Day 3 - Outback

Rawnsley Park to Coober Pedy

Last night after dinner, I sat around for a bit and chatted with a few other people. We were all mostly sharing stories about our countries and comparing things - it was nice to learn more about other countries as well. Then I showered and took a quick walk around the area during sunset. One of the Spanish girls came with me and we saw a ton of kangaroos out eating. There was even one with a Joey in the pouch - I wish I took my camera. It was early to bed, but I am having such a hard time sleep lately, so I needed to try and get some sleep.

So the one good thing about not sleeping well, was having to get up at 3:30am to go to the bathroom - when I walked outside and looked up, I saw the most amazing sky I have ever seen. It looked fake - like a backdrop in a movie - I couldn't believe how many stars were out. If I wasn't so tired, I probably would have sat down and stared at it for hours.

We all got up around 4:30am to be on the road by 5 - we have a very long day of driving today (700km). Our first stop wa s 2 hours later in Port Augusta - where "the sea meets the outback." We have seen a ton of wild life and even pulled over at one point so Scooter could drag a dead kangaroo to the side of the road - it was a fresh kill, so very bloody. FACT: Studies say there are 6 kangaroos for every 1 Australian citizen (almost reminds me of deer in America).

Our next stop was Pimba - which is the start of the Woomera Prohibited Area (127,000 sq km). The only public access is via the highway because the rest is the Australian "Area 51". It is one of the largest bombing and rocket testing ranges in the world. rumor is that Americans tested the Mars robots here before sending to space. The landscape has completely changed now. It is flat, dry and you can see forever - no mountains or hills - and barely any bush. It is more of an orange clay or sand on the ground. Many of the lakes around have dried up but since they were salt, you can still see where the lake is because all the salt is still in place.

We ended up stopping at Lake Hart which was huge, but is actually one of the smallest ones around. We walked out on the lake. It was so weird because it looked like snow in the middle of the outback. I tasted some and it definitely is salt!

Our only other stop was for lunch and then we made our way to our overnight stop, Coober Pedy - the Opal Capital of the world. I had no idea what to expect. The majority of the city is underground in dug out caves. Since it can get up to 57 degrees Celsius here, the underground works because it is a constant 22-24 degrees inside - no need for heating and cooling. The city reminds me of a star wares scene. When you get there, it seems like only a few hundred people live here, but since so much (houses, hotels, businesses, etc) are underground, you don't see it all. There are shaft holes coming up from the ground everyone which indicates where things are. We got a great tour of an old opal mine and underground house. We first got a tour of the city and there actually is a lot - school, hospital, church, library, pool, oval (w/the only grass in town), drive-in theatre, aboriginal reserve, supermarkets, liquor store, many pubs, hotels...you get the point. There are about 3,000 resident here and it is a big tourist attraction area. I couldn't imagine living here - so hot and deserted. Tonight, we are staying underground as well. Each bunk has 4 beds, but only 2 of us are in the one, so hopefully I will get some sleep - its another early start tomorrow.

Dinner was at the local Pizza bar. Scooter finally got a night off from cooking, but still played bartender. I ended up sitting next to 2 swiss guys and 2 girls from England. I hadn't yet talked with any of them, so it was nice to get to know more people in the group and share more stories about our cultural differences. For instance, they all thought I was weird for putting Parmesan cheese on my pizza, but the English girls tried and liked it. A few others were doing it too - including Andy - so I didn't feel too out of place.

After a cold shower (to hopefully help me sleep!), I sat outside for a while and talked with the Swiss guys and another couple from Switzerland. they know I am a runner, so we were talking about that - they girls is a runner too, so it was nice to chat with someone who understood the feeling I am missing from not running. A couple from France overheard us talking and told us they are cyclists and are also having "withdrawals." At least I am not alone! The weird thing is though that the other 3 are chain smokers...yuck!

FACT: Coober Pedy brings in and treats their own water for the city. They are the only town not on water restrictions in Australia. The difference - in Sydney, you pay .50/liter and in Coober Pedy, it costs 5.80/liter - so it is .88 to flush the toilet. We joked about taking really expensive showers tonight!