Driving the Outback in Summer

Posted by admin on December 12, 2008

Miles of nothingness, red dirt as far as the eye can see. Small Shrubs, a kaki green – the only contrasting colour against the hot colours of the outback. The road ahead is straight and has the watery effect from the heat. It has been 2 hours since we last pasted someone. I feel as if I am the only person on Earth.

The air is hot. I have no Air conditioning in the car, yet I have to drive with the windows up as the air outside is as hot as a oven. When the windows are down it feels as if your eyelashes are being singed. Not only is the Air a burning heat, it is also dry. I took some bread out of it’s plastic and by the time I got the butter from the fridge – the bread was hard and stale.

Come to think of it the only wetness around, was my sweat that glued me to the vinyl car seats. Every time I moved felt like my skin was being left behind.

Ice, ice and more ice, it was the only thing I could manage to eat. You had to be quick though, as soon as it is out of the esky, it begins to melt away.

The Towns out here – Alice Springs, Tennant Creek are built on main water ways. Like the Todd River. Without this excess to water, there would be no civilisation out here.

This trip took us near 2 weeks…….. I lost 10 kg. I did not exercise only sweat, sweat and sweat some more