Outback - 6 things to consider

Servus folks,
Alrighty, I am on the plane from Ayers Rock to Sydney where we will hopefully get on a flight to Melbourne. This morning we got the information that the flight we were initially booked on was cancelled and we did not get any other information than to see the Customer Service Desk in Sydney to be booked on another flight to Melbourne. But don’t worry. We have been told that there are about five more flights scheduled for today from Sydney to Melbourne and none of them are completely booked out. Let’s see what happens.
Anyway, we have still another hour to fly and I would like to reflect on the three days in the Outback.
Because camel riding, viewing the sunset and sunrise at Uluru, the walks and talks, the Sky Journey and the Kings Canyon day-trip were all great but you need to consider a few things if you intent to visit the Outback in the summer.

First of all, very obvious, the extreme heat. We already experienced 43 degrees Celsius during the day and at night it never got below 20 degrees Celsius. It can go up to a stupid 50 degrees Celsius in February! With it comes a very dry air. This on one hand is good as you do not suffer so much from the heat but on the other hand you really have to drink a lot of water and be carefully about your throat and nose. I had my nose bleeding several times and some other people as well. Do not forget your sunscreen, sunglasses and a good hat.

Secondly, there are a LOT of insects and flies out there. The flies are absolutely annoying and want to get into your ears, nose, eyes and mouth. The insects, well, I am not a friend of them and they come in various sizes and forms and through all sorts of openings even into your hotel room. I got bites all over the place on my arms and legs despite the insect repellents. There was a Japanese group staying in our hotel and they all wore long trousers and shirts and even covered their faces like professionals. Looked a bit odd during this heat but apparently very effective. You can also buy some fly nets to put around your face but it just looks a bit stupid especially on pictures.

Third point, there is always a risk of bush fires because it is so dry and lightning normally start them. Due to the remoteness of this area even the locals would not know there is something brewing up in one place until they get there. We saw quite a few burned areas and trees. The guides on all the tours told us stories of how devastating some of the bigger fires have been in the last five years.

Fourth point, we are in wet season. Sounds ridiculous in this context but it is true. If it rains it multiplies by about fifty times with the water underneath the ground and the few roads around the area are absolutely flooded. Again, you would not know until you get there and saw everything under water.

Fifth point, wild animals. These include kangaroos, emus, camels, dingoes, wild horses, snakes, spiders, lizards and probably much more. We got warned a lot about dingoes and wild dogs and should not leave the walking tracks because of all the other animals, especially the smaller ones...

Sixth point, rare supplies available in the area. Although there are farmers and bus stations around and fairly new streets and even a train track through the Outback do not forget that the distances are huge between places. Getting food, drinks, petrol and all sorts of necessary things somewhere to the Outback takes a few days and transportation costs are enormous. So stock up early and always refill whenever possible.

We stayed in the resort and always went on guided tours as you know and have spent of course a lot of money in doing so. But if anybody wanted to head out for themselves, get your head around this and do your preparation very serious. Doing the trips on your own can of course save you money and you are more independent and flexible, but please do not risk your life folks!
On this very serious note I want to stretch again that I liked our trip to the red center of Australia and appreciate the unique environment but I am sure that I could certainly not live there. So all my respect to the people who stay there for a living and are not just plain tourists as us but truly bound to the Australian Outback.
Yours careful Stefanie