After having our last breakfast at the Dingo Moon Lodge and Matt making sure he got his money's worth (although he didn't have pancakes which he regrets), we got a shuttle bus to The Ghan train station.We left Darwin at 9am and got to Alice Springs at 11am the next day. It was a very long journey but we stopped at The Katherine for 4 hours so people could do some tours (we stayed at the station as they were so expensive) and there was a stop during the night for 5 hours whilst we slept to let a freight train pass (very long train). The Ghan in general was a pleasant experience, we had reclining seats with lots of leg space. We were also able to walk around the train which you can't do on the Greyhound (coach service across Oz).

On our arrival we got a complimentary pick up from our hostel called Annie's Place. This hostel had been recommended to us by Mick in Kununurra who used to work there. Our initial thoughts of the hostel were that it was a little grubby but it was quirky with bikes on the walls and film posters everywhere, which Matt loved. We went for a walk into Alice Springs and had a drink in Bojangles -a saloon bar. Matt had seen it in a magazine that Judith had bought us for our journey. The bar had a very western feel to it with real saloon doors, dark wood everywhere and typical saloon bar décor. In the evening we had a $5 meal in the hostel and watched Avatar on the outdoor projector above the pool.

The following day we had our free toast breakfast and decided to do a self- guided historical walk around the town. The walk involved seeing the first hospital in the outback, the royal flying doctor museum and the first building in Alice. After our walk we relaxed at the hostel before getting ready and treating ourselves to a nice meal at Bojangles and a few drinks. I had a mixed grill but not a typical British mixed grill, this was an Aussie mixed grill (kangaroo, crocodile, emu, camel and buffalo) and Matt had Barramundi (boneless fish). We shared both meals and rated what we liked. I love kangaroo, I know it's mean but it is so tasty. After Kangaroo I liked camel next then buffalo…croc…emu. Croc was white meat which I was surprised at and Emu was not very pleasant at all. During the course of the evening there was a coffin with Ned Kelly in (fake of course) which when opened gave you free monkey nuts which we ate lots of. This resulted in us having empty shells all around us. At the end of the evening we were advised to get a taxi back to the hostel by the bouncers as the local aboriginals are well known for not being very friendly.

We walked along the Todd River (dry river) towards Anzac hill the following day. Anzac hill had spectacular views over Alice and is a war memorial and aboriginal site. After taking some photos and eating lunch we walked back to the hostel and spent the rest of the day relaxing before our 2 nights on the Mulga tour to Uluru and Kings Canyon.

Very early start, up at 5am to get ready for Mulga's tour which was leaving at 6am. We were introduced to GeaJay (GJ) our guide for the trip and set off to King's Canyon first which took 5 hours to get to. First activity involved us walking up what they call 'heart attack hill', which is basically a 15 minute walk up very steep steps. After this we were able to enjoy the views of King's Canyon and completed a 7.4km walk stopping half way at the Garden of Eden waterhole for a swim in the cold water (not sure why we do it to ourselves but it was nice once we were in). After completing the walk we went to set up camp. Before doing this we stopped at the side of the road to collect wood for a fire. The camp site was in the middle of nowhere with no facilities, no shower, no toilet, no running water, true bush experience. We set up our swags (bag with mattresses in) which we put sleeping bags inside. GJ made dinner, Spaghetti Bolognese which Matt helped with whilst the rest of us watched the sunset.Matt set up the fire and got it going with a little help from the dozens of Asian people on our tour (20 Asians, 2 English, 1 Scottish and 1 German). We all sat around the fire to have dinner then Matt helped GJ set up a natural oven in the ground using a shovel, hot ash from the fire and earth. This was done so that GJ could cook a Kangaroo tail. Before putting it in the oven people helped to skin the tail. It took approx. 1 hour to cook and we all had a taste. It wasn't as nice as other parts I have had, it was very fatty. Don't think I'd have it again. The evening ended by GJ telling us ghost stories, one in particular about a possessed kangaroo and about the aboriginal towns. We got snuggled up in our swags and had a good night's rest for our early start again the next day.

Matt and I woke at 4.50am when it was still very dark and watched the stars for a while, they were so bright and we also saw 2 shooting stars, how amazing! We were all supposed to get up at 5am but GJ didn't wake us so we had some extra sleep. When we woke, the sky was beginning to lighten which was amazing to watch as half of the sky was really dark and the rest was light. We watched the sun rise whilst having breakfast (bread with jams and cereal) and packing up camp. Sleeping in the bush is one of the highlights of our travels so far.

First stop for the day was Kata Tjuta (meaning 'many heads') for another 7km walk but not as difficult as the previous days walk. GJ showed us how the aboriginals make paint from natural resources (rocks) which we had a go at and I painted my face. Following the walk we had lunch in the car park which involved bread, processed meat, cheese, crackers and hard boiled eggs. We then went to that night's camp site which had all amenities including a pool. We had a short rest before driving to Uluru/ Ayers rock. On arrival to the rock which was huge, GJ asked who wanted to climb the rock which the majority of the group chose to do including Matt. There are mixed views about climbing Ayers rock. It is a sacred aboriginal site whereby the tribe elders once climbed to complete sacred tasks. The aboriginals do not want people to climb the rock, however, when the government gave the rock back to the aboriginal's, conditions applied in relation to tourism. Matt completed the climb which involved pulling yourself up a very steep incline. I watched while he got to the top, very nervous, people have died completing the climb (mainly by having a heart attack). When he got to the top GJ drove a few of us to the other side of the rock and told us some aboriginal stories. When we got back to other side no one had returned which again made me very nervous. I watched Matt coming back down and was very happy when he was back on the ground.Following this we took a short drive away from the rock to watch the sunset and had dinner (Thai curry). All other tour groups came to this site which spoilt the experience. We then went back to the camp site and had a much needed shower and early night.

We were woken at 4.30am to complete a 10km base walk of Uluru. At that time in the morning not many people were enthusiastic about this, as you can imagine. The only motivator being that we got a fried breakfast when we had finished. The walk was not as nice as other walks we had completed, with the best section being the bit I saw the previous day. This was the main event for the day apart from a short stop at a camel farm where people could ride a camel if they chose. There was also a kangaroo, a dingo and lamas. We chose to have a look around. The evening ended back at Annie's Place having a $5 group meal then to bed. Matt watched Groundhog Day on the TV in the room.

Our outback adventures had come to an end with us getting the hostel shuttle to the airport to get to Cairns. Although on our arrival our flight had been delayed 2 hours but on a plus side we got an $8 meal voucher each so we shared burger and fries. We got on the plane to Uluru first where we got cheese and crackers. On the next flight from Uluru to Cairns we had a pasta meal. We were very full that day. We got to Cairns and got the airport shuttle bus to our hostel, Globetrotters International.

Our East Coast adventure begins…..

Emma xx