The Outback

Around dinner time, a thunderstorm had moved through the city. The storm made me feel even more remote. I could see the lightening stretch from the clouds all the way to the ground. It was a beautiful light show. I just stood outside letting the rain and warm breeze cool me off. I hadn’t stopped sweating since I stepped off the plane and the humidity, once the storm had passed, would make the temperature even more unbearable.

I met a travel friend for dinner at the Red Ochre Grill. Of course, we had to try the native food. We ordered and ate smoked kangaroo (a bit gamey), Emu Pate (not a huge fan of pate), Crocodile and Camel kebabs (taste like chicken) and North Indian Xacuti Barramundi Curry. We washed it all down with a bottle of wine from Adelaide. We were full and proud of ourselves for expanding our taste buds. At 5:00 the town was dead, so we headed back to the hostile to pack and prepare for our outback adventure.

We were picked up in an army green 4 WD Land cruiser that seats 13 passengers. It’s neither comfortable nor uncomfortable. The back seat makes for a bumpy ride so the rule was to rotate. We stopped at the top of Anzac Hill and watched the sun rise over Alice Springs. The only word I can use to explain the outback from the view on top of the Hill is vast. Alice Spring looked like an insignificant dot surrounded by so much red dirt.

We then drove south to Erldunda traveling through the Waterhouse and James Ranges with a stop at The Camel Farm. Camels are not indigenous to Australia. They were imported for their ability to survive in the harsh outback conditions and to make it easier for people to travel across the land. I paid a dollar to ride one. I can not imagine riding a camel for longer then the 15 minutes I was on mine. They are not the most graceful of animals and the process of getting on and off makes it hard for anyone with a fear of heights. When my ride was over, my camel burger was done. It was delicious. It tasted like bratwurst.

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