to Darwin and back: 09/07-11/07

Mo, 09/07/07
Starting in Adelaide (at about 3 pm)
--> take the Stuart Highway all the way up to Darwin
-> Port Augusta 313 km
-> Kootaberra 381 km,
sleep in the car,
identify spider in the toilet!,
gradual change to desert climate

Tue, 10/07/07
--> Oakden Hills
-> Wirraminna 515 km,
near Lake Hart,
go for a walk in salt desert,
M. almost injured,
K. almost eaten by spider,
M.'s shoes are gone
--> seen two birds (perhaps cockatoos)
-> Glendambo 610 km,
buy sun glasses and a lighter,
K. pretends to be superior because of magazine reading
-> 639 km,
delicious chilli (without meat),
M. beaten in backgammon
--> part of the road is an emergency landing stripe for planes with to pedestrian crossings
--> overtook a road train (big big truck)
-> Cooper Pedy 893 km,
opal mining city,
most expensive water and electricity in Australia,
63 °C in summer!,
in winter moderate but it is freezing in the nights!,
sleeping underground in a dugout,
buy some opal

Wed, 11/07/07
--> road to Oodnadatta very bad, only second gear possible
--> breakaways very nice;
a rock formation called the 'two dogs' does not look like dogs at all, what a pity;
Mad Max III, Priscilla - Queen of the Dessert, Pitch Black were made here
--> back on the Stuart Hwy
-> K. takes over after excessive relaxation
--> two car wrecks within a hundred metre, hope this works out...
--> grid
-> Marla 1155 km, petrol: 1.61$/l, what a rip-off!
--> cows along the way, constant warnings from now on, also in German: 'Tiere am Weg'
--> crossing the border to Northern Territory (NT) 1321 km
--> K. complains constantly (tired, too hot, ...)
--> Kulgera 1338 km
-> Erldunda 1415 km, 1.60$/l, last 'regular' service station before Ayer's Rock (Uluru)
--> red car attracts bull, first signs of Uluru , scared of kangaroos
-> Curtin Springs 1580 km, 1.76$/l!,
has showers,
free camping,
cows try to invade camping area,
K. proves to be clumsy in building up a tent,
maybe the cows are tortured since they sound really strange...,
cows go nuts again at dawn