>We arrived in Kimba at about 2pm and took in the local ...

The Indian Pacific basically has its own railway station that it shares with the other few great rail journeys that all meet in Adelaide. The Ghan goes from Adelaide to Darwin in the north. The Overland goes from Adelaide to Melbourne. And the Southern Spirit goes from Alice Springs down through Adelaide and Melbourne up through Sydney and Brisbane. But I was on the Indian Pacific, the three day ...

... very lovely gentlemen who had left their wives for two months and were riding around Australia on their motorbikes. Posteriors aloft, we leant on our elbows, noses pressed close to the flatulent plastic sack. With surgical precision and hearts in mouths, we applied another patch. Adding gaffer tape and superglue to the equation, we were hopeful of a positive result, but the barely-audible hissing that greeted us as we settled in for the night told another story.

... of the blood sweat and tears involved in getting there. The way back was a bit more relaxed, I spent it getting to know Claire and Tom, the two other English people on the tour, both around my age and for whom Australia was the latest stage of a long time travelling, and who soon became people to share beer o'clock with. Once down the mountain we had what i believe to be the tastiest barbecue I have ever consumed. If I'm honest it was simply burgers, salad and ...

... hit me is just how ignorant i am speaking no other language than English. People from Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, Chile, France all communicating happily, mostly, but not exclusively, in English. This kind of situation always serves to remind me how far the UK is behind the rest of Europe, and in some cases the world in terms of foreign languages and education. There were three other Brits on the bus, and I'm sure I'll mention them again. We drove from ...

... dozens of flies buzzing around my head. Felt like I was the only person on the planet, a vast open space of nothingness in all directions. There are a few larger salt lakes in the area too, in the past land speed records were attempted on this flat motionless landscapes. Sleeping tonight around 35km from port Augusta on the southern coast. Will head east into New South Wales tomorrow. A final 2000km slog to the east coast unless I decide to take another detour which is a strong possibility.

... The girls had a wonderful time playing in the currently dry creek bed. In the evening I cooked up a roast beef and potatoes, followed by apricot crumble in the camp oven. We put the girls to bed and spent the night by the camp fire with Andy. Out of all the places we visited in our 5 weeks away the Flinders Ranges still remains my favourite.

Port Augusta is a nice enough little town. I got dropped off at the bus station and was finally done with that little, red station wagon. I was happy to be done with that awkward situation and to have made it through the deadly Outback alive. Speaking of how deadly Australia is, the news is great over here. If it isn't a story about backpackers doing stupid things and dying, it's just other ...