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Thursday 20 September - Thursday 4 October

Thursday 20: Another early morning: we saw the dog fence, a long fence going across a few states to prevent dingoes going near cattle. The Breakaways are near here and we saw the sunrise: Priscilla and Mad Max movies were filmed here. Later, we stopped for a while at a garage, but when it was time to leave, there were not one, but two flat tyres! It was about four hours when we were stuck, but it wasn’t too boring: there was a Royal Flying Doctor plane there. Nothing here but the outback and Aboriginal land with Mann Ranges ahead. The police stopped us - it was just a check. We came to the border crossing SA, arriving in Northern Territory (NT) and stopped there for a while. Another game: pass around the sweet with a hole using matches in our teeth! As two men including me were the first players, there was laughter and suggestions of us kissing! Because of this, it took us four tries to pass the sweet! We also were asked to tie a knot in the snake using our tongues (sweets, not live snakes!). Alice Springs came into view hours later. It makes me realise how large Australia is. All of us went out tonight and there was a show on about lizards and snakes: I had a snake crawling around my neck! It felt heavy and smooth.

Friday 21-Monday 24: I did not do much: walking around the city. There was a parade and a boat race held - as the river is dry, it was powered on legs. It was a good event. I also saw Anzac Hill and School of the Air. I saw someone who was in the same college as me.

Tuesday 25-Wednesday 26: It was an early morning departure for Watarrka where we walked for three hours before going to Uluru. We saw the sunset on Uluru. The next morning was freezing cold when we got up early to go to Uluru: we walked around the base for two hours. When the sun rose, the colour changed: it was amazing. There was another walk before we visited the cultural centre and the Olgas and saw Mt Connor on our way back to Alice Springs.

Thursday 27-Friday 28: I went on an Aboriginal culture tour on Friday that turned out to be interesting. The land was Aboriginal land before and there is a spring from which the town got its name. I tried throwing boomerangs but did not succeed. We tasted plants and food and danced with the Aborigines, saw their tools, learnt the problems past and present. I worked for the first time in a while in the hostel: it was certainly too hot to work!

Saturday 29: I left early in the morning with Down Under Tours: first stop was in a dry community at Harts Ranges. The roads here are outback roads: dry, dusty and rough. It was humid and hot (32 degrees Celsius). There are termite nests around here, with one being 5 metres tall and 95% humidity underground. The border stop at NT and Queensland (QLD) but not decorative as it was between SA and NT. The outback changes here despite the fact that QLD is more wetter than NT: the outback is greener with more plant life and variety in NT. We saw a sunset in the desert: there was nothing in view apart from a few trees and a water pump. Nearing Wirrilyerna, the fireworks greeted us: we stayed in a farm overnight where a delicious dinner was served.

Sunday 30: Before we left the next day, the farm animals were up and about and so amusing they were that we watched them - the baby emus, geese, dog and puppy, dingo, pig and piglets and sheep There was a dog biting the legs of the piglets. The poor piglets were trying to run away from it! On our long journey, there was nothing to see here apart from flat topped mountains, unlike NT! We came into Winton, a small town where a festival was finishing and we got into a swimming pool which was quite nice. Arno’s wall can be seen here: it is made up of junk, literally: microwaves, electrical appliances, motorbikes, TVs, videos, etc. The driver was going to play the VCR but it was broken so we put up with a long drive before coming to dinosaur country: Hughendon. A giant dinosaur stood in across from the Grand Hotel where we stayed. It was footy that night.

Monday 1 October: Another early morning (how many more?) despite leaving late and still on the outback roads. We came to Porcupine Gorge where it was cold though sunny. On the way, we saw forests where fires were burning: they seemed to have been lit deliberately. Views of mountains, termite hills close to trees (‘tree hugging’), plenty of dry rivers before our lunch stop at Millstream Falls National Park for a swim or just viewing the waterfall. After this, the outback seems to have disappeared from view: there is now green countryside, so we are now close to civilisation! At 10am, it was now my birthday given (due to time differences). Close to Cairns, we went to Hugh Ross lookout for the view of city of Cairns. I just realised I left my camera behind, but I actually had it - I am certainly getting old! All of us met up in the bar for our meal tonight: I was given my birthday cake. My task was to cut up the small cake into twenty small pieces! We danced away in another place where a male dancing competition was held. I was pushed into it literally and danced, but did not make it to the next round. There was stripping and wowing and cheering from the audience! Despite having a lot of alcohol, I was sober due to a large meal.

Tuesday 2-Wednesday 3: during my stay in Cairns, I just walked around the city, browsing around and doing some shopping and went swimming. I was going to do another bungy jump but felt more nervous after reading the leaflet - I am not ready yet! Due to Oz Experience cancelling one of its buses, it was a choice between leaving Cairns the next day or spend three more days there.

Thursday 4: it was my first time to be in an Oz Experience coach as I was on the minibus between Melbourne and Alice Springs. Leaving Cairns, we stopped at Skyrail which was an optional activity: I chose not do to it. The cable car takes you around the rainforest. At the train station there, there are a lot of unusual plants: they are certainly lovely. Our lunch stop was at Millaa Millaa Falls where there is a waterfall: the catfish can be seen there. It was a scenic route on the way to Crocodile Farm: so many crocodiles lazing around! We fed kangaroos, patted and held lizards, crocodiles and snakes! Back on the road, you can see a lot of bananas being grown as well as sugar cane. We spent our night in Mission Beach where I stayed for a few days.