It’s getting a bit dull. The road is lined by prickly, dry, brown Spinifex Grass. There aren’t many features in the landscape. Traffic is insignificant; oncoming drivers raise their hand for a friendly hello. A section of the highway is marked as an emergency landing tarmac for the Royal Flying Doctor Service. Bear in mind, this is the major artery through the centre of this continent. It’s beyond belief.
Back in Sydney our plan was to sleep at some featureless roadside rest area. But there is so little to do that we decide to head on and try to cover as much distance as possible. So we eventually reach Marla, South Australia, population 150, just in time before dusk when it gets busy on the highway where kangaroos, camels, cattle take over.
The Marla road house is actually a friendly spot, and we enjoy a few beers and, as a special treat and because it is so late, a meal that wasn’t prepared on the camp stove. The night sky is spectacular, and I can take long exposure photos of road trains in front of the service station. No Photoshop, trust me!
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| Can you spot the Southern Cross? |
Marla is the starting point for one of Australia’s most iconic Outback tracks, the Oodnadatta Track, a 615 km dirt road that connects Marla and Marree as an adventurous alternative to the Stuart Highway. Our team (and vehicle) set-up doesn’t allow us to drive along this route. Yet we take the opportunity to venture off the main road for a few kilometres and see what our inner-city car is capable of. This photo, however, shows our campsite neighbours on their way to Oodnadatta. They are certainly better prepared:
It’s almost time to say good-bye to the Outback. I must admit that I like it. Yes, it’s impossible to get a tent peg into the rock-solid ground. Yes, the flies are a nuisance. But you really learn to appreciate the little things in life that we take for granted: Hot showers, cold beers, the sight of a flowering bush. The geology, the whole natural setting is fascinating. Though the landscape looks so harsh, it’s an important eco-system, and we see emus, eagles, and lots of reptiles along (and sometimes on) the road.
[Marla, 9.-10. September]
