G’day Mates!

After a two week period of exams, I was off to the outback. Our group was made of 12 Americans, a German, and an Alaskan (a joke made on our trip). Craige, our fearless leader, was the tour guide for Australian Adventure Travel and knew just about anything about Australia and the outback.

Our Ride

The trip lasted 10 days where for the first 5 days we stopped at various landmarks along the coast and the second 5 days we traveled inland to visit the true outback and national parks. Each day we made delicious sandwiches for lunch with the traditional Australian ingredients of corn, beans, and beets. Every night we would set up camp and start in on dinner. It was really a cool experience because everyone would jump in to help every night, so it was almost like a family dinner. 

Meal Preparation

At night we would set up our tents.  Dave, Nick, and I were the best at making tents so it was only natural for us to shack up together. Each morning we woke up at 6:30 and began our day over again.

A Perfect Tent

On our first day we drove through Geraldton en route to our campsite at Northampton. Our first stop was at a World War II memorial for the HMAS Sydney II that was sunk off the coast of Australia by a German cruiser.

 We set up camp at Northbrook Farmstay where we threw some steaks and sausages on the bar-b for dinner. Day two we headed for Shark Bay Heritage area and on the way we stopped at a few beautiful cliffs and gorges including the natural arch rock formation in Kalbarri National Park and Murchison River Gorge. 

Natural Arch, Kalbarri National Park

Murchison River Gorge

The flies here were almost unbearable as they ate our lunch as fast as we could prepare it. We ended the day at Hamlin Pool where we saw our first wild kangaroos after an evening stroll. Also near this camp were the Hamlin Pool stromatolites.

The stromatolites didn’t look like anything more than rocks to me but apparently they are the oldest living things on earth.

Location: Northampton, Australia, Hamelin Pool, Australia