M-whY

Steve picked us up and we hit the road.

"Have a good snooze last night?" The general consensus was yes. "Did anyone hear the ghost?" He relayed a story about a ghost that liked to roam the halls at night.

I did here the doors and cupboards slamming last night... But I don't believe in ghosts.

There's no official boundary for where the Outback begins, but you know you've reached the desert when you start meeting some strange people. Our first encounter with someone who's had too much sun was a fellow called Talc Alf. Living alone in the middle of nowhere, he created wonderful art out of talc, hence his name. In addition to his arts skills, Talc Alf had this weird belief that the construction of words and the alphabet were somehow derived from humans watching the sun. For a few minutes, we were all given a brief lesson on his theories.

Someone wanted to buy a $10 Talc Alf souvenier, but only had a $20 bill.

"I don't have any change," I overheard the artist confess. I stepped in and loaned the woman $10.

"Just pay me back later."

For my generosity, Talc Alf rewarded me with a free postcard. Wonder who'll get this one...

"A little crazy, but at least he's happy," said Steve after we were in our seats.

Maybe the residents just drank too much?

From Talc Alf's junkyard, we were on unpaved track all the way to Maree. In between, we stopped at the ghost town of Farina. In its heyday, it boasted a population of 500. Mostly of European descent, they had bought the land cheaply while still in their countries, after being told it would be suitable for farming. The immigrants arrived with high hopes of cultivating crops in their new home. It took them 25 years to realize the land was unsuitable for farming.

25 years?! C'mon people, I could've figured that out in 25 seconds.

At Maree, we breaked for lunch. Like all towns this remote, Maree had historical significance. People don't just settle out here for the hell of it. The Afghan railway, better known as the Old Ghan, used to terminate here. Before the rest of the track to Alice Springs was laid in response to WWII, travellers headed north would travel this far by train, and then ride a camel seven days the rest of the way. Nowadays, the Old Ghan is a relic of Australia's past, no longer in service. A faster, more direct rail, also called the Ghan, has taken its place.

Once again, a swarm of flies joined us for lunch. Having half a dozen flies on your plate would normally be a sanitary concern. They landed on your food, your face, and would even land on your mouth. But in the Outback, you just put up with it. As tourists, we'd only have to suffer for a week. I have no idea how the locals are able to live here day in and day out.

Maree also marked the beginning of the Oodnadatta track. 600km of dirt road, it gave a far more complete Outback experience, and is the main reason I signed up for the tour. Greyhound lines stuck to the highways and rental cars are prohibited from being taken on it. Your only other option would be to buy your own vehicle. Not particularly cost effective for a solo traveller.

Most days, I have some down time, usually in the evenings, to work on my blog. On tour, there were sights and activities to occupy every minute off the bus. I could only write while we were on the road. I managed to scribble legibly while on paved highways, but on the uneven Oodnadatta track, I might as well have been writing hierglyphics. Resigned to falling depressingly behind, I put away my pen and pad.

Where's the TV?

Some people fell asleep, but I enjoyed the ride so much I didn't blink the whole way. I found it utterly fascinating. Miles of miles of dry desert. Exactly what I wanted to see.

Lake Eyre was our next stop. Yes, Lake Eyre. Only filled with water four times in the last century, that was enough to earn its "lake" designation.

"Alright guys, this is Lake Eyre, Australia's largest lake. Right now we're about 12m below sea level. Believe it not, there are actually fish adapted to living in these conditions. Whenever there are heavy rains in the north, the water finds its way down to Lake Eyre, and it'll stay full for about 12-13 months. When full, the lake attracts a wide variety of wildlife. Pelicans will actually bring fish over from the sea to populate the lake, so they have a food source for the next year or so."

My question is, what are pelicans doing all the way out here??

We hopped of for photos and the right to claim we've walked on a lake. Not exactly the same as Jesus walking on water, it was interesting, nonetheless.

"Shall we trek on guys?"

Distances in Australia were vast and travel times reflected this. Steve had a collection of tapes to keep us sane. Green Day's "A Fork Stuck in the Road" came through the speakers for the second time in as many days.

"I heard this song yesterday. Recycling tapes already?"

"Naw, it's my favorite song, it's on like half my tapes. Good to see you're paying attention though!"

Our final destination of the day was William Creek. With 12 residents on a good day, our caravan pretty much tripled the population overnight. Like I said, towns this far out had to have significance. William Creek's call to fame is pretty special. Not only is it located on the world's largest cattle station (32,500 square kms, about the size of Belgium), up until 1993, all of Australia's international calls went throught the relay station here.

"You've done well guys. Exceptionally well!" encouraged Steve as a busload of weary travellers stumbled off the bus. We had half an hour of daylight remaining to lay out our swags and build a campfire. Dinner was prepared with the aid of flashlights. Two huge pots of pasta were brought out.

"Where did the flies go?" The buzzing around my face had thankfully disappeared.

"They usually all die out by sundown. But on the flip side, as soon as the sun rises over there," he pointed east, "they'll all be back."

With nightfall came a star studded sky. No clouds, no city lights, it was the perfect place to gaze up at the Milky Way. A shooting star streaked through the sky. Unquestionably the most fantastic view I've seen my entire life.

Thanks to everyone for their support and comments! Knowing people are reading keeps me motivated to continue the updates!