... And so we headed out to the Outback via 'the scenic route' of Dubbo, Broken Hill, and Coober Pedy. After four loooooong days of driving the Outback (do you know how many dead kangaroos we saw on the side of the road?), we pulled into the Uluru/Kata Tjuta Hostel. Matthew and I hiked part of the Valley of the Winds walk at Kata Tjuta while Bernie did the whole thing and the next day we walked King's Canyon. We hiked, we sweated, and we perfected the Australian National Salute. (For those of you who don't know what that means, we swatted away endless flies from our faces.) From there it was on through more Outback to Alice Springs for some R&R and then back once more via Coober Pedy to Adelaide. (I have now been to Coober Pedy four times... it's a little one horse town without the horse but it is an experience.) But don't let the looks fool you. 85% of the world's opals are mined around this small dry, dusty town and some mighty big money deals are brokered in those run down looking buildings. There is money in them there holes! Having said all of that, of the four nights spent in Coober Pedy, I have spent three of them staying in the same underground hostel. I'm not sure what that says about me (us)... and maybe it doesn't bear thinking about:)
I'm not sure that I will ever return to the Outback... most Aussies have never been here... but it is worth the trip!
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