A Long Overdue Trip

It has taken me way too long to take this trip, but I finally made it happen! When I booked my packages for Australia, I made sure to have an outback package included. I honestly didn’t spend much time researching the different options, but it has turned out well anyway! So I may have mentioned before that I booked a lot of tours through Realgap as a large package. I used all of my tour vouchers in the first six months in Australia except for this outback trip. I finally scheduled this last tour for the end of October, one year, and one month after my arrival in Australia.

The Cost of Waiting to Book

Waiting for a long time to book a tour is not a problem; however, the price does often change if you do not book it by a specific date. A price change is exactly what happened to me, so I had to pay an additional A$115 (Australian Dollars) for the trip.

Flying from Cairns to Alice Springs

I started my trip by flying from Cairns to Alice Springs. Now getting to Alice Springs is not cheap at all. The dates I ended up choosing meant the most affordable flight option was a Qantas flight direct to Alice Springs with a short stop in Ayers Rock. This flight was my first one with Qantas, and it was an excellent experience. Qantas takes outstanding care of their customers onboard their flights. I made it to Alice Springs around midday and had all afternoon to relax before the trip would start the next morning.

A Tour with Wayoutback

The trip I had booked was a ten-day tour with Wayoutback. Wayoutback put together a great itinerary that I had a feeling was going to make for a fantastic journey. My ten-day trip was actually three separate three-day tours back to back. Three independent tours meant that the people on the first tour might not be the same as the other two. We had about 24 people on the first tour. Some were doing the last section of their ten days since they started in Darwin instead of Alice Springs. Others had only booked the three days and nothing else. Five people, including myself, would be making the full ten-day trip to Darwin together.

Day one – Uluru

Day one of this tour started super early. Our pickup time was scheduled for 0450 am. The bus was a little late to pick us up, but this was no problem. Luckily the hostel I stayed in the night before heading to Uluru offered free breakfast beginning at 4:30 am. The reason for the super early pick up is because the drive from Alice Springs to Yulara is around 5 hours. The bus ride was mostly uneventful and filled with a few stops for bathroom and snacks if desired. We arrived in Yulara, the red center of Australia, around midday. We went to the campsite to have lunch before picking up a few more people at the Ayers Rock Airport.

A Brief Description of Uluru

We picked up the last of the group from the airport early in the afternoon and then made our way to Uluru. For those that do not know, Uluru is a giant red rock in the middle of Australia. It is an incredible sight to behold and easy to see why the Anangu people hold Uluru so close to their hearts. Before walking around the rock, we went to the cultural center to learn more about why Uluru is so sacred to the Anangu people. The land was taken from the Anangu when European settlers migrated to Australia. The government finally returned the land to the natives in 1985. Rather than go into more detail about the history of Uluru with the Aboriginals in this post, I will let you read this article about them, https://parksaustralia.gov.au/uluru/discover/history/.

Walking Around Uluru

Visitors used to be allowed to climb to the top of the rock if weather permitted, but the Aboriginals have always requested visitors not to climb. As of 26 October 2019, the day I visited Uluru, climbing Uluru is now banned. The government is heavily enforcing the ban, and anyone that attempts to climb may receive a fine of $10,000. I knew this ban was coming, so I chose to take this trip on the day of the ban so that there would be no one climbing while I was there. Instead, we only walked around parts of Uluru and learned some of what makes it such a special place. After our walks, we returned to camp to watch the sunset over Uluru and enjoy a nice dinner.

Day Two – Kata Tjuta

Day two was another super early start so that we could watch the sunrise over Uluru. We woke up around 4 am to have breakfast and pack up camp. After packing camp, we proceeded to a viewing place to watch the sunrise. The sunrise over Uluru is truly incredible to see. There was a bit of cloud cover this morning, so the colors in the sky were incredible. The only downside with the clouds is that we were not able to see Uluru changing colors with different light, but it was still amazing to see.

Valley of the Winds

After sunrise, we proceeded to Kata Tjuta and the Valley of the Winds. This valley is a gorgeous area to walk, and the loop walk is around 6 kilometers. We had some fantastic views, and once we made it to the second lookout spot, our guide gave us apples and cookies. At this point, we were offered to return the way we came or continue to finish the loop walk. Most of the group decided to complete the loop even though it meant an extra 2 kilometers of walking. After returning to the bus, we had to drive a long way to Kings Creek Station for our campsite for the night.

Day Three – Kings Canyon Rim Walk

Day three was another super early start so that we could do the Kings Canyon Rim Walk. The walk closes every day after 11 am and anytime the temperature reaches higher than 36 degrees Celsius. After completing the hike, I fully understand why they do this. Most of the walk completely exposes you to the sun, and the initial climb up to the rim is very steep. The initial ascent has earned the nickname “heart attack hill” because of how steep it is combined with the intense Australia sun. The best time to do the climb is as the sun starts to rise so that you can see the sunrise from the top.

Walking Along the Canyon Rim

Once you make it to the top, you start traveling around the rim of the canyon. There are many beautiful views throughout the hike. You will see areas that show the geological history of the canyon, such as the ripple fossils showing the ancient ocean seabed. There is also an area known as the Garden of Eden, where a water hole provides life in the area. This water hole would have been a primary source of water for animals and the Aboriginals. The final descent down to the carpark was less painful than the initial climb up. The rest of the day was filled with the long drive back to Alice Springs.

Day Four – Devils Marbles

Day four began with another early start so that we could start the drive north toward Darwin. Our first stop on the way was at the Barrow Creek Telegraph Station. They built the station in the 1870s for the telegraph line. After Barrow Creek, we made our way to Wycliffe Well (UFO Capital of Australia) to enjoy lunch. We then proceeded to Devils Marbles. Devils Marbles is another Aboriginal Site with a lot of rock formations that are perfectly round rocks. They are a truly incredible sight to see and something I have never seen before. We finished the day at Banka Banka Cattle Station, where we camped for the night. For this night, we slept in swags but inside a tent to avoid the bugs while sleeping.

Day Five – Daly Waters/Mataranka Hot Springs

Day five was another busy day of driving. We didn’t have to get up as early as the first few days around Uluru but still quite early to cover the distance needed to reach Darwin. Our first stop this day was at Daly Waters. Daly Waters has a historical pub and is a perfect spot to stop for lunch. The pub is an impressive stop because of the decorations found inside. Think of anything you could imagine accidentally left on a trip, and they probably have it as decoration somewhere in the pub. After the pub and lunch stop, we proceeded to Mataranka Hot Springs. The springs are home to many flying foxes, which are gigantic bats. We enjoyed some time swimming in the springs and then made our way to our campsite for the night near Katherine Gorge.

Day Six – Katherine River Gorge

Day six was started with a short drive to Katherine River Gorge in Nitmiluk National Park to do an easy hike. After the walk, we made our way to Edith Falls for another swim. Edith Falls is not very big, but it does flow year-round and makes for a lovely dip. We made one last stop in Adelaide River, where they have Charlie, the water buffalo from the movie Crocodile Dundee. We then made the final drive up to Darwin, the top end of Australia, where we stayed at the Darwin YHA. That night we went to the last night of the Mindil Beach Sunset Markets for the year. The markets are an excellent Thursday night activity to go to during the dry season. Since it was the last one for the year, they also put on a firework show.

Day Seven – Darwin

Day seven was a free day in Darwin. I spent most of the day relaxing at the hostel after a jam-packed first six days. In the evening, after sunset, I joined the hostel for a walking tour for the brand new “Bruce Munro: Tropical Light” through the city.

Day Eight – Kakadu National Park

Day eight started the last of the three tours. We made our first stop at Corroboree Park Tavern, where they have a couple of water buffalo, a crocodile, and an alligator. Our next stop was at the entrance to Kakadu National Park, where we would spend the rest of the day and most of the next day. Our first stop in Kakadu was at the Mamukala Wetlands.

The Mamukala Wetlands

The Mamukala wetlands are a vital part of the ecosystem in Kakadu. Depending on the time of year you go will depend on want you see at this location. During the height of the wet season, it will be inaccessible due to flooding. During the transition between the dry season and wet season, which is when I was there, the water nearly disappears. As the water evaporates, the land becomes rich with food sources. The food source attracts thousands of geese in a way you can only understand by seeing for yourself.

Ubirr

Our next stop was at Ubirr. Ubirr was a wet season home for the Aboriginals, and you can see some of their history in the amazing rock art found throughout the site. I have seen some rock art in some other places in the world, including Uluru, but never to the extent as what I saw here. There are so many layers of paintings that it is nearly impossible to place dates on the ages of the arts. Most of the art is also exceptionally well preserved so you can see them as they probably would have originally looked. We also made our way up to a lookout at Ubirr, where you can easily see why the locals used this location as a wet season home.

Cahills Crossing and Nawurlandja Lookout

Our next two stops were much shorter. We stopped at Cahills Crossing, which crosses the East Alligator River from Kakadu into Arnhemland. Cars must drive through the crocodile-infested river to cross into Arnhemland, which is owned by local aboriginals, and visitors MUST have a permit before entering. The last stop for the day was at Nawurlandja lookout. This lookout provides a beautiful view of Kakadu. We then traveled to Cooinda for our campsite for the night.

Day Nine – Crocodile Cruise and Waterfall

Day nine started with a crocodile cruise on the Yellow Waters. The Yellow Waters is a beautiful area to view the local wildlife, and the guide for the journey was extremely knowledgeable about everything around. We saw crocodiles, water buffalo, and many different species of birds. After the cruise, we visited the Warradjan Cultural Center. This cultural center is similar to the one in Uluru, but because of environmental differences, the locals around Kakadu lived utterly different than the ones around Uluru.

Maguk Waterfall

Our next stop was at the beautiful Maguk Waterfall for some swimming. The waterfall is not that big this time of year, but the clarity of the water is stunning! It is probably the most beautiful water I have seen in Australia. After a lovely swim, we hit the road again. We made a couple of short stops to see the impressive termite mounds. The stops were brief because we had a more prominent stop planned the next day for more termite mounds. We saw a beautiful double rainbow on our way to our campsite at Mt Bundy Station. We made it to the campsite just in time to enjoy the beautiful sunset and then had dinner and some drinks before bed.

Day Ten – Waterfalls and Termite Mounds

Day ten was probably the latest start of the trip since we had to meet up with another small group who was joining us for the day in Litchfield. We picked up our day trip group at Banyan Tree Café and then headed into Litchfield National Park. Our first stop in the park was to see the termite mounds. There were two types we saw, cathedral and magnetic termites. The cathedral mounds are massive, with some around 8 meters tall. The magnetic mounds are not as tall, only about 2 meters, but they are still impressive in a different way. See more about the termites here: https://darwintour.com.au/attractions/magnetic-termite-mounds/.

Florence Falls, Buley Rockhole and Wangi Falls

The next stops for the day were all waterfalls for swimming. The first one was Florence Falls, a magnificent waterfall throughout the year. There was another tour there at the same time as us, so it was a bit busy but still quite enjoyable. The second stop was Buley Rockhole. Buley is cool because there are many small pools of varying depths so that you can relax. The last waterfall was Wangi Falls, where we also enjoyed lunch. This waterfall is another beautiful one, although it didn’t have much water flowing while we were there. It should be a large waterfall during the wet season. Sadly, after this waterfall, it was time to say goodbye to the trip and head back to Darwin.

Flying from Darwin back to Cairns

I then spent two more nights in Darwin before flying back to Cairns. For my flight back to Cairns, I traveled on Jetstar since it was the cheapest option. Jetstar is very much a budget airline for Australia, and you will quickly realize that when you sit down and realize how close together the seats are. Nothing onboard is free, either. The good thing for me is that I somehow ended up with $15 to use onboard, so I used that to buy a drink and a small snack. The flight was smooth, and I made it back to my Cairns hostel in the early afternoon. The return to the hostel sadly marked the end of my outback trip but not the end of my adventures in Australia.

Most people who come to Australia end up traveling along the east coast but many skip out of the red center. This is a big mistake because there is so much to see in the center. The visa you have may constrict the time you have to see everything in Australia but there are ways to extend your time. The working holiday visas have an option to extend for a second and third year and are the perfect way to see everything Australia has to offer. Check out my 2nd-year visa guide to learn how to earn your qualifying days!